Catholic Horror and Rhetorical Dialectics

Catholic Horror and Rhetorical Dialectics cover

Catholic Horror and Rhetorical Dialectics

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Description

Identifying an important subgenre of horror literature, this book argues that Catholic horror fiction works distinctively to inspire the philosophical, theological, and spiritual imaginations of readers from all backgrounds and faith traditions. Hurley analyzes four novels that are foundational to the genre of Catholic horror: J.K. Huysmans’s Là-Bas (1891), Robert Hugh Benson’s The Light Invisible (1903) and A Mirror of Shalott (1907), and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist (1971). Putting these texts in conversation with the classical liberal arts, the book shows how Catholic horror fiction coheres in a commitment to dialectical thinking that aims both to resolve—and to accommodate—contrasting world views. Given its use of this methodology, Catholic horror literature is uniquely positioned to draw readers into a contemplative mindset. In presenting ghost stories, tales of possession, and narratives about evil, Catholic horror invites audiences to confront and reflect on profound existential questions—questions about the line between life and death, the nature of being, and the meaning of reality.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Contemplative Horror and Rhetoric
Chapter One: What is Catholic Horror Literature?
Chapter Two: What are Rhetorical Dialectics?
Chapter Three: Rhetorical Dialectics of J.K. Huysmans’s Là-Bas (1891)
Chapter Four: Rhetorical Dialectics of Robert Hugh Benson’s The Light Invisible (1903)
Chapter Five: Rhetorical Dialectics of Robert Hugh Benson’s A Mirror of Shallot (1907)
Chapter Six: Rhetorical Dialectics of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist (1971)
Conclusion: Orienting the Head and Heart

Product details

Published 24 Jun 2024
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 202
ISBN 9781611463620
Imprint Lehigh University Press
Dimensions 236 x 161 mm
Series Critical Conversations in Horror Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

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