Becoming Discerning Readers-Exploring

This is the final entry in my series about "Reforming Perspectives on Literature: Becoming Discerning Readers."



We've defined some terms, discussed why we need to be reforming our perspectives, looked at specific strategies for becoming more discerning readers, and examined basic elements of fiction and some literary techniques. In this post, we'll explore options for learning more about becoming discerning readers as well as options for reading enjoyment. The following paragraphs provide more information about recommended books, particularly those mentioned in this discussion. Like my listings of fiction elements and literary techniques, this is not an exhaustive list. Some favorite authors (Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens) are not on the fiction section of this list since my original audience was a group of young women in my church and part of my purpose was to make them aware of some books available in our church library.



Reforming Perspectives on Literature:



If you're interested to learn more about reforming perspectives on literature, Leland Ryken is a prolific author who has written extensively on a Christian perspective of literature (as well as on many other subjects). He is the editor of The Christian Imagination, which contains many great essays and quotation gems about the practice of faith in writing and reading. Of particular interest in this anthology are Ryken's essays, “Thinking Christianly About Literature” and “'Words of Delight': A Hedonistic Defense of Literature.” I also recommend two essays by C.S. Lewis, “We Demand Windows” and “On Stories,” and an essay by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Consolation of the Happy Ending.”



Becoming a Discerning Reader:



If you'd like to learn more about becoming a discerning reader, I recommend Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature by Gene Edward Veith Jr., which is written in an accessible style and gives a simple overview of literature. Weith's purpose in writing this book was to help people become more discerning readers.



Literary Criticism:



If you want to learn more about literary criticism, there is a wealth of information available; however, you want to be careful what resources you utilize since so much modern literary theory takes a deconstructionist approach that is—in my opinion—basically worthless in developing an appreciation for literature. I recommend Northrop Frye as a thoughtful writer on the subject of literary criticism. Two books of his essays are Myth and Metaphor and Anatomy of Criticism. Frye's writing is fairly academic in style and requires some concentration. An influential work on raeding an enjoying literature is An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis.



Guides to Classical Literature:



The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis is a valuable guide to understanding Medieval and Renaissance literature. Louise Cowan & Os Guinness have edited Invitation to the Classics, which consists of brief and interesting introductions to classics and writing movements from ancient to modern times. Realms of Gold by Leland Ryken contains more detailed examinations of several classics from ancient to modern times.



Creativity and Culture:



Dorothy L. Sayers demonstrates how writing and reading reflect the three-fold character of the Trinty in The Mind of the Maker. Plowing in Hope: Toward a Biblical Theology of Culture by David Bruce Hegeman explores issues related to art’s role in reclaiming culture. Makoto Fujimura write poetic reflections on art and culture in Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art, and Culture.



Bible as Literature:



If you're interested in learning How to Read the Bible as Literature...and Get More Out of It, you'll enjoy this short book by Leland Ryken that helps readers appreciate the literary beauty of the Bible. Ryken has also written Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible, which is a longer and more detailed work on appreciating the literary beauty of the Bible. Ryken is one of the editors of a unique resource, the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, which is a comprehensive guide to imagery and literary patterns in the Bible.



Guides to Children's Literature:



Leland Ryken teamed up with Marjorie Lamp Mead to write A Reader’s Guide Through the Wardrobe and A Reader’s Guide To Caspian, which provide excellent perspectives for reading the first two books of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. For age-specific lists of books, you may appreciate The Book Tree: A Christian Reference for Children's Literature by Elizabeth McCallum & Jane Scott.

Fiction from Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) Publishers:

Betrayed by Jeanette Windle is a suspense novel set in Guatemala City. Windle grew up as a missionary kid and spent many years as an adult in missionary contexts. This real life experience lends verisimilitude to her suspenseful books, but her painstaking research result in such remarkably accurate descriptions that she has been questioned by drug enforcement agencies about how she knew so much about their work. Her newest novel, Veiled Freedom, is set in Afghanistan. I know that she is currently hard at work on a sequel.

W. Dale Cramer is a relatively new author in the CBA camp who writes novels that may be of interest to men due to their blue-collar male protagonists. One of my favorites is his Bad Ground, which is a coming of age novel with a young man who learns about work and relationships. His Summer of Light is a delightful novel about an unemployed husband and father who discovers a lot about himself and his family.

Ann Tatlock is one of my favorite CBA authors. In Every Secret Thing, a teacher learns how to cope with the present when she learns how to deal with the past.
I’ll Watch the Moon is about a girl's growing maturity while her brother is hospitalized with polio.

Lynn Austin is a humble and godly woman who reminds me of Elisabeth Elliot. In Until We Reach Home, three sisters flee Sweden for different reasons and find new homes in America. In Wings of Refuge, a woman’s adventures on an archeological dig in Israel lead to new understanding of the Middle East and her marriage.




Literary Fiction:

In Dwelling Places, Vinita Hampton Wright writes about an Iowa farm family dealing with emotional and financial crises. It is a realistic depiction of the emotional turmoil caused by depression and infidelity, showing the difficulty of communication within the family unit.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is a beautifully written novel in which a dying pastor reflects on his past and present life. I'm not a big fan of Robinson's other fiction, but this is one of my all-time favorite novels. Since it doesn't have much suspense or action, some people find it boring. It's a refreshingly positive portrayal of a Christian pastor that shows his virtues as well as his faults. I appreciate the way it shows how to find beauty in the everyday things of life. And I love its sacramental imagery.

Wendell Berry is well known as a Christian who has made a name for himself in the mainstream publishing industry. His Hannah Coulter is a realistic portrayal of a woman’s long and difficult life.

Charles Martin seamlessly weaves together present time narration with flashbacks in a way that appears effortless. When Crickets Cry is about a heart-mending man dealing with heart-breaking sorrow. It's my favorite of his books.

Island of the World by Michael O’Brien is a beautiful and tragic book about great loss with healing through faith. This is such a difficult book to read that I had to put it down for a long time before I felt strong enough to tackle it again. There are many, many things I could say about its value, not the least of which is that it gives us a new understanding for the suffering experienced by the people in Croatia. Although we can’t begin to understand why anyone must suffer so much, it shows that God can heal even the most broken people and use them to help heal others.

Book Clubs

If you want to do more to light the fires of your imagination, you might want to consider starting a book club. That would be a great way to read regularly and have the opportunity to discuss what you’ve read with others.

Most book clubs set up a schedule that designates which book members of the group will read before each meeting, generally once per month, and determine a leader to facilitate each discussion. It’s helpful to set up a schedule of books and leaders before beginning to meet for a season. This way the meeting times can focus on book discussion and don’t have to be wasted on working out logistical details. You can have refreshments or you don't have to bother. You can meet in each other’s homes or at a public place that is convenient for the group members.

I found a couple of sites that appear to have helpful information about beginning a reading group: http://book-clubs.suite101.com/article.cfm/starting_a_book_club
http://www.book-clubs-resource.com/running/starting.php

A book club is a great way to discuss the books you’re reading with other people and learn more about becoming discerning readers.

Thanks for reading!

Becoming Discerning Readers-Examining

This is the fourth entry in my series on "Reforming Perspectives on Literature: Becoming Discerning Readers." Earlier entries have defined some terms, looked at reasons why we need to be reforming our perspectives, and discussed "The Four Rs" of becoming more discerning readers.

This entry will examine some of the most basic elements of fiction and briefly look at a few literary techniques. Much could be said about elements of fiction and literary techniques, but this will be only a selective glimpse. Please do not consider it an exhaustive overview; consider it instead a limited introduction.

The elements of fiction that we will examine are: Style, Dialogue, Description, Characters, and Plot. Let's begin by discussing Style.

Style is the way in which a work is written. Some authors use a lyrical, almost poetical style and some use a terse, minimalist style. I recently read Island of the World by Michael O'Brien, which weaves horrific suffering with incredible beauty in a lyrical style. This is a wonderfully appropriate style for the book since it is written in the third person omniscient point of view from the perspective of a person who becomes a poet. Ernest Hemingway is a well-known minimalist who sometimes is credited with establishing the style in American literature. If you read his work, you may notice little description and short sentences (some only three words long). His short story Hills Like White Elephants is a good example of his minimalist style.

I find it fascinating to think that Sir Walter Scott and Jane Austen were contemporaries; they were born only four years apart and lived and wrote during the same time frame. Yet their styles are almost polar opposites. Scott begins The Heart of Midlothian with an elaborately contrived double narrator device and doesn’t begin the actual story until Chapter 2. Even that chapter is prefaced by an epigraph of obscure poetry. An epigraph is a quotation, set in block, above the text that begins a chapter. Scott is the first author to regularly employ the epigraph. If you were listening to me give this presentation, I would read the first paragraph of Chapter 2 to demonstrate Scott’s style, but you'll have to settle for reading it yourself:

In former times, England had her Tyburn, to which the devoted victims of justice were conducted in solemn procession up what is now called Oxford-Road. In Edinburgh, a large open street, or rather oblong square, surrounded by high houses, called the Grassmarket, was used for the same melancholy purpose. It was not ill chosen for such a scene, being of considerable extent, and therefore fit to accommodate a great number of spectators, such as are usually assembled by this melancholy spectacle. On the other hand, few of the houses which surround it were, even in early times, inhabited by persons of fashion; so that those likely to be offended or over deeply affected by such unpleasant exhibitions were not in the way of having their quiet disturbed by them. The houses in the Grassmarket are, generally speaking, of a mean description; yet the place is not without some features of grandeur, being overhung by the southern side of the huge rock on which the castle stands, and by the moss-grown battlements and turreted walls of that ancient fortress.

Constrast that to the first paragraph of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Scott's paragraph drones on and on, even repeating an adjective in the phrases "melancholy purpose" and "melancholy spectacle." All we learn about the plot of the book is that it is probably going to involve a public execution in Edinburgh.

Austen's one-sentence paragraph is succint and packed with information. We can guess that this will be a lively tale about a young man of fortune being pursued with the purpose of matrimony. That first sentence is also a masterpiece of satire.

It's my favorite opening line of Austen's work and is followed by some wonderful dialogue, which I think is Austen's greatest strength. Mrs. Bennett is eager for her husband to meet their new neighbor because she is hoping he will marry one of her five daughters. Mr. Bennett appears less than eager to rush off and visit the young man. I wish I could read the entire exhange to you, but here's how it concludes:

"Mr. Bennett, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves."

"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least."

Good dialogue propels the plot and fleshes out characters. In my opinion, dialogue and description are two crucial elements in making a story come alive.

Good descriptions can be works of art. They enliven the setting and convey important information about the characters.

Marilynne Robinson writes some beautiful descriptions in Gilead. Here's how the pastor narrator describes one of the bubbles his son is blowing: "I saw a bubble float past my window, fat and wobbly and ripening toward that dragonfly blue they turn just before they burst" (p. 9). The entire paragraph is a well-crafted description that not only pictures the scene, but also conveys how the narrator feels about his wife and child.

Charles Dickens is a master of description. This is one of my favorite scene descriptions from Great Expectations: "It was a rimy morning, and very damp. I had seen the damp lying on the outside of my little window, as if some goblin had been crying there all night, and using the window for a pocket-handkerchief" (Chapter 3).

Dickens utilizes description to great advantage in character development. The character Wemmick, for example, has a "post-office" mouth that only appears to be smiling. His post-office slot relaxes when he is at home with his "aged relative" (his father), but becomes more and more fixed as he walks from his home toward his place of employment. Without telling the reader about Wemmick's feelings and his attitude, Dickens is showing a great deal of information about this character.

Believable characters draw us into a novel. Characters should not be too good or totally evil. They should not be stereotypes or flat one-dimensional characters who seem like paper dolls, but well-rounded characters who seem like real people; characters about whom the reader cares.

Great Expectations is also a masterpiece of plotting. A plot should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It should involve some type of conflict. A plot is the way the story is constructed, but it isn’t necessarily the same as the chronological story.

Charles Martin, for example, uses flashbacks to go between the present and the past as the narrative gradually unfolds. Part of the fun of reading his work is figuring out what is going on. Why does Reese (the main character in When Crickets Cry) want to avoid people by sneaking into town? How does he know what the scar on the little girl’s chest means? And what does that scar mean?

Plot is probably a concept with which most readers are already familiar, so I'll simply share a few fun quotes about it.

Gene Edward Veith Jr. has a great explanation of plot in his Reading Between the Lines:

A story, of course, needs a plot; something has to happen. A plot is not just random action. First of all, a plot will almost always involve some sort of conflict. Every story will hinge upon a struggle, a problem, or a battle of contending forces or ideas. I used to put off my children's requests for a bedtime story by saying, "Once upon a time, there was a little boy and little girl who lived in a castle in the deep woods. And they lived happily ever after." My children, astute literary critics at an early age, rightly complained, "That's not a story! Tell us a story." When I would bring a monster into the castle, or a wicked stepmother, or sibling rivalry, or some sort of difficulty that the characters would have to overcome, then we would have a story" (p. 64).

One of my favorite British authors from the Victorian era is Anthony Trollope. I often refer to him as my hero because he worked full time for the British postal service, but woke early and wrote at least 200 words before beginning work each day. One time while caught in dreadful seas while sailing on the Mediterranean, he became ill. Still he wrote in his manuscript in the salon, left to be sick in his state room, and returned to the salon to write more in his manuscript. Since I rise early and accomplish my best work before 8:00 am, I feel an affinity with Trollope's mornings; but I am pretty sure I would be lying on my bed in my state room feeling sorry for myself if I were on a similar voyage.

In Barchester Towers (my favorite of his Barchester Chronicles), Trollope takes some authorial liberties by making some comments about the plot. Near the beginning of his third to last chapter, he writes at some length about the author's task to construct a pleasing plot in a prescribed number of pages. He says, "Do I not myself know that I am at this moment in want of a dozen pages, and that I am sick with cudgelling my brains to find them?" (p. 481). He begins his last chapter (appropriately, if not too creatively, entitled "Conclusion"): "The end of a novel, like the end of a children's dinner-party, must be made up of sweetmeats and sugar-plums" (p. 495).

Having examined some basic elements of fiction, let's briefly look at some literary techniques. One of the best things for helping me appreciate well-written prose was the method of learning in my first creative writing class. My instructor said, “We’re going to study poetry first because I think learning about poetry will make you a better writer of prose."

I was a bit skeptical when he said that, but now I definitely believe that was a great way to learn. Looking in poetry for techniques such as assonance and consonance, connotation and denotation, and a host of others, helped me recognize and appreciate the way prose authors utilize such techniques.

There are dozens of techniques that could be discussed, but this post will examine only some of the more interesting and unusual.

Readers are probably familiar with alliteration, the repetition of initial sounds, as in the repeated "f" sounds in this bit of dialogue by Lynn Austen:

"I'm certain you'll agree that this is a magnificent foyer,” Bettina said in a phony, fawning voice” (Until We Reach Home, p. 256).

While alliteration is confined to initial sounds and can be either repeated vowel or consonant sounds, assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds that can appear anywhere in the words. Note the repeated long "i" sound in this line:

In icy skies an eagle flies ("As Eagles Fly" by Glenda Mathes).

Consonance is similar to assonance, but it is repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in the words. Look, for example, at the instances of the "s" sound in these famous words from "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost:

Whose woods these are I think I know

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

Another poem by Robert Frost, "Mending Wall," serves as a great illustration of the difference between connotation and denotation. Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning, while connatation is when a word is used in a way beyond its dictionary meaning. Look at these lines:

And on a day we meet to walk the line

And set the wall between us once again.

The obvious meaning is that the two neighbors meet to walk on either side of a physical wall. The less obvious meaning is that there is an emotional barrier between the two.

Two rather unusual terms are metonymy and synecdoche. Metonymy means substituting a closely related term for an object or idea. And example is from Genesis 3:19a, "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread." The "sweat of your face" represents Adam's toil or labor. He (and every man since) will have to work hard to put bread on the table.

Synecdoche is similar, but subtly different. Synecdoche is substituting a part for the whole. I love this example from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot:

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

The "pair of ragged claws" is only part of the crab that is represented by the imagery.

We'll bring this lengthy post to an end with a couple of fun techniques. A pun is a play on words involving two similarly sounding words with different meanings. A great examples is the title of a play by Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest. The plot hinges on the situation comedy revolving around the importance two young women ascribe to the name Ernest and the importance of being honest and open.

Charles Dickens and Great Expectations provide a great example for our final literary technique: personification, which is attributing human characteristics to animals, things, or ideas. Here's how Dickens described the opening of a day: “...the day came creeping on, halting and whimpering and shivering, and wrapped in patches of cloud and rags of mist, like a beggar (p. 354).

Tomorrow we'll look at avenues for further exploration about "Becoming Discerning Readers."

Thanks for reading!

Becoming Discerning Readers-Discerning

This series on "Reforming Perspectives on Literature: Becoming a Discerning Reader" has defined some terms and looked at reasons why Christians need to be reforming their perspectives on literature. This entry will suggest specifics for becoming more discerning readers.

As a lifelong reader with a longtime interest in literature, I've gradually grown in my appreciation for excellence in literature. As a non-traditional college student who spent thirteen years obtaining my degree while working and caring for my family, I had an opportunity to learn about literature from the perspective of an older student with more than average life experience and motivation. I spent years before, during, and after my college degree marathon reading and studying literary classics from different times and cultures as well as books about literature and literary theory. There are many opinions and much advice about how to become better readers. Although my reading and learning journey continues, what I've learned and discovered over the years about becoming a discerning reader can be summarized with four primary strategies in a simple paradigm, which I (not too creatively) call "The Four Rs":

1. Read Carefully

2. Raise Questions

3. Rediscover Classics

4. Recognize Skills

First, let's discuss reading carefully. I recently viewed a course on the “Art of Reading” in which the professor offers some helpful suggestions on this: set aside an hour to ninety minutes for your first reading in a novel, stop about a third of the way through the novel to assess what you’ve read by asking questions and making predictions, and “pre-read” novels.

“Pre-reading” includes quickly scanning the entire novel to notice things like chapter divisions and formatting, reading introductory material to help you understand the novel, and thinking about the first few sentences of a novel.

You could, for example, pick up the novel Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and read only the first two sentences: "I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I'm old, and you said, I don't think you're old. And you put your hand in my hand and you said, You aren't very old, as if that settled it" (p. 3).

If you stop to think about only those two sentences, what do you learn?

The first thing you might notice is that the dialogue is written in an unusual way with no quotation marks or paragraph breaks. The dialogue is recorded more as stream of consciousness than normal dialogue. I don't think a first time author could get by with this, but Marilynne Robinson had the strength of her very successful reputation behind her when she wrote Gilead.

What else do these sentences tell us? Recalling your junior high English class, you see that pronoun "I" and you know that this is written in the first person. But you also see the pronoun "you," which is far less common in novels. Although there are rare novels written in the second person, this obviously isn't one of them. Since "I" is addressing a particular person ("you"), it's like a letter. A novel written in the form of a letter is called an epistolary novel.

What have you learned about "I" from these two sentences? "I" is old (or at least believes that); in fact, "I" is dying. But "I" is a Christian who believes in the Lord and life in heaven after death. "I's" identification of Christ as the "Good Lord" also indicates something about "I's" character and beliefs.

What have you learned about "you" from these first two sentences? "You" appears to be young, probably a child, perhaps even "I's" child. Certainly there is a closeness between the two that allows "you" to put what seems to be a smaller hand into the larger hand of "I". I think "you" is sweet and serious; "you" speaks in the very way I've heard my own young children assure me of something they believe about me.

I think you can get quite a bit of information about the novel by carefully considering only the first two sentences!

What do you notice if you flip quickly through the book? You may notice lots of places where space breaks the text. You may even notice some small graphic lines that sometimes occur on the bottom of a page and sometimes on the top of a page. But you won't see any chapter breaks...until you reach page 217. Now if you're the kind of person who doesn't like spoilers and you actually have a copy of Gilead in your hands, DO NOT READ THE FIRST SENTENCE ON PAGE 217!

Now that I've posted that warning, let's think about what this chapter break, which is the singular chapter break in the entire novel, might mean. Certainly something significant must happen or be revealed. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

You may not always want to take time for pre-reading or slogging through lengthy and boring introductions, but I think most of us can benefit from reading more carefully. That may mean slowing speed in order to increase comprehension. The advice to set aside some time for a first reading is especially good; this allows you as a reader to enter into the story.

Second, let's discuss raising questions. Part of reading carefully is to ask questions while you read. Try to think in terms of open-ended questions instead of “yes” or “no” questions. There are many good questions readers can ask about a novel:

What types of things or kinds of people are being either glorified or vilified?
What is true about this work?
How is this work—even if it’s science fiction or fantasy—realistic?
How are the characters authentic?
In what ways do the characters change?
In what ways does the plot progress?
In what ways is the central conflict of the plot resolved?
What feeling or emotions have we experienced?
What have we learned?
How have we changed?
In what ways has the novel brought us closer to others or even to God?

The idea of raising questions makes me think of Makoto Fujimura, who is a highly acclaimed New York City artist who paints shimmering abstracts in an ancient Japanese technique that utilizes natural glues, precious minerals, and crushed gems. He is also a Reformed Christian and an effective advocate of intersecting faith with art for the purpose of cultural renewal. He is a reflective writer who raises important questions about art. What he calls the “500 year” question is a historical look at culture that asks, “What ideas, what art, what vision affects humanity for over five hundred years?" (personal interview "Makoto Fujimura: Refracting Light and Reflecting Grace," Christian Renewal, July 12, 2006).

Fujimura’s materials are expensive and he compares these exquisite materials to the fragrant oil poured over the feet of Jesus by Mary (whom he refers to as “the quintessential artist").

“The arts parallel this act of pouring the expensive perfume,” he says. “Is the expense justified in art? In order to answer this question, we must answer not with "why," but "to whom." We are either glorifying ourselves or God. And the extravagance can only be justified if the worth of the object of adoration is greater than the cost of extravagance" (Christian Renewal, July 12, 2006). You can read more of Mako's thoughtful reflections in his book Refractions or on his blog.

Third, let's discuss how rediscovering classics can help us become more discerning readers.

You may have been bored to tears by studying classic literature in high school or college, but the classics form the backbone of the Western tradition and are part of its great ongoing conversation. Becoming familiar with works that have stood the test of time and have been universally acknowledged as classics helps us understand history and our place in it as well as our affinity with people from every time and place. Because classics function in these ways, I think of them as “place-markers” in the book of Western history.

C.S. Lewis famously advocated the reading of “old books” and recommended interspersing classics with modern novels by reading one in about every three books.

In "The Importance of the Classics," Louise Cowan's introduction to Invitation to the Classics," she summarizes the consensus on the attributes of classics:

1. The classics not only exhibit distinquished style, fine artistry, and keen intellect but create whole universes of imagination and thought.
2. They portray life as complex and many-sided, depicting both negative and positive aspects of human character in the process of discovering and testing enduring virtues.
3. They have a transforming effect on the reader's self-understanding.
4. They invited and survice frequent rereadings.
5. They adapt themselves to various time and places and provide a sense of the shared life of humanity.
6. They are considered classics by a sufficiently large number of people, establishing themselves with common readers as well as qualified authorities.
7. And, finally, their appeal endures over wide reaches of time.

Leland Ryken writes: “Readers need the classics first of all because these works are foundational…. The history of literature is an ongoing dialogue between individual works and the classics that have preceded them. The resulting body of literature is a huge interlocking family. …To try to make sense of literature without a knowledge of the masterworks is to labor under a handicap—like trying to play basketball with one arm tied behind one’s back. It can be done, but not well” (Realms of Gold, pp. 219-220).

Reading classics helps us recognize the timeless qualities of excellent literature and, therefore, helps us become better writers and readers.

Fourth, let's discuss recognizing skills.

As imagebearers of the Creator God, we dimly reflect His creativity in our creative endeavors. In The Mind of the Maker, Dorothy Sayers draws an interesting analogy between the Triune nature of the Creator God and the three-fold natures of human creativity. She extends this analogy to the reader, about whom she writes, “For the reader…the book itself is presented as a threefold being. First: The Book as Thought—the Idea of the book existing in the writer’s mind…. Secondly: the Book as Written—the Energy or Word incarnate, the express image of the Idea. ...Thirdly: the Book as Read—the Power of its effect upon and in the responsive mind” (pp. 113-115).

We can grow in our appreciation of literary quality by learning to recognize the creative efforts of the author, by becoming more aware of the author's idea, the energy in the written word, and the power of its effect upon us.

We become more discerning readers by recognizing elements of fiction and literary techniques that the author uses to convey the story. When we learn more about what makes a good book good, we become more discerning. We'll examine some basic elements of fiction as well as some literary techniques in our next section.

Thanks for reading!

Becoming Discerning Readers-Reforming

Yesterday's post on "Reforming Perspectives on Literature: Becoming Discerning Readers" defined the terms reforming, perspectives, literature, and what is meant by discerning readers.

Today's post will deal with the specifics of "Reforming" by first asking: Why do we need to be reforming our perspectives on literature?

There are probably many reasons why modern readers need to reform their perspectives on literature, but I believe there are four main reasons.

1. Modern literary criticism often reduces literature's meaning.

Modern literary criticism often takes a deconstructionist approach that reduces the meaning of literature to mere reader response. Because the deconstructionist does not believe in God, he or she does not believe in transcendent meaning. The Postmodernist believes that language constitutes reality. Christians must shape our understanding of literature around God’s Word as the source of meaning and the true reality.

2. In our technological age, reading is becoming a lost art.

We live in a culture in which reading is becoming a lost art. Texting has replaced letter writing as the most popular mode of communication. People scroll through websites and blogs, but do not pick up a book. In an age of instant answers and instant gratification, few have the patience for careful reading of lengthy books.

3. Some Christians fail to appreciate fiction.

These last two reasons for reforming perspectives on literature apply specifically to Christians. Sadly, some Christians decry the value of fiction. They stress the need to read only the Bible and theological books.

Os Guiness writes that “most Christians lack a Christian aesthetic, an agreed Christ-centered philosophy of the arts. Christians therefore tend to swing between two extremes—puritanically dismissing the arts as irreligious or seeking to exploit them as a means of promoting faith and morals” (Invitation to the Classics, p. 16).

That second extreme noted by Guiness leads directly to the fourth and final reason why perspectives on literature need to be reformed.

4. Some Christian fail to appreciate literary quality.

Among those Christians who do embrace fiction, few recognize and appreciate literary quality. Some of the bestsellers in today's Christian fiction market are bland romances with pat endings.

In “The Aesthetic Poverty of Evangelicalism” Clyde S. Kilby wrote: “The people who spend the most time with the Bible are in large numbers the foes of art and the sworn foes of imagination… Furthermore, when evangelicals dare attempt any art form it is generally done badly…. How can it be that with a God who created birds and the blue of the sky and who before the foundation of the world wrought out a salvation more romantic than Cinderella…Christians often turn out to have an unenviable corner on the unimaginative and commonplace?" (The Christian Imagination, p. 277-278).

Leland Ryken writes: “Christians should neither undervalue nor overvalue literature. Literature is not exempt from artistic, moral, and intellectual criticism. Yet its gifts to the human race are immeasurable: artistic enrichment, pleasurable pastime, self-understanding, clarification of human experience, and, in its highest reaches, the expression of truth and beauty that can become worship of God” (The Christian Imagination, p. 32).

Christians who want to be discerning in their reading should aim for a balanced approach that embraces excellence in literature. They are free to enjoy literary fiction; they may even find that it brings them closer to God.

The next blog entry will look at specific strategies for becoming more discerning readers.

Becoming Discerning Readers-Defining

On Friday April 23, I spoke to the Covenant Women Bible study group of our church, comprised primarily of young moms, about "Reforming Perspectives on Literature: Becoming Discerning Readers." Since several other people have expressed an interest in hearing about the subject (in person and online), I will blog through the basic presentation, making changes necessary for this wider audience. Your comments and questions along the way are welcome.

The presentation was organized into sections on Defining, Reforming, Discerning, Examining, and Exploring. We'll dispense with the attention-grabbing interaction and fascinating speaker introduction and get right into the meat of the presentation, beginning by defining some terms.

What do we mean when we talk about "reforming"?

Reform means "to form again"; to talk about "reforming" then is to speak of forming again. Christian believers with whom I identify speak of ourselves and our Christian faith as being "Reformed" with a captial "R". We say that the Reformation "re-formed" the Christian faith to bring it back to the Bible. I think of Reformed as a synonym for biblical. The Reformed faith is the expression of Christianity that I believe most closely mirrors God's Word.

God's Word is just that; it is the Word of God in written form. God reveals himself in two ways" through his general revelation of the created world and through his special revelation of the written Word. The two are not the same, but they are intimately related.

John tells us that in "the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1). The Logos or "Word" was Christ who was present and active at creation. By his spoken Word, God created the world. Because he created a world of incredible beauty and variety, we can know that god love beauty and variety. And because he reveals himself and his promises through the Bible, we can know that he loves the written word.

The Bible is the very Word of God, but it is also a book of great literary excellence. It utilizes different literary forms, such as narrative (story) and poetry. Jesus spoke in parables (whish are a kind of fiction). We know that reading literature was acceptable to biblical believers because Paul was familiar with the existing body of literature available in his day. Moses and Daniel were likely well-verses in Egyptian and Babylonian literature.

Christ is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. We are called to be people of the Word. The Bible is the standard to which we must "re-form" our thinking, our living, and our reading.

Gene Edward Veith Jr. writes, "Because the human intellect is fallen, secular knowledge is always partial and in a state of change, and we are in constant need of God's revelation—the Word of God—which alone is the ground of truth ("Reading and Writing Worldviews" in The Christian Imagination, p. 120).

Leland Ryken says, "...the Christian faith provides the right perspective from which to view the world and literature" ("Thinking Christianly About Literature" in The Christian Imagination, p. 32).

Which leads directly to our next question:

What do we mean when we speak of perspectives?

Particularly in the field of art, perspective describes a way of seeing objects in relation to each other. It can also mean a specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events, especially one that shows them in their true relationships. In our discussion of literature, which focuses on fiction, it is the ability to see things in a true relationship.

That true relationship, of course, is how the things in a novel relate to the Christian belief in God. Christians and non-Christians can agree on a host of elements that comprise literary quality, but in the final analysis, it is only the Christian who is ultimately capable of seeing things in a true relationship. Only the Christian bases sight (the way the world is viewed) on faith.

T.S. Eliot has written: “It is the function of all art to give us some perception of an order in life, by imposing an order upon it” (On Poetry and Poets, quoted in The Christian Imagination, p. 58).

Literature helps us perceive life accurately. Leland Ryken has written, “…good reading is bifocal: first we look at the work and then we look through it to real life” (Realms of Gold, p. 15).

Literature helps focus our vision. Aldous Huxley has written, “One of our most ordinary reactions to a good piece of literary art is expressed in the formula, ‘This is what I always felt and thought, but have never been able to put clearly into words, even for myself” ("Tragedy and the Whole Truth," quoted in The Christian Imagination, p. 234).

I believe we can sum up this definition of perspective by saying that the Christian does not look at the world through “rose-colored” glasses; the Christian views the world through what I call “reality-check” glasses—and that Reality is Christ.

What do we mean by the term, “literature"?

“Literature” can mean different things to different people at different times. All prose and poetry can be called literature in contrast to other types of writing such as scientific writing and news reporting. The writings of a particular time or country or region are its literature, such as American or British literature (or more specifically 20th century American literature or 18th century British literature). Writing that deals with a particular subject is that field’s literature, such as "the medical literature." But the way we’re using the word is to refer particularly to prose or poetry of an imaginative or critical nature that is considered as having permanent value, excellence of form, and great emotional effect.

Northrop Frye has written, “The poet’s job is not to tell you what happened, but what happens: not what did take place, but the kind of thing that always does take place” (The Educated Imagination, quoted in The Christian Imagination, p. 56). Great literature has a universal character with which all readers can identify.

There’s a difference between adequate writing and writing that transcends time and touches a common chord of humanity. Artist Grace Carol Bomer used to paint what she calls “PLPs” (for “Pretty Little Pictures”), but she says she gradually came to realize that she needed to create work with a “boldness for the gospel” and for the glory of God. Now, like Bach, she signs her work Soli Deo Gloria and paints powerful abstracts that remarkably incorporate image and word. (Look, for instance, at her “Purified Lips” painting on her website.)

Just as there’s a difference between “Pretty Little Pictures” (PLPs) and works of art, there’s a difference between Nice Little Novels (which I suppose we could call “NLNs”) and literary masterpieces.

This bring us to our final definition:

What is meant by a “Discerning Reader"?

When I consider this question, I think of the Bereans who compared what they were hearing to what the Bible said. Acts 17 says about them, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (verse 11).

The Bereans truly “tested the spirits” as John exhorts us to do in 1 John 4:1. I believe discerning readers need to “test the spirits” of what they are reading. They ought to think about how what they are reading compares to what the Bible teaches. Is this writing true or is it a lie? Does it glorify God or does it glorify evil?

But there’s more to being a discerning reader that simply knowing biblical doctrines and knowing how to distinguish between truth and falsehood. God loves beauty and excellence and we should learn to recognize and love these things, too.

The priestly garments described in Exodus 28 were “skillfully worked” of beautiful textiles and adorned with gold. They glinted with engraved gemstones of yellow, red, green, blue, white, purple, and aquamarine. God’s purpose in their design was “for glory and for beauty” (verse 40).

God’s love for beauty is apparent not only in His Word, but also in His world. Who can observe the glories of creation without marveling at their variety and beauty? The ruby throat of the hummingbird throbbing at the feeder while its iridescent green back gleams in the sun, the brilliant purple of the first crocus splashing color onto a drab landscape, the rugged majesty of a snow-capped mountain soaring into the sky; these all direct our thoughts toward God and fill our minds with doxologies to His glory.

In reading—as in all things—our task is to develop discernment and learn to recognize the true, the excellent, and the beautiful.

There is nothing wrong in reading purely for enjoyment. A good story first of all entertains. Christian writers are like the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 12:10, who “sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.” A Christian reader can delight in the written word and experience pleasure on many different levels.

Emily Dickinson wrote, “There is no frigate like a book/To take us lands away.” Everyone needs to escape at times from the chronic cares and concerns of life into the realm of imagination.

But there’s a difference between “escaping” and “escapism.” Escaping implies an occasional foray; escapism involves a habitual indulgence to the detriment of more important responsibilities (like work or family). Christians needn’t be afraid to responsibly enjoy literature just as they responsibly enjoy all of God’s good gifts.

We read in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

C.S. Lewis wrote: “the Christian…has no objection to comedies that merely amuse and tales that merely refresh…. We can play, as we can eat, to the glory of God” (quoted in Reader’s Guide Through the Wardrobe, p. 157).

A discerning reader is one who "tests the spirits" of what is being read against the truth of Scripture, who looks for excellence and beauty, and who enjoys reading as one of God's good gifts.

My next post will examine the question of why our perspectives on literature need to be reformed. Thanks for reading!

Tears in a Bottle (Psalm 56)

While repeatedly reading Psalm 56, I always pause at the words of verse 8:

You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?

The beauty of this imagery is almost too much to comprehend.

God not only knows how many times I toss and turn when I wake in the wee hours of the night, but he also keeps track of them!

God will wipe away every tear one day, but he is aware of each tear shed now. My heart literally aches with emotion when I think of God collecting my tears and storing them in his own bottle.

If my tears can be contained in a bottle, their number is limited. My finite tears are kept by an infinite God.

My tears don't stream off the roof into a barrel; they don't pump into a bucket; they don't even pour into a basin; God collects them into a little bottle.

God knows each struggle of my life. He perceives every throb of pain. And the most amazing thing is that he keeps a record of it all!

God is the ultimate chronicler. He writes the number of my tossings and the number of my tears in his book.

Because God sees and numbers each tossing and every tear, in every circumstance I can say with the Psalmist (David, who had been seized by the Philistines):

When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me? (verses 3 & 4)

That comforting refrain is repeated in verses 10 & 11:

In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

Knowing God's love and care for him, I can conclude with David:

For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life (verse 13).

Because I have the guarantee of heavenly security, I can trust God to preserve me during earthly insecurities. God enables me to walk without stumbling. I walk coram deo (before the face of God). And God will enable me to live my life in God's light.

Grandbaby

Please excuse my recent absence; my husband and I have been busy waiting for and welcoming our fourth grandson: Layton Ryan Sponsler. He was born on Good Friday, April 2, weighing 8 lbs., 2 ozs. and measuring 20 1/2 inches.

Grandpa Mathes

Layton's parents are proud and happy. Here is their first family portrait.My parents came to meet him the next morning.

His cousins (Gabe, Logan, and Wesley) were eager to see him.

And here is sleeping Baby Layton, bundled up and ready to go home on Easter Sunday.