Biblical Wisdom and the Victorian Literary Imagination - (New Directions in Religion and Literature) by Denae Dyck

About the Book

"Examining the creative thought that arose in response to 19th-century religious controversies, this book demonstrates that the pressures exerted by historical methods of biblical scholarship prompted an imaginative recovery of wisdom literature. During the Victorian period, new approaches to the interpretation of sacred texts called into question traditional ideas about biblical inspiration, motivating literary transformations of inherited symbols, metaphors, and forms. Drawing on the theoretical work of Paul Ricoeur, Denae Dyck considers how Victorian writers from a variety of belief positions used wisdom literature to reframe their experiences of questioning, doubt, and uncertainty: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George MacDonald, George Eliot, John Ruskin, and Olive Schreiner. This study contributes to the reassessment of historical and contemporary narratives of secularization by calling attention to wisdom literature as a vital, distinctive genre that animated the search for meaning within an increasingly ideologically diverse world."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Examining the creative thought that arose in response to 19th-century religious controversies, this book demonstrates that the pressures exerted by historical methods of biblical scholarship prompted an imaginative recovery of wisdom literature.
During the Victorian period, new approaches to the interpretation of sacred texts called into question traditional ideas about biblical inspiration, motivating literary transformations of inherited symbols, metaphors, and forms.
Drawing on the theoretical work of Paul Ricoeur, Denae Dyck considers how Victorian writers from a variety of belief positions used wisdom literature to reframe their experiences of questioning, doubt, and uncertainty: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George MacDonald, George Eliot, John Ruskin, and Olive Schreiner. This study contributes to the reassessment of historical and contemporary narratives of secularization by calling attention to wisdom literature as a vital, distinctive genre that animated the search for meaning within an increasingly ideologically diverse world.

Review Quotes

Biblical Wisdom and the Victorian Literary Imagination is an original and important corrective to our usual ways of discussing the Bible in Victorian scholarship. Dyck's argument is straightforward but also profound. She shows how a focus upon the wisdom literature of the Bible (such as the Protestant wisdom books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, as well as the Gospel parables) takes us beyond the usual questions about Biblical history, and thus she unfolds more of the rich complexity of Victorian religious culture. Indeed, Dyck shows us the special value of wisdom literature during an epoch when ancient history is widely acknowledged as a thorny and problematic concept. We have needed this book.
Charles LaPorte, Professor of English, University of Washington, USA

Dyck offers a compelling account of the crucial place of biblical wisdom literature in shaping the Victorian literary imagination. She offers brilliant insights about the legacy of Schleiermacher and opens new approaches to thinking about the secular, hospitality, and dialogue.
Elizabeth Ludlow, Associate Professor of Religion and Literature, Anglia Ruskin University, UK

About the Author

Denae Dyck is Assistant Professor of English at Texas State University. Her publications include articles in Victorian Poetry, Victorian Review, European Romantic Review, and Christianity and Literature.