Hi!
This post is going to be a shameless attempt to get help generating ideas for my doctoral thesis, a proposal for which I am starting to work on.
When I finish my masters thesis, which is on reader positioning in allegory as demonstrated in Charles Williams' fantasy novels, I am keen to keep on studying in the insane way that post-grad lit students do, which seems to involve borrowing another five books from the uni library every second day.
For my doctoral thesis, I would really like to write on representations of religious piety in contemporary literature. It's an important area, because too many people have the idea that piety is akin to self-righteousness, or evangelical zeal, or, worse, fundamentalist dogmatism. So I really want to be sympathetic to the sort of piety that is sincere and thoughtful. I want to look at different religions in different areas of the world, though I want to stick to the major religions, and not end up in cult-ish territory. I have come up with a list of novels that might be useful:
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
The Handmaid's Tale or the Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood
Middlemarch, by George Eliot (not contemporary, obviously, but my supervisor suggested it as a historical comparison)
I have also had Isabel Allende recommended to me
I would love to look at something Middle-Eastern - ideas?
I would also need some reflective religious sources:
Kierkegaard or Augustine
Julian of Norwich,
possibly
Mother Theresa would make an interesting comparison, as might Gandhi
The Qur'an
The Talmud (I have a feeling I am going to love reading Midrash - from what I'm aware, it seems sort of like reading Aeschylus after reading Homer, with all the revisions and differences of opinion!)
I have no idea what literary theory might be appropriate for this, but obviously the cultural relevance is the biggest seller for me. I might hopefully find a way to compare media representations of piety and religion.
I welcome all suggestions! Obviously, one person's brain storming will be insufficient for this kind of thing. There are so many books that I don't know about! Still!
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*to shamelessly rip off Emily Dickinson
