Creed and credibility : aesthetic consequences of faith in the fiction of Graham Greene
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: English, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Newman, Gillian
issued: 2010-02-26T05:04:20Z
issued: 1978
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Beliefs a writer holds dear clearly influence the selection and treatment of ideas in his fiction: the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Greene's religious sensibility on theme, mode, and characterization in a representative selection of his novels. From the late 30's to the early 50's, Greene's novels deal with dilemmas of faith that beset his Catholic characters; In The Power and the Glory (1940) he achieves startling and dramatic effects from the religious paradigms at the core of the novel. After the contentious success of the so-called 'Catholic' trilogy, The End of the Affair (1951) illustrates the difficulties to which an overzealous concern with specific issues of doctrine can lead when religious premises conflict directly with artistic requirements. From this point on, the perspective of Greene's novels is less and less specifically religious as he turns to considerations of a wider moral and social kind. In The Quiet American (1955), Greene explores the more existentialist questions of the freedom of choice and the responsibility of individual existence; however, his long preoccupation with Catholicism still intrudes in ways detrimental to the established development of the fiction. With the publication of The Comedians (1966) it is evident that Greene has moved even further away from the crises of faith that hounded his earlier characters as he focuses on an uncommitted anti-hero surrounded by an assortment of ideologies and forms of commitment. The development in Greene's religious vision has made him see and respond to the world of experience differently so that the themes and techniques of his fiction have changed accordingly. The broadening of his religious concerns has resulted in fiction that is less doctrinaire, less controversial, and perhaps more accessible. The negative presentation of the necessity of any form of faith through an anti-heroic central character has meant some loss of the intensity he could achieve as a novelist of…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/21095
note: CREED AND CREDIBILITY: AESTHETIC CONSEQUENCES OF FAITH IN THE FICTION OF GRAHAM GREENE by GILLIAN NEWMAN B.A. (Hons), Rhodes U n i v e r s i t y , 1969 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS i n THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Department o f E n g l i s h We a c c e p t t h i s t h e s i s as c o n f o r m i n g t o t h e r e q u i r e d s t a n d a r d THE UNIVERSITY OF- BRITISH COLUMBIA J u l y , 1978 @ G i l l i a n Newman, 1978 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Brit ish Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of The University of Brit ish Columbia 2075 W e s b r o o k P l a c e V a n c o u v e r , C a n a d a V6T 1W5 Date / SfpY&t^&y i i ABSTRACT B e l i e f s a w r i t e r h o l d s dear c l e a r l y i n f l u e n c e t h e s e l e c t i o n and t r e a t m e n t of i d e a s i n h i s f i c t i o n : t h e p u r p o s e of t h i s s t u d y i s t o examine t h e e f f e c t o f Greene's r e l i g i o u s s e n s i b i l i t y on theme, mode, and c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n i n a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s e l e c t i o n of h i s n o v e l s . From t h e l a t e 30's t o t h e e a r l y 50's, Greene's n o v e l s d e a l w i t h dilemmas of f a i t h t h a t b e s e t h i s C a t h o l i c c h a r a c t e r s ; I n The Power and t h e G l o r y (1940) he a c h i e v e s s t a r t l i n g and d r a m a t i c e f f e c t s f r o m t h e r e l i g i o u s paradigms a t t h e c o r e of t h e n o v e l . A f t e r t h e c o n t e n t i o u s s u c c e s s of t h e s o - c a l…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0094417
language: eng
degree discipline: English
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/21095