School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

Agape Unbound in Silence and Deep River

Document Type

Book Chapter

Department

School of Theology and Seminary

Subject Categories

Arts and Humanities | East Asian Languages and Societies | English Language and Literature | Japanese Studies | Religion

Abstract

Book Description:
Shusaku Endo is celebrated as one of Japan's great modern novelists, often described as "Japan's Graham Greene," and Silence is considered by many Japanese and Western literary critics to be his masterpiece. Approaching Silence is both a celebration of this award-winning novel as well as a significant contribution to the growing body of work on literature and religion. It features eminent scholars writing from Christian, Buddhist, literary, and historical perspectives, taking up, for example, the uneasy alliance between faith and doubt; the complexities of discipleship and martyrdom; the face of Christ; and, the bodhisattva ideal as well as the nature of suffering. It also frames Silence through a wider lens, comparing it to Endo's other works as well as to the fiction of other authors. Approaching Silence promises to deepen academic appreciation for Endo, within and beyond the West. Includes an Afterword by Martin Scorsese on adapting Silence for the screen as well as the full text of Steven Dietz's play adaptation of Endo's novel.

Comments

Elizabeth C. Galbraith, "Agape Unbound in Silence and Deep River," in Approaching Silence: New Perspectives on Shusaku Endo's Classic Novel, ed. Mark Dennis and Darren J.N. Middleton. (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015).

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