Book Description
Although Judaism and Catholicism have important differences, both religions contain elements of religious mystery, aspects of belief that transcend the rational. This book studies how Jewish and Catholic practices of giving structure to religious mystery are embodied in the works of Bernard Malamud, Walker Percy, Cynthia Ozick, and Flannery O'Connor. The volume links Malamud with Percy and Ozick with O'Connor because these authors depict religious mystery in similar ways. Percy and Malamud use the quest form to give shape to mystery, while O'Connor and Ozick use the grotesque and fantastic to evoke the numinous. Whether presenting a movement toward mystery or serving to evoke it, these four authors explore an ineffable dimension that readers need to sense in order to gain a better understanding of their works.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Although Judaism and Catholicism have important differences, both religions contain elements of religious mystery, aspects of belief that transcend the rational. This book studies how Jewish and Catholic practices of giving structure to religious mystery are embodied in the works of Bernard Malamud, Walker Percy, Cynthia Ozick, and Flannery O'Connor. The volume links Malamud with Percy and Ozick with O'Connor because these authors depict religious mystery in similar ways. Percy and Malamud use the quest form to give shape to mystery, while O'Connor and Ozick use the grotesque and fantastic to evoke the numinous. Whether presenting a movement toward mystery or serving to evoke it, these four authors explore an ineffable dimension that readers need to sense in order to gain a better understanding of their works.

SYNOPSIS

Links the Jewish fiction of Malamud and Ozick with the Catholic fiction of Percy and O'Connor to study the representation of religious mystery in works by these authors.

FROM THE CRITICS

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