Overview

How does one culture 'read' another? In Literature and Religion, two scholars, one from China and one from the West, each read texts from the other's culture as a means of dialogue. A key issue in such an enterprise is the nature of religion and what we understand by that term in a world in which ancient religious customs seem to be dying or under threat. Does a comparative study of religious literature offer a way towards mutual understanding - or merely illustrate our differences? Underpinned by their own friendship, these two partners in conversation show what is possible.

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This remarkably adventurous book has become possible because two longstanding friends learned to trust one another. Its readers will find themselves indebted to both the authors for their courtesy to one another and the expectations of care and insight they generate in those willing to embark on comparable studies! Ann Loades, Professor Emerita of Divinity, University of Durham, and Honorary Professor in the School of Divinity, University of St Andrews To read this fascinating book is to overhear a gracious, informed, and honest conversation between friends whose life experiences could scarcely be more different. But in that difference, and in the quality of that friendship and the willingness to seek out new understandings, there is profound revelation which we are privileged to share. Through the translation of literature in its widest sense, the cultures and religions of China and 'the West' are mutually illuminated. Alison Jack, Senior Lecturer in Bible and Literature, Assistant Principal of New College, University of Edinburgh David Jasper's fascinating dialogue with Ou Guang-an vividly materializes the dialogic space between literature and religion, East and West. It would be difficult to find one who has contributed more to stimulate the interdisciplinary studies of theology and literature. Yang Huilin, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies, Renmin University of China Spiritual values connect religion and literature as manifestations of what is at the core of our humanity, even though the forms of manifestation and the emphases in different cultures may differ from one to the other. Through a series of dialogues and exchanges, David Jasper and Ou Guang-an explore those spiritual values in this fascinating book, Literature and Religion, and offer us much to learn, contemplate, and celebrate. Zhang Longxi, author of Allegoresis: Reading Canonical Literature East and West

Author Information

David Jasper is Emeritus Professor of Literature and Theology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and was for many years a Chang Jiang Chair Professor at Renmin University of China, Beijing. Ou Guang-an is Professor of English Literature and Comparative Literature at the College of Foreign Languages, Shihezi University, China.

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