
- 176 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Victorian Parables
About this book
The familiar stories of the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, andLazarus andthe rich man were part of the cultural currency in the nineteenth century, and Victorian authors drew upon the figures and plots of biblical parables for a variety of authoritative, interpretive, and subversive effects. However, scholars of parables in literature have often overlooked the 19th-century novel, assuming that realism bears no relation to the subversive, iconoclastic genre of parable. In this book Susan E. Colòn shows thatauthors such as Charles Dickens, Margaret Oliphant, and Charlotte Yonge appreciated the power of parables to deliver an ethical charge that was as unexpected as it was disruptive to conventional moral ideas. Against the common assumption that the genres of realism and parable are polar opposites, this study explores how Victorian novels, despite their length, verisimilitude, and multi-plot complexity, can become parables in ways that imitate, interpret, and challenge their biblical sources.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover-Page
- Half-Title
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Preface
- 1 Parable as Literature, Literature as Parable
- 2 The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Parable and Realism
- 3 “The Parable of Actual Life”: Charlotte Yonge’s The Heir of Redclyffe
- 4 Prodigal Sons in the Fiction of Margaret Oliphant
- 5 “The Agent of a Superior”: Stewardship Parables in Our Mutual Friend
- Afterword
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index