Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, & Hope In Western Literature [Paperback]

Peter J. Leithart (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1591280273 | ISBN-13: 978-1591280279 | Publication Date: October 27, 2006

In this short but stimulating work, Peter Leithart draws upon insights from history, theology, philosophy, and literature to connect two of the most glorious and unique truths of Christianity—its hopeful eschatology and its doctrine of a dynamic, personal Trinity. First, Leithart shows that the biblical view of history is essentially comic and hopeful, in contrast to the classical Greco-Roman view, which is essentially and irredeemably tragic. Then he develops the same point by examining Greek philosophy and its descendants (including postmodernism) in contrast to orthodox Trinitarian theology. Finally, he shows how the tragic and comic worldviews have been reflected in literature, with discussions of Greek epics and two Shakespearean plays. The result is a tour through three thousand years of intellectual history that celebrates the living power of orthodoxy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Leithart holds degrees in English, history, religion, and theology, including a doctorate in theology from Cambridge University. He is a Senior Fellow at New Saint Andrews College and is the pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho. He is the author of numerous books on theology and literature, including A House for My Name, Against Christianity, Blessed are the Hungry, Brightest Heaven of Invention, Ascent to Love, Heroes of the City of Man, Miniatures and Morals, and more, in addition to articles in journals such as Pro Ecclesia, Journal of Biblical Literature, and Westminster Theological Journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Canon Press (October 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591280273
• ISBN-13: 978-1591280279
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #905,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hilarity of the Gospel, March 21, 2008

By 

Baroque Norseman (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, & Hope In Western Literature (Paperback)

This book aims at joy--nothing else. Joy is intensified in the despair of (post)modern life. Leithart also neatly connects joy (think comedy) with the Trinity. Leithart aims to show eschatological moments within the Trinity. And if these moments take place within space-time, then this book also aims at eschatology. An eschatology of hope.

The short thesis of this book is that Western literature moves from Tragedy to Comedy and from Comedy to Deep Comedy.

Beginning with Tragedy:
The pivotal work of ancient history is Homer. The Iliad--here Leithat defies convential terms--is a tragedy. Good people (well, protagonists anyway) gone bad. It is hard to find a happy ending to this story. More importantly, such a framework tending toward despair is inherent in a pagan (greek) culture.

Western literature, then, while still pagan, tries to move towards Comedy. Of course, the Odessy has a happier ending than the Iliad. But it lacks the deep resorvoirs of the Christian story. Odesseus knows he will die. And having been to Tarturas, he knows it is better to remain alive.

But The Aeneid is happier, right? Well, kind of. Aeneus does build a mighty house, but only by toppling other houses. Aeneas brings the destruction of Troy with him to Carthage. Aeneas, despite great moments, turns Carthage, represented by the suicidal funeral pyres of Dido, into another Troy.

But something happens with the Western Story. Christ in a way takes the Platonic worldview and subverts it. This is Leithart's most brilliant moment in any of his books. He wrestles with the challenge given by postmodern philosopher Derrida: All literature (or story) must have a supplement to the Origin. But the supplement is almost always a degeneration of the Origin. This shows up in literature. The sons (Zeus and the gods) overthrow the fathers (Chronus and the Titans). Supplementation for Derrida--and the greeks--is violent.

Interestingly, there is no such thing as "origin" unless there is also a moment of "supplementation." Accordling (and contra to Plato), there is no such thing as pure origin, pure essence, or a pure stream. It is already supplemented. At this point Derrida, himself an unbeliever, comes very close to a dark Trinitarianism. He, like Athanasius, sees that there can be no Father without a Son. But Derrida prefers Hesiod (violence) to the Gospel of Jon (perichoreisis).

This is the eschatological moment in the Trinity, and in Western History. Unlike all of history before it, this time the Son does not violence the Father. Christ reveals the Father. Does the Father's will. Incarnates the Father's love.

Here is a Trinitarian argument for you: There can be no Father without the Son. But he has also been the Father for all eternity. Therefore, there must have been a Son for all eternity.

Deep Comedy:
The newly revealed (although ancient) Trinitarian theolgoy was a joyful theology. The Christian gospel--the Christian story--moves from "glory to glory" (1 Cor. 3). The end is always better than the beginning. The medieval romances, despite some lapses, are much happier than Homer. The Christian (medieval) world is thus supernaturalized. The Christian hero is thus an adventurer.

Conclusion:
This book may well be Leithart's best work. The chapter "Supplement at the Origin" may well be the best thing on trinitarian theology I have read. It is hard to say how much I recommend this work.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Total Kindle Rip-Off -- Avoid at any Price!, August 13, 2011

By 

Alfred North (Penn Valley, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, & Hope In Western Literature (Kindle Edition)

I second the review of S. Aramov, in spades (not stars). The text as transcribed by OCR for Kindle is completely illegible, and spoils the entire reading experience. Stick to the printed page on this one! Amazon is doubly to be faulted because there is no apparent refund on Kindle orders -- and they also won't let you give one of their products a review of zero (or negative) stars. Caveat emptor!

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars awful Kindle edition, July 9, 2011

By 

S. Avramov (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, & Hope In Western Literature (Kindle Edition)

Formatting in Kindle Edition of this book looks like a failed OCR conversion to Word document. Simply awful.

Book itself gets 4 stars. Leithart presents a short literary essay examining classical Greco-Roman world-view using its literature as a showcase in contrast with writings influenced by truths of Christianity. Opposing Classic "tragedy" used as a story in which the characters begin well but slide inexorably to a bad end where "glorious" death awaits with "deep comedy" where the happy ending is uncontaminated by any fear of future tragedy and where characters do not simply end as well as they began, but progress beyond their beginning. Very insightful.