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.