Dix, Emily R "Whole World of Belief": American Spiritual Changes of Post 1960s Literature. 2023. Radford University, Thesis. Radford University Scholars' Repository.
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Abstract
Post-1960s America saw a change in how society viewed religion and spirituality. Prior to this, Americans were mostly Protestant or Catholic and the entire state was closely intertwined with the church. This shift allows for writers to push the boundaries of religion and religious writing. Starting with but ultimately departing from Amy Hungerford’s Postmodern Belief: American Literature and Religion since 1960, I will examine Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, and River of Earth by James Still to understand Americans’ changing views of religion and spirituality and how this has affected American literature. Religion and spirituality, though often used interchangeably in casual conversation, mean different things in my project. Using connotations and denotations of the terms will be especially helpful when considering the different viewpoints held by my primary authors. In my first chapter, I analyze Gilead as an example of a transitional piece between conventional religion and unconventional spirituality. Marilynne Robinson uses secular and religious influences to create new and different spaces for Americans of faith to exist in. In chapter two, I argue that Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon is another example of a transitional piece between conventional religion and unconventional spirituality. Morrison, like Robinson, also uses genre techniques from biblical texts, but she combines them with African myths to create a different spiritual space than we find in Gilead. Morrison further uses allusions to classical myths and fairytales as another way to describe this new space between conventional religion and unconventional spirituality. In chapter three, I refine my argument by looking to earlier, Appalachian texts. While most critics claim that there was a significant shift in American religious thinking following World War II, I demonstrate that Appalachian spirituality was in fact already more creative and flexible before the mid-twentieth century. James Still’s River of Earth is an example of a text that is a firmly spiritual piece. Still uses techniques from Appalachian myths and legends to explain Appalachian spirituality. Still does use some references to conventional religion but he does not rely on these influences to function as the main spirituality in his novel. These chapters help us to understand and to complicate the transition in American literature post-1960s from conventional religion to unconventional spirituality. This transition coincides with American acceptance of unconventional spiritual practices that were likely formed from the adaptation of strict religious rituals to secular theories or practices. These combinations can be seen in Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, and River of Earth by James Still. I argue that these authors have taken conventional religion and created a more flexible spirituality that allows for Americans to practice faith in new ways.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PE English |
| Divisions: | Radford University > College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences > Department of English |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Aug 2023 14:34 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Aug 2023 14:34 |
| URI: | http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/1004 |
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