Gavin F. Hurley

Catholic Horror and Rhetorical Dialectics

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Identifying an important subgenre of horror literature, this book argues that Catholic horror fiction works distinctively to inspire the philosophical, theological, and spiritual imaginations of readers from all backgrounds and faith traditions. Hurley analyzes four novels that are foundational to the genre of Catholic horror: J.K. Huysmans's Là-Bas (1891), Robert Hugh Benson's The Light Invisible (1903) and A Mirror of Shalott (1907), and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist (1971). Putting these texts in conversation with the classical liberal arts, the book shows how Catholic horror fiction coheres in a commitment to dialectical thinking that aims both to resolve-and to accommodate-contrasting world views. Given its use of this methodology, Catholic horror literature is uniquely positioned to draw readers into a contemplative mindset. In presenting ghost stories, tales of possession, and narratives about evil, Catholic horror invites audiences to confront and reflect on profound existential questions-questions about the line between life and death, the nature of being, and the meaning of reality.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Lehigh University Press
• Seitenzahl: 202
• Erscheinungstermin: 15. Juli 2024
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 157mm x 17mm
• Gewicht: 488g
• ISBN-13: 9781611463620
• ISBN-10: 1611463629
• Artikelnr.: 70065129

Autorenporträt

By Gavin F. Hurley

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction: Contemplative Horror and Rhetoric
Chapter One: What is Catholic Horror Literature?
Chapter Two: What are Rhetorical Dialectics?
Chapter Three: Rhetorical Dialectics of J.K. Huysmans's Là-Bas (1891)
Chapter Four: Rhetorical Dialectics of Robert Hugh Benson's The Light
Invisible (1903)
Chapter Five: Rhetorical Dialectics of Robert Hugh Benson's A Mirror of
Shallot (1907)
Chapter Six: Rhetorical Dialectics of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist
(1971)
Conclusion: Orienting the Head and Heart