Worldview in Literature

Worldview, simply put, is one's view of the world. It means basically the same thing as a philosophical perspective or, more specifically, a religious outlook. Of course, not all people are "religious," but the core principle of a person's worldview is belief in God, a higher power, or some other controlling force. From this religious core grows perspectives on the nature of mankind, on social and personal values, and on one's hope for the future. For instance, an atheist believes than mankind must be analyzed as a highly evolved animal whose hope is built on the potential for progress. By contrast, a Christian believes that mankind must be viewed as a creature made in the Image of God but fallen away from Him, with hope solely in His redemptive power. Thus, all worldviews - even the non-religious ones - have a religious axiom at the center.

So what does worldview have to do with literature? In fiction particularly, an author projects a worldview upon the creative universe of the story. Of course, any writer could envision and experiment with a fictional universe contrary to his own personal worldview, but this is not often the case. Most of the time, a artist's expressions pour honestly out of his own experiences, observations, and philosophies. For instance, Mark Twain's novels portray a world operating within a humanistic worldview. George Lucas's films portray a universe that pulses with cosmic humanism. And Tolkein's work demonstrates, within a fantasy setting, solid principles of a Christian worldview.

The benefits of analyzing literature for worldview are broad, particularly for the Christian student who desires to see the world clearly and interact meaningfully. By identifying the worldview of fictional settings, one gets practice in spotting worldview issues in the real world. We Christians become better at recognizing unBiblical beliefs lurking within the folds of overtly Christian worldview frameworks (all too common in this pluralistic society). We become more sensitive to the reasons why others do not see the same God we do or value the same morals we do. Along the arc of a story, we experience catharsis as the characters journey through life in search of truth. We identify with the universal search for meaning... the search for a worldview.

In order to analyze and discover the worldview behind a work of literature -- fiction, non-fiction, prose, or poetry -- one must consider the controlling force of the setting, the celebrated values of the situation, and the tone of the author toward central religious themes, among other concerns. It is helpful to research the author's life and, if possible, locate a primary source in which the author speaks directly to worldview issues, for instance published journals, letters, essays, interviews, or speech transcripts.

One classic example of the importance of worldview in understanding a work of literature is the genre of tragedy. In its original Greek form, it was designed to explore the darker side of human reality, that mankind is subject to the will of the gods and the whims of fate, that we are flawed, and that suffering is inevitable. In the context of the pagan tragedy, life is a game of luck, ingenuity, and pandering to the whims of the gods. However, when the Renaissance resurrected the genre in the new context of Christendom, the tragedy changed profoundly. Reinterpreting its pagan prototype, the Christian tragedy explored the darker side of humanity, the will of God, human fallenness, and earthly suffering. The difference in worldview does in fact make all the difference, for the tragic hero can be redeemed. Through the tragic outcome of the hero's misdeeds, the surrounding characters too can be saved by Grace. At the end of Shakespeare's Hamlet, although our protagonist dies, he does so by uttering and receiving forgiveness and trusting his fate to God; he has come to see his tragic sins for what they are, and because of that fact he is able to see God's "providence in the fall of a sparrow." The catharsis becomes redemptive when the worldview is Christian.

Now I must point out the stark difference between worldview criticism and Biblical criticism. In the former, the analyst looks for authorial intent. In the latter, the analyst superimposes a Christian interpretation upon the work, regardless of the inherent worldview. Take Jack London's wolf novels for example. London was an avowed atheist, and the worldview of his novels is distinctly humanist/naturalist. Even his protagonists are wild animals, illustrating the essential animal nature of humanity. However, one can perform a Christian reading of the novel, pointing out the truth of the fallen world as illustrated in the cruelty of the antagonists. Even more importantly, Biblical criticism looks for themes of redemption; in London's White Fang, sacrificial love redeems the wolf from the bondage inherited from nature's harshness and humanity's sin. London had no intention of celebrating Christ, but if his story projects life truth, then that truth may be taken captive by Christian thinking. If the situation and character ring true, then that "truth is God's truth."

Likewise, other schools of criticism project their worldviews upon literary works. Although Shakespeare's plays are culturally Christian, one can project Freudian concerns upon them for a humanist reading of the tale. The postmodernist can "deconstruct" the text to arrive at a conclusion of reckless subjectivity. Thus, most modern literary criticism seeks to explore old literature from a new angle, whereas traditional criticism is more concerned with historical context and authorial intent. And let us always remember that a Biblical critique of a nonChristian work is indeed one form of new criticism. Worldview analysis, like traditional criticism, takes historical context and authorial intent into serious consideration in the process of trying to identify the work's worldview -- and in today's pluralistic world, that process is highly valuable. Worldview analysis, then, is just a new layer to age-old tradtional criticism. A new layer with profound meaning for the Christian thinker.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

Thesis statement complexity can be tailored to the level of the student, but the basic formula is always the same:

THESIS = topic + opinion

For young students, this can be as simple as "Cats are the best type of pet." If a middle schooler, for example, is asked to write a thesis about a work of literature, he might say something like "This story illustrates the themes of temptation and choices."

Many teachers like to use the thesis itself as an aid for organizing the entire paper, requiring students to tack on two or three reasons for their opinion. Those two or three reasons will be the basis for two or three body paragraphs:

THESIS = topic + opinion + reasons

Example: "Cats are the best pets because they don't eat much, keep themselves clean, and keep you company in the house."

Indeed, it is much harder to formulate a body-paragraph structure without this 2- or 3-tiered approach to thesis writing, making this formula especially useful in grades 7 through 9. Higher grades need to move into more sophisticated formats.

The next level of thesis development adds in a deeper, more interpretive level - one that answers the question "how?" or "why?" in response to the opinion.

THESIS = topic + opinion + how or why

This model is best applied to assignments that require higher levels of thinking, perhaps history or English classes. For instance:

"The Roman Empire fell to the widespread invasions of barbaric tribes [why?]because the Roman forces had become too thin and disunified across Europe."

"'The Raven' establishes a dark mood [how?] with its use of morbid imagery and haunting sound patterns."

Requiring this level of thesis development is the first step towards sophistication. The "how" or "why" aspect of the thesis can, if desired, be presented in a 2- or 3-tiered fashion, as with the previous model.

In the English class, a final level of interpretation can be added to the formula:

THESIS = topic + opinion + literary reasoning

This is essentially the same thing as a "how" or "why" element, but it is focused specifically on the task of literary analysis. For this element, students should use one or more literary terms to back up their opinion, showing how the author's literary skill created a work from which their opinion could grow. The above example about "The Raven" does just that. Here is another example:

"In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare portrays a theme of fate [...and the literary reasonong is...] through plot events as well as character speeches that allude to fate, destiny, and coincidence."

This final level of thesis development can be applied to any discipline that requires an opinion to be formed on the basis of reading. Students must be taught in a truly inter-disciplinary fashion which stresses the application of "literary reasoning" to ANY reading text, from classic literature to historical accounts to editorial letters.

Once the student has progressed to the highest level of thesis writing, he is then ready for an advanced approach to inductive or deductive argument structures.

Developing a Writer

In working with middle and high school writers over the past 12 years, I have developed a step-by-step process for building writing skills. Each step is labeled with a rough grade-level application.

I. Paragraph structure (grades 2-6)
Elementary school prepares students to write well-shaped paragraphs with topic sentences, supporting details and concluding sentences. This BEGINNING-MIDDLE-END format will stay with the student FOREVER!

II. Essay structure (grades 6-9)
The best place to start teaching students about full essay structure is to present the classic five-paragraph essay. The essay is an expanded form of the beginning-middle-end paragraph formula taught in earlier grades: a topical paragraph, supporting paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. The thesis statement should appear at the end of the introductory paragraph and identify not only the topic of the essay but the writer's point of view on the topic. In the early phases of training, teachers might opt to write thesis statements for students.

III. Thesis development (grades 7-11)
Once students recognize the role of the thesis statement and have successfully composed their own simple statements, they are ready to work on more sophisticated statements. One option is the three-tiered format in which the thesis previews the three points of the three body paragraphs. Another more challenging option is to require a "how" or "why" element to the thesis. Advanced Placement students (and others) need to learn to write theses that provide direct answers to prompt questions.

IV. Specialized formulas (grades 7-12)
Certain types of writing genres will require special approaches to structure. For instance, journalism requires an inverted pyramid approach. Science papers may need to follow the scientific method. Literary analysis, which is particularly difficult for some students, can be made easier with a formula such as Jane Schaffer's model. Research papers pose the highest level of challenge, as they require not only good organization but an artful blending of original and borrowed ideas, not to mention strict adherence to citation rules.

V. Inductive and Deductive patterns (grades 11-12)
The five paragraph format is an inductive pattern of discussion, as are most essay formulas I've encountered (including Schaffer). Students need to be taught the difference between inductive and deductive structure and specifically trained in how to do the latter. This should take place in the context of a unit on argumentation/persuasion. Advanced essays usually function better with a deductive structure, because they allow for the development of sophisticated arguments. (See my "Inductive and Deductive Writing" post for explanations and examples of each.)

VI. Improving Fluency (grammar grades 1-10, fluency training grades 7-12)
This "step" is listed last, but it is often an ongoing element of instruction for students who have challenges in writing smooth, artful sentences. I believe that the core of fluency instruction is grammar; thus, early grades must teach basic sentence structure concepts and usage rules. Once a student has a basic understanding of the way parts of speech work and how sentences function, then the teacher can specifically target the craft of sentence writing. My technique begins with verb exercises, moves through issues of wordiness and patterning, and concludes with lessons in variation. Fluency challenges are the hardest issues to tackle in student writing, as they reflect a person's natural propensity for language, not just the amount of knowledge acquired in school. Often, fluency aptitude is parallel to one's reading frequency - the more you read, the more your brain has a chance to develop its language functions in grammatical and artistic patterns. Increased reading and regular exercises in sentence composition can reap rewards in the long term.

Inductive and Deductive Writing

The Inductive Essay
"Inductive" logic "flows towards" a conclusion. I like to picture it as a horizontal movement, in which the speaker is leading the audience along a thoughtful path of reasons towards a rational conclusion - I call inductive logic a "row of reasons." An inductive essay usually presents the thesis up front and then provides categories of support for that thesis. Most five-paragraph essays are inductive. The "Analysis Man" model is inductive.

Sample Inductive Essay Structure:
1. I believe in God (thesis)
2. There seems to be a spiritual aspect to life that can't be explained through naturalism (first reason)
3. The fulfilled prophecy of the Bible provides convincing evidence of God (second reason)
4. Some of the best thinkers of the world have argued well for the existence of God (third reason)
5. Therefore, belief in God is a rational choice and I choose to believe (conclusion)


The Deductive Essay
"Deductive" logic "flows down" from its premises. In other words, if the premises of a deductive argument are true, then the conclusion must also be true. Deductive logic works itself down a step-by-step path, much like a ladder; I call deductive reasoning a "ladder of logic." An essay structured deductively must start with an "easy-to-reach" first premise and then work the reader up the "ladder" to the conclusion. This is significantly harder than the categorical inductive approach. To illustrate deductive logic, I will use a classical argument for the existence of God called the cosmological argument (it is short and often debated, but it illustrates the principle of step-by-step logic well.) Note that deductive logic absolutely relies upon sequential points/premises to achieve a successful argument.

Sample Deductive Essay Structure:
1. Many people wonder if a "God" started the universe or not (thesis preview)
2. We all agree that every event has a cause and/or a causal agent (first premise)
3. If we go backwards through time, we will eventually find a first event (second premise)
4. That first event, if it doesn't have a cause, must have an agent (conclusion)
5. We can call that agent "God" (thesis)

Instructional Lists

What I have created here should look generally familiar to any student of language art, but bears the unique marks of my own experience and philosophy of education.

The Writing Process
1. Task exploration (read, confirm comprehension; identify audience, purpose, genre of communication; brainstorm/research ideas)
2. Topic focus (narrow topic, write a thesis that is specific)
3. Content building (with thesis in mind, gather relevant ideas from brainstorming, text, imagination, or in-depth research)
4. Content organizing (outlining, formatting of paragraphs as necessary)
5. Writing (including documentation as necessary)
6. Editing, identification of challenge areas and revision
7. Publishing and progress evaluation

The Reading Process
1. "Pre-reading" never hurts. This means getting a feel for what type of text you're looking at and what type of reading skills you should employ. For instance, a pop magazine article about your favorite band will require a different kind of reading than a current events magazine article about foreign policy. You can tell the difference by looking at length, title, illustrations, etc.
2. A first reading should produce a basic comprehension and/or gut reaction to the piece. Students might need to employ a study strategy, for instance listing, highlighting, or journaling.
3. A second reading may be required for a challenging text, like poetry for instance. In this case, the reader should take one sentence, phrase, or paragraph at a time and attempt to re-state it in his/her own words. The use of dictionaries, footnotes, and discussion may be helpful.
4. Analyzing comes next. At this point, many facts and/or details have been conveyed to the reader, but they may not be particularly meaningful yet. The reader must come up with some sort of "data analysis" system for the brain in which he/she makes sense out of the reading material and internalizes it. This might involve answering questions, making lists, finding main ideas, outlining, summarizing arguments, etc. This is where teachers often spend most of their instruction time. It turns superficial reading into meaningful reading.
5. Dialogue or monologue is important for reaching a sophisticated level of understanding and appreciation of a text once reading is complete. This may occur in a formal classroom setting, alone with a journal, or among friends at a book club. Dialogue, or discussion, provides an opportunity for readers to share reactions and guide each other in their interpretation. Monologue, or independent writing, is valuable in that it forces the reader to present his/her thoughts in a coherent fashion.

Literary Analysis
1. Start by considering the "voice" of the text. What is the author or speaker saying? How is it being said? What is the mood and/or attitude? Is there a bias? What was thr purpose, and was it achieved?
2. Once you have pondered the core of the piece, its voice, you must explore its "skeleton" (or structure). Look for how the work was built by the author, the phases of development employed. See if you can label the purpose of each segment you see in the piece's structure.
3. By this time, you're intimately familiar with the piece on a literary level. You're ready to zoom in on the specific literary techniques that seem important to the work's purpose and effect: what I call its "features". A person's features - nose, eyes, lips, hair color, etc. - give that person a distinct character; literature does likewise, with "features" such as diction, figurative language, imagery, character development, irony, and the other tools of literary craft.
4. Now you've reached the "head and heart" of the work. What was its greatest impact on your thinking? on your emotions? These two "head/heart" observations may serve as a conclusion to your analysis.