Breaking Enmities [Hardcover]

Grant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 1999

This book makes an original contribution to the study of modern Northern Ireland by examining the complex relationships among religion, literature and ethnicity since 1967. Patrick Grant focuses on a contradiction within sectarianism between the Christian injunction to love one's enemies, and the scapegoating, stereotyping and mirror oppositions that result from an annexation of religion to ethnic exclusivism. The introductory chapter provides a theoretical account of how literature engages sectarian prejudices by unravelling and exposing them in ways that can help to dissolve or mitigate the alienating effects of traditional enmities. Subsequent chapters combine an analysis of specific cultural issues with a critical assessment of relevant literary works by key authors: identity (John Hewitt and Seamus Heaney), marriage and education (Brian Friel and Stewart Parker), gender (Edna Longley and Medbh McGuckian), imprisonment (Bobby Sands and Brian Keenan). A conclusion considers the Salman Rushdie affair, which directly affected Brian Keenan's imprisonment and which exemplifies the challenges of cultural relativism, secularism and religious freedom shared by modern Northern Ireland with many cultures globally. In general, a 'post-critical' view of religion is offered, welcoming the critique provided by secularism and maintaining that the varieties of imagination - whether literary or religious - can be liberative and mutually supporting.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...his use of the writing of political analysts, academics, playwrights, poets and prisoners from the two communities...proves to be insightful and engaging.' - Lucretia Stewart, Times Literary Supplement 'Patrick Grant's impressive book is an attempt to describe the complex relationships among religion, literature and ethnicity...What is refreshing about this analysis is its ability to find new ways of describing and understanding sectarianism as much by what is left unsaid and by what is said.' - David Chillingworth, Church Times

About the Author

PATRICK GRANT is Professor of English at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was educated at the Queen's University of Belfast and at Sussex University. In 1990 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. . He is the author of a trilogy on literature and the idea of the person, comprising Personalism and the Politics of Culture, Spiritual Discourse and the Meaning of Persons, and Literature and Personal Values. He is also the author of Reading the New Testament, Literature and the Discovery of Method in the English Renaissance, A Dazzling Darkness: An Anthology of Western Mysticism, Literature of Mysticism in Western Tradition, Six Modern Authors and Problems of Belief, Images and Ideas in Literature of the English Renaissance, and The Transformation of Sin: Studies in Donne, Herbert, Vaughan and Traherne.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave MD (September 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0333698290
• ISBN-13: 978-0333698297
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.