What role do novels, drama, and tragedy play within Christian thought and living? The twentieth century Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar addressed these questions using tragic drama. For him, Christ was the true tragic hero of the world who exceeded all tragic literature and experience. Balthasar demonstrated how ancient, pre-Christian tragedy and Renaissance works contained important Christian concepts, but he critiqued modern novels as failing to be either truly tragic or Christian. By examining the tragic novels of Thomas Hardy on their own terms, we have an important counterpoint to Balthasar's argument that the novel is too prosaic for theological reflection. Hardy's novels are an apt pairing for examination and critique, as they are both classically and biblically influenced, as well as contemporary.The larger implication for Balthasar's theology is that his innovations in theological aesthetics and tragedy must be expanded in the light of modernity and the tragic novel.
What role do novels, drama, and tragedy play within Christian thought and living? The twentieth century Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar addressed these questions using tragic drama. For him, Christ was the true tragic hero of the world who exceeded all tragic literature and experience. Balthasar demonstrated how ancient, pre-Christian tragedy and Renaissance works contained important Christian concepts, but he critiqued modern novels as failing to be either truly tragic or Christian. By examining the tragic novels of Thomas Hardy on their own terms, we have an important counterpoint to Balthasar's argument that the novel is too prosaic for theological reflection. Hardy's novels are an apt pairing for examination and critique, as they are both classically and biblically influenced, as well as contemporary.The larger implication for Balthasar's theology is that his innovations in theological aesthetics and tragedy must be expanded in the light of modernity and the tragic novel.
Introduction 1. Balthasar and Tragedy 2. Balthasar's Limited Conception of Tragedy 3. Balthasar's Critique of the Novel and The Return of the Native 4. The Mayor of Casterbridge and Prosaic Reality 5. Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Its Narrator 6. Jude the Obscure and Ignoble Suffering 7. The Place of the Tragic Novel within Balthasar's Theology Conclusion Bibliography Index
A critical examination of Hans Urs von Balthasar's theological aesthetics of tragedy and literature, using as a conversationpartner the novels of Thomas Hardy.
Kevin Taylor (PhD, University of Cambridge) is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pfeiffer University, USA. He recently co-edited a collection of essays, Christian Theology and Tragedy: Theologians, Tragic Literature and Tragic Theory (Ashgate, 2011)
Taylor demonstrates a remarkable command of Thomas Hardy's novels
and they lead him to an accomplished engagement with some of the
most important themes in 20th-century theology, focusing especially
on one of its giants: Hans Urs von Balthasar. It is rare to find a
theologian who combines critical theological intelligence with
literary sensitivity in this way. Taylor's close readings of Hardy
are often delicate and profoundly moving. His honest, inquiring and
reflective mind perfectly suits the interdisciplinarity of his
subject.
*Ben Quash, King's College London, UK*
Kevin Taylor's book offers a crucial supplement and corrective to
Hans Urs von Balthasar's theological aesthetics. As Taylor
demonstrates, Hardy's tragic vision also demands a Christian
reckoning.
*Ralph C. Wood, Baylor University, USA*
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