Help Please: Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Literature

15 years ago

Hello everyone. I lurk here every so often although I'm mostly found over at the Kitchen Table with forays into Kitchens and Home Decorating. I have been a reader all my life--have a Ph.D. in American literature--but I'm seeking your input on a matter I've just begun to consider. I've been asked to give a series of talks at a church (Newman Center at a university) next Lent on the topic of "Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Literature." They'd like me to select several works of literature--novels, poetry, short stories--that illustrate this theme. The theme doesn't necessarily have to be developed in a religious/spiritual context. Just wondering what you'd recommend. Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (17)

veer
15 years ago
marita, an interesting subject. I'm sure there must be several Victorian novels that would fit your bill . . . husbands forgiving errant wives (though seldom the other way round) or something along the lines of the 'Prodigal Son', or perhaps Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan? I know it's a play but . . .?
I'll put my thinking cap on.
grelobe
15 years ago
I think a few novels by Graham Greene might fit your quest
"The Heart of the Matter" "A Bourn Out Case" "The Power and the Glory"

and by Fyodor Dostoevsky "Crime and Punisment"
Related Discussions
Rose waterlogged,some blackspots, help me
Q
Comments (18)
(continuing hijack :) henryinct-- Tebuconazole (Bayer) kills the developing fungus inside the leaf. Elsewhere in the study, she describes how, inside leaves treated with DMI fungicides such as Bayer, the chemical destroys existing fungal structures. She includes microscopic photographs showing this destruction. There is no need to theorize, you can see it happening. Respectfully, it is incorrect to say it takes 7 or more days for "the spores to germinate into fungal cells." She observed spores germinating in 7-8 hours when wet at the appropriate temperature. Within 7-10 days at favorable temperature, there are externally visible symptoms. If you look at the tebuconazole column on the right (leaf pictures, pdf p.85), the middle leaf has tiny spots which probably had formed 7 days after infection and were arrested by the tebuconazole treatment at that time. (A poster here, Pete in Daytona, observed this happening a few years ago when the product first came out.) In the lower right-hand corner, the obvious spots that had formed 10 days after infection were arrested at that stage by the tebuconazole treatment at that time. Elsewhere in the study, she says that such leaves do not finally succumb to blackspot but continue to function. However, if the infection was more advanced at the time of treatment, the leaf has already been damaged too much and will die, even though the chemical kills the fungal body.
...See More
Forgiving and ... forgetting?
Q
Comments (32)
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. So many of you have eloquently expressed what's been sort of rolling around in my mind, but I've not quite been able to put into words. The older I get, the more I realize that the ability to truly forgive someone is crucial to my own well-being, and really has very little to do with them. I am also understanding that it's not necessarily a warm, fuzzy feeling I'll come to have about the person who wronged me; it's a conscious choice to redirect any negativity I may harbor towards them into positive thoughts - blessings - however you want to phrase it - and projecting that kind of energy instead. I too firmly believe that forgiveness does not have to go hand-in-hand with reconciliation. Situations are not always conducive to so much as further contact with someone that we need to forgive, so it really must be an act within ourselves, above all. It's definitely a process, and not one that's easily mastered I'm afraid. Still, it's a concept that I find quite interesting, and one I hope to continually improve upon in my own life.
...See More
Helping 6yo Focus....
Q
Comments (35)
Sorry I have not read all the posts so forgive me if I duplicate. My ds is 9 in 3rd grade, another late birthday. He has always been at the top of his class and loves school. He loves to read. He gets off track easily. When they come back from recess all the kids know to get out the item they need. He has to be reminded. But his teachers are so supportive of him. But it has not always been this way. He started K being the last to finish lunch and spent many lunch recesses sitting outside finishing. He was always the first to raise his hand and had a hard time waiting to be called on. The other kids would sit back and let him give all the answers. But I was fortunate enough in first grade to have a friend teach him. She said he is just fine. He needs help staying on task but is nowhere near needing "help". Second grade teacher really worked on keeping him on task. We didnt care about the behavior daily charts. It did not work. He would never stay perfect so we never made it an issue. As long as he was not a problem in class we just focused on his learning to concentrate. Now in third grade he has really improved. He waits to be called on, but still needs reminders to stay on task. He takes 10min to pick out a book so I told the teacher to give him 15seconds or they will choose. He now knows he has a choice and is doing much better. Again, teachers think he will just slowly outgrow this. One thing that really helped was something in K. The teacher made a special desk. He was told that if he had a hard time staying on task he would have to use that desk to have less distraction. Eventually he began to recognize when he was distracted and would ask to use the desk. The teacher found this to be a great tool rather than a punishment. My ds is always slow in the morning. We set up a chart of the order to do things and he has to follow it. If he is all ready to go with bookbag and coat ready at the door, he can play with the cat. If he does not follow the chart and we are rushing out the door he does not get freetime when he gets home from school. He is learning that he is responsible for his behavior and he can choose to follow it and have fun or not follow it and have no fun. I wonder if punishing your son at this age is productive. He really isn't being naughty, he is a little boy who needs help focusing. Teaching him how to manage his situation, learning control over what he can do will give him lots of confidence and he may surprise everyone in a few years. Good luck.
...See More
OT: Fibro help
Q
Comments (27)
Perma, my heart goes out to you; this has to be such a shock. However, as I always tell myself, at least it's not cancer. By that I mean that it may change your life but it won't end it or shorten it. That is no small thing when more and more people have cancer, and at seemingly earlier ages, or other life-threatening and heart-breaking conditions. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia decades ago, but it is a rather atypical form where fatigue is the main component rather than muscle pain. As I've gotten older it's steadily gotten worse, and there are so many other factors, sensitivity to just about everything, light, noise, fans, heat, the sun, cold, you name it. It's become an ever-narrowing existence, although fortunately because of the internet I don't feel cut off from human contact and the wider world. There's really nothing I can add to all the knowledgeable and wise comments that have been given here. I will say, if at all possible accept help with the garden, paid or unpaid, so that what's left for you to do is more manageable and not so overwhelming. It's easier said than done if finances are tight, but even a willing 12-year-old can do a lot. Be very kind to yourself, and please know that we're here for you. If you'd like to e-mail me please feel free to do so. Just click on my picture and that will lead you to the contact information. It can be a lonely condition, because it's difficult for people to understand how you can look in such good health and yet feel horrible. Only someone who is in similar circumstance or close to someone who is can truly relate, and as you see there are enough of us here. We also deeply understand how important your garden is to you, and that it has to continue to be a part of your life. I've found that I can have a beautiful and stimulating garden with fewer roses and more low-care companion plants that don't need to be fertilized, divided or otherwise cossetted. Life goes on and one adjusts and, thankfully, we have each other to support us through it all.
...See More
dido1
15 years ago
Shakespeare's A WINTER'S TALE, which is all about that.
veer
15 years ago
How about George Moore's Esther Waters? Poor kitchen maid seduced by the footman(?) thrown out of her 'place'. By the end of the story she and her former mistress 're-bond' (in a servant/employer way). All is forgiven.
yoyobon_gw
15 years ago
A TRAVEL WITH POMMEGRANATES by Sue Monk Kidd

memoir of mother-daughter travels resolving issues
J C
15 years ago
Mr. Ives' Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos is a beautiful story about a man whose life is torn about by violence but perseveres through faith and strength. Hijuelos is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning author, and he manages this story, with parallels to A Christmas Carol, without cloying sentimentality. Only about 250 pages, very quick to read. I read this years ago and it has always stayed with me.
Rudebekia
Original Author
15 years ago
Great suggestions! Thanks--this is very helpful. siobhan, when I was asked to give these talks Mr. Ives' Christmas came immediately to mind. It is a fabulous book; if anyone here has not read it, I recommend it. Well written and poignant. Please keep the suggestions coming!
woodnymph2_gw
15 years ago
"Too Late the Phalarope" by Alan Paton, set in South Africa of Apartheid, about Black/White relations.
Chris_in_the_Valley
15 years ago
How about Flannery O'Connor's entire oeuvre?
Rudebekia
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, O'Connor's "Revelation," A Good Man is Hard to Find," and Wise Blood would especially work, though most of her stories end on an ambiguous--rather than conciliatory--note ("The Enduring Chill," "Everything that Rises Must Converge," "The Comforts of Home," etc.) I also thought of Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, and Dubus' Voices from the Moon.
ccrdmrbks
15 years ago
Well, there is Trollope's Can You Forgive Her?
yoyobon_gw
15 years ago
TRAVELING WITH POMEGRANATES
Chris_in_the_Valley
15 years ago
Would the Book of Job qualify?
woodnymph2_gw
15 years ago
"The Fall of a Sparrow" by Robert Hellenga.
Chris_in_the_Valley
15 years ago
What about The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell? Forgiveness and Reconciliation with a Jesuital twist - forgiving oneself and reconciling with same.
thyrkas
15 years ago
Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winning book, 'Gilead' is a stunning book on forgiveness and reconciliation, IMO. 'Home', Robinson's book which picks up the story line of 'Gilead' from another perspective, also has these themes. Both of these books were written in the last ten years.
pfmastin
15 years ago
I would suggest The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon

Help Please: Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Literature

Comments (17)

veer

grelobe

Related Discussions

dido1

veer

yoyobon_gw

J C

Rudebekia
Original Author

woodnymph2_gw

Chris_in_the_Valley

Rudebekia
Original Author

ccrdmrbks

yoyobon_gw

Chris_in_the_Valley

woodnymph2_gw

Chris_in_the_Valley

thyrkas

pfmastin

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Help Please: Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Literature

Comments (17)

Related Discussions

RudebekiaOriginal Author

RudebekiaOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Rudebekia
Original Author

Rudebekia
Original Author