• The Sensory and the Sacred: Modernist Crucifixions

    Author(s):
    Jennifer Ashby, Ryan O\\\'Shea, Elena Valli (see profile)
    Date:
    2023
    Subject(s):
    Modernism (Literature), Religion and literature, Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
    Item Type:
    Abstract
    Tag(s):
    Mina Loy, Radclyffe Hall, Aldous Huxley, John Cowper Powys, Anthony Hecht, Geoffrey Hill
    Permanent URL:
    https://doi.org/10.17613/sjtw-2674
    Abstract:
    Simone Weil defined the Crucifixion as “this supreme tearing apart, this incomparable agony, this marvel of love” suggesting that “nothing can be further from God than that which has been made accursed.” Its paradoxical nature makes the Sacrifice a persuasive literary trope to investigate the relationship between materiality and spirituality. Twentieth century literature revisits this concept by emphasising the physicality of the body to demystify its sinful connotations and idealised representations. It is the modernist martyred body, represented in its tensions and vulnerability, which this session addresses. Three papers by young scholars working in different countries aim at showing how the creation of Christ-substitutes in twentieth century prose and poetry helps transatlantic authors present the potential for both bodily pleasure and violence against cultural and social conventions. These representations shed light on the often ambiguous response to faith in modernism and beyond.
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    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    8 months ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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