Beginning with the Word: Modern Literature And The Question Of Belief (Cultural Exegesis) by Roger Lundin

Beginning with the Word: Modern Literature And The Question Of Belief (Cultural Exegesis) Reviews

• 
  George

  Truly outstanding
• 
  Bob

  The very fact that I am writing these words and you are reading them suggests some kind of belief about the function of language. Exactly what that function is has been called into question by recent literary theory. At one time if I said I was writing about a book by Roger Lundin titled Beginning with the Word, you would think that my words had reference to the actual (or virtual) book. Recent literary theory has separated word and thing such that any use of words is simply representing what they signify in my mind, my own subjective experience, and not the actual book.
  
  Certainly there is warrant for this idea. One of the daunting tasks of reviewing is to attempt to do justice to an author's ideas, whatever one's critique of them may be. Actually, this is something I felt I struggled with more than usual in reading this book, reading it twice, and even then, not being sure I am doing the author's ideas justice.
  
  What Lundin seems to be doing in engaging 19th and 20th century writers like Emily Dickinson and William Faulkner as well as theologians like Karl Barth, as well as literary theorists like Ricoeur and Gadamer is to explore the skepticism of belief in both modern literature and literary theory that arises from this separation of word and thing. In so doing he explores the desire to believe in the midst of such skepticism, the desire for a storied existence in a literary culture suspicious of any metanarrative. He considers the power of words to awaken awareness using Frederick Douglass's autobiography of how reading gave him an awareness of his personhood and the desirability of freedom.
  
  Lundin would propose that there is even yet ground for belief because of the Word who became Flesh, the One who incarnated a union (reunion?) between word and object. This is a central tenet of Barth's theology and provides a basis for a belief in the transcendent, in the possibility of grace, and for being part of a story that makes sense and gives meaning to life.
  
  The author positions himself not as one proposing an "absolute" argument as a modernist writer might, but rather speaks as a "witness" weaving together a theology of the Word, his own experience, and themes in literature (story, making sense of time, a longing for home, and dreams of justice and deliverance) to affirm that it is possible to make statements of belief that aren't simply polite fictions, personal sentiments, or statements about what we know isn't so, but rather affirmations of ultimate, life-giving realities rooted in the One who brings Word and Thing together.
  
  I confess that I struggled to follow the train of the author's thought at points, particularly where he delves into literary theory. The thematic approach reflects less a linear argument than coming at an idea from several perspectives. Yet I suspect that for some these elements along with the humble yet forthright "witness" that affirms while leaving room for others might in the end prove winsome and more persuasive than any absolute, linear argument. Certainly for any student in literary studies who wrestles with critical theory and questions of belief, this is an important resource.
  
  [This review is based on a complimentary e-galley version of this book provided by the publisher through Netgalley. I have not been in any other way compensated for the review of this book.]
• 
  Brent Merrill

  Beginning with the Word is more or less a survey of modern literary theory with duel fulcrums of Emily Dickinson ( the author's area of expertise) and christian theology. This book starts off with an examination of how humanity has used words in the past and moves towards how we use words in the present era. If you have ever felt that language does not quite serve your needs you may find an interesting explanation for that disjointed feeling in this book. The survey of modern authors and theologians was wonderfully helpful in deepening my understanding of both literature and theology. It is a book that requires reflection and you may find yourself taking more time with this work than its fairly reasonable length would imply.
• 
  Hufflepuff Book Reviewer

  I don't feel like I was really smart enough for this book. I didn't understand about 80% of what this author was saying.
• 
  Jack Repenning

  The author traces the evolution of European culture through its literature, with particular focus on (or through) a philosophically charged idea of “the Word.” Other key terms include very specialized uses of “sign,” “symbol,” and “picture.” Through tracing their history, he shows how Western thinking evolved from seeing words and meanings as inherent aspects of the eternal, ideal things they name, to arbitrary inventions relating to a “reality” with no substance or permanence.
  
  About half the book presents how this series of missteps in literary criticism diffused from academics into the culture at large. I found this part very confusing, because he presents these ideas from their own perspective, as they would be by their adherents. Only in the second half does he remove the veil, revealing their errors and providing his corrective insights.
  
  Overall, I found the book somewhat unsatisfactory.
• 
  Susan

  Won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway! Looking forward to receiving it.