Works of fiction which explore Roman Catholic themes or Catholic figures. Not all works are by Catholic authors
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Nov 15, 2009 02:16PM
The Pillars of the Earth is Catholic? Well, I guess those big cathedrals would be. One of my fav books which I have read a few times.
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Gilead is most defenitely about religion (as is Home by the same author) and a wonderful book but there's nothing catholic about it!
Themis-Athena wrote: "And "Mere Christianity," great though it, too, is, is not fiction ..."True. There ought to be an option to vote down or against selections.
Librarians can delete books that clearly don't belong on a list. Since you created the list, can I take it that this would be what you'd want to happen in this instance?
Themis-Athena wrote: "Librarians can delete books that clearly don't belong on a list. Since you created the list, can I take it that this would be what you'd want to happen in this instance?"yes
"Perelandra" is an allegory of the Garden of Eden, but it's not Catholic....C.S. Lewis was an Anglican, never a Catholic.
Harriet wrote: "Gilead is most defenitely about religion (as is Home by the same author) and a wonderful book but there's nothing catholic about it!"Deleted.
Deleted "Children of Men." There is mention of religion, but it's not Catholic - more Anglican, even post-Anglican.
"Tattoos on the Heart" is a great book by a Jesuit priest, but it is not fiction, more of a collection of reflections or essays. And "The Aeneid" really?
One selection I found odd was War and Peace. Obviously, it's a beloved, acclaimed classic. Do many readers consider it Catholic? Was Tolstoy Catholic? I recall that Leo was a man of strong faith and a Christian. Of course, an author need not be Catholic to produce a Catholic work, and certainly the author's religion is not a prerequisite for inclusion here, but, in this case, I'm not sure that the author or the novel is considered Catholic by many readers and/ or scholars. I never thought of it as a Catholic novel, but I do not pretend to be an expert and, of course, my opinion is just one among many. If any book that touches on Catholic themes belongs here, almost any novel qualifies. Life, death, love, forgiveness, sin, redemption, sacrifice, growth, mercy, generosity, confession, compassion, revelation: any literary work excluding all of these topics would be rather weak tea.
Gone with the Wind is Catholic? I see that I voted for it, but I'm not sure why...I remember one scene with a clergyman but I don't know if it was a Catholic clergy.I suspect the list needs some major clean up but I don't know enough to do it myself.
As I recall it from the novel, Scarlett O'Hara was Catholic. I think Vivien Leigh was Catholic as well. The protagonist's faith (and the faith of the accomplished actress who most famously portrayed her) might not be enough to qualify Gone With the Wind as Catholic fiction, but it might explain your rationale.
Themis-Athena (Does not and never will own a Kindle) wrote: "And "Mere Christianity," great though it, too, is, is not fiction ..."Actually C. S. Lewis was an Anglican, not a Catholic. Liked his books though.
To make a comment on "Gone with the Wind"'s inclusion, in it Margaret Mitchell refers to Catholicism as cold, stiff, and inferior to the Protestant religions. At a funeral, Ashley goes so far as to arrange for it to be a Protestant service, even when the deceased and his family requested a Catholic one, because he feels it would comfort those left behind more. As a Catholic, I sort of question its inclusion on this list, since it reads as quite anti-Catholic.
The Norton Anthology (#377) is on this list. Hmmmm. I have read quite a bit of it, but I would never have put it on the list myself.... (I haven't voted for it, obviously.)
Booklovinglady wrote: "The Norton Anthology (#377) is on this list. Hmmmm. I have read quite a bit of it, but I would never have put it on the list myself.... (I haven't voted for it, obviously.)"It should be removed. Even if several works in it are Catholic fiction, you certainly can't say the entire thing is.
C.S Lewis was not a Catholic. In fact, Mere Christianity, that is featured in this list, makes that exceedingly clear.
I removed the Norton Anthology; Augustine's Confessions, which is not fiction; Rebecca, which I don't remember any Catholic parts of; the Aeneid, which was written before Catholicism existed; and several other works of nonfiction.
Lobstergirl wrote: "I guess someone should remove every C.S. Lewis work on the list. There are several."Yes, this, in particular Mere Christianity whose whole point is that it isn't about any particular denomination of Christianity so it cannot possibly be about Catholicisim. It is also non-fiction.
How did the Aeneid ever make this list...?
The Screwtape Letters...certainly would make the list of a Christian books, but...CS Lewis is not Catholic, as others have mentioned. Suggested delete, but it is the #2 spot.
Amelia, the pragmatic idealist wrote: "The Screwtape Letters...certainly would make the list of a Christian books, but...CS Lewis is not Catholic, as others have mentioned. Suggested delete, but it is the #2 spot."It's a good book, but I see your point.
Alison wrote: "To make a comment on "Gone with the Wind"'s inclusion, in it Margaret Mitchell refers to Catholicism as cold, stiff, and inferior to the Protestant religions. At a funeral, Ashley goes so far as to arrange for it to be a Protestant service, even when the deceased and his family requested a Catholic one, because he feels it would comfort those left behind more. As a Catholic, I sort of question its inclusion on this list, since it reads as quite anti-Catholic."
Intelligent observation. I had forgotten those points.
The Nun by Diderot is about Catholicism but is very critical of it, because the main idea is that forcing oneself to live a celibate life is unnatural.The Way of a Pilgrim may be good devotional reading for Christians of many traditions, but it is definitely an Eastern Orthodox book which promotes an Eastern Orthodox method of prayer. If I remember right, there's a short passage where the Pilgrim debates with a Catholic about whose prayer method is superior, but not a lot of time is spent on this.
I think God's Smuggler is (auto-?)biography, not fiction.
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