Original Research
Religious paradoxes in Graham Greene’s novels
Koers - Bulletin for Christian Scholarship/Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap | Vol 63, No 4 | a539 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koers.v63i4.539
| © 1998 Nettie Cloete
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 21 December 1998 | Published: 21 December 1998
Submitted: 21 December 1998 | Published: 21 December 1998
About the author(s)
Nettie Cloete, Department of English Studies University of the North SOVENGAFull Text:
PDF (368KB)Abstract
Graham Greene's work, especially his major novels, reveals his probing interest in religious matters. His writing indicates that throughout his career he has found himself involved in essential - and often paradoxical - questions concerning religious faith, particularly as these questions impinge on the twentieth-century mind. In this article some of Greene’s paradoxical views on religious matters are explored in a more universal and anti-institutional context than the strictly Roman Catholic one in which his work is usually examined As exemplars of Greene’s work in which religious paradoxes are central, Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory and Monsignor Quixote are discussed. This article underscores the fact that Greene has almost single-handedly redefined twentieth-century Roman Catholic notions on piety with his constant revelation that pious people often lack charity while salvation is possible for sinners. It also shows that Greene’s novels radically question the doctrines on morality espoused by conventional churches, thereby displaying his own religious sensitivity and courage.
Keywords
No related keywords in the metadata.
Metrics
Total abstract views: 1079Total article views: 2556
Reader Comments
Before posting a comment, read our privacy policy.Post a comment (login required)
Crossref Citations
1. The Impact of Religious Sense on Graham Greene’s Selected Novels
Luhaib Hamid Khalaf Salih
Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities vol: 30 issue: 5, 1 first page: 21 year: 2023
doi: 10.25130/jtuh.30.5.1.2023.24