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Acts of Faith and Imagination
Theological Patterns in Catholic Fiction
by Brent Little
Foreword by Mark Bosco
Imprint: Catholic University of America Press
Acts of Faith and Imagination wagers that fiction written by Catholic authors assists readers to reflect critically on the question: "what is faith?" To speak of a person’s "faith-life" is to speak of change and development. As a narrative form, literature can illustrate the dynamics of faith, which remains in flux over the course of one’s life. Because human beings must possess faith in something (whether religious or not), it inevitably has a narrative structure—faith ebbs and flows, flourishes and decays, develops and stagnates.
Through an exploration of more than a dozen Catholic authors’ novels and short stories, Brent Little argues that Catholic fiction encourages the reader to reflect upon their faith holistically, that is, the way faith informs one’s affections, and how a person conceives and interacts with the world as embodied beings. Amidst the diverse stories of modern and contemporary fiction, a consistent pattern emerges: Catholic fiction portrays faith—at its most fundamental, often unconscious, level—as an act of the imagination. Faith is the way one imagines themselves, others, and creation. A person’s primary faith conditions how they live in the world, regardless of the level of conscious reflection, and regardless of whether this is a "religious" faith.
Acts of Faith and Imagination investigates the creative depth and vitality of the Catholic literary imagination by bringing late modern Catholic authors into dialogue with more contemporary ones. Readers will then consider well-known works, such as those by Graham Greene, Flannery O’Connor, and Muriel Spark in the fresh light of contemporary stories by Toni Morrison, Alice McDermott, Uwem Akpan, and several others.
Brent Little is Associate Professor in Catholic Studies at Sacred Heart University (Conn.) and coeditor of Revelation and Convergence: Flannery O’Connor and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CUA Press). Mark Bosco, SJ, is Vice President of Mission and Ministry at Georgetown University.
"One of the major contributions of Acts of Faith and Imagination for the field of religion and literature is that it goes beyond the standard fare of tracing the sacramental imagination in the usual suspects like Flannery O'Connor, Graham Greene, or Walker Percy and introduces the Catholic reader to lesser known but no less important writers like Uwem Akpan, Kirstin Valdez Quade, and John L'Heureux, among others."
~Jennifer Newsome Martin, University of Notre Dame
"Brent Little traces a new path through the well-worn territory of the Catholic novel. Accurately depicting the impact of the postmodern on the faith convictions of the Catholic authors of today, Little skillfully places them in relationship to the canonical novelists of the 20th century. This is a book that sheds new light on both groups. And it’s a joy to read."
~Paul Lakeland, Aloysius P. Kelley, SJ, Professor of Catholic Studies Emeritus, Fairfield University
" Acts of Faith and Imagination illuminates the many ways in which faith is, indeed, an imaginative enterprise, asserting that belief must exist in tension with doubt in order for the believer to be open to the workings of the God of surprises and the incursions of grace into ordinary human life. Drawing on an impressive array of theological sources and applying these rich and varying visions of what constitutes faith to the work of over a dozen of the most accomplished Catholic fiction writers, Brent Little’s engaging new study demonstrates the ways in which literature explores, interrogates, challenges, and affirms belief, both that of the great fictional characters he scrutinizes and that of the unsuspecting reader. By turns learned, lively, and inspiring, Little’s book offers a fresh and welcome perspective on contemporary Catholic literature."
~Angela Alaimo O'Donnell, author of Flannery O’Connor: Fiction Fired by Faith
"Brent Little’s book provides a compelling and thorough analysis of patterns in Catholic literature while revealing the underlying power of the imagination to express the complexities of religious faith. Acts of Faith and Imagination offers something for all thoughtful readers of religious fiction: a dialogue between theology and literature on questions of faith, close readings of Catholic literary works, and a nuanced exploration of the Catholic literary imagination."
~Susan Srigley, author of Flannery O’Connor’s Sacramental Art
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