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 A Theology Of ReadingThe Hermeneutics Of Loveby Alan Jacobs Nov 27, 2001
DescriptionIf the whole of the Christian life is to be governed by the “law of love”—the twofold love of God and one’s neighbor—what might it mean to read lovingly? That is the question that drives this unique book. Jacobs pursues this challenging task by alternating largely theoretical, theological chapters—drawing above all on Augustine and Mikhail Bakhtin—with interludes that investigate particular readers (some real, some fictional) in the act of reading. Among the authors considered are Shakespeare, Cervantes, Nabakov, Nicholson Baker, George Eliot, W.H. Auden, and Dickens. The theoretical framework is elaborated in the main chapters, while various counterfeits of or substitutes for genuinely charitable interpretation are considered in the interludes, which progressively close in on that rare creature, the loving reader. Through this doubled method of investigation, Jacobs tries to show how difficult it is to read charitably—even should one wish to, which, of course, few of us do. And precisely because the prospect of reading in such a manner is so offputting, one of the covert goals of the book is to make it seem both more plausible and more attractive. Reviews"Alan Jacobs has written a fine, thoughtful, and inspiring book." "If [Jacobs's] book accomplishes nothing except to send us back to Augustine, Milton, and other passionate Christian readers, he will have done us a great service indeed." "I have already read some of Jacob's writings in journals like Books and Culture, and the same clear and insightful thinking and lucid and lively prose that qualified him to write articles directed to a wide audience are on full display here as well. This is a book that is a joy to read. It is rich with examples, quotations, and references. This is no recipe book, nor should it be. It is a meaty meditation on absolutely central issues in serious reading, and its specific examples give a sufficient guide and impetus to a willing reader, who is left just the right amount of work and thinking to do on her own." "This is a beautifully written book. It contains significant creative thought on its topic, together with exegetical and interpretive scholarship of a high order. The topic, furthermore (what it means to read charitably, to read informed by caritas), is an important and deeply interdisciplinary one: it can only effectively be discussed by engaging theoretical work from a number of disciplines and quasi-disciplines, and by interpreting works from different periods and genres. All of this the author manages with skill and precision, and in a prose that's a pleasure to read…. The author is himself and excellent reader. The interludes (on various authors) are very illuminating and well done; and the argument that differentiates Weil and Keirkegaard from Bakhtin in terms of a self-abnegating kenosis vs. a self-renunciation was entirely new (for this reviewer) and very convincing." Selling TerritoryWorld |
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