What is a “Catholic” novel? How does it relate to the intersection between literary theory and theology? What forms of dialogue can religious and secular critics enjoy? And what role can Graham Greene play in the discussion? This book analyses the fiction of Greene in a radically new manner by considering in depth its form and content, which rests on the oppositions between secularism and religion, Sampson challenges these distinctions by arguing that Greene has a dramatic contribution to add to their methodological premises, and, especially, the imaginative and interpretative statuses of lite ... More

What is a “Catholic” novel? How does it relate to the intersection between literary theory and theology? What forms of dialogue can religious and secular critics enjoy? And what role can Graham Greene play in the discussion? This book analyses the fiction of Greene in a radically new manner by considering in depth its form and content, which rests on the oppositions between secularism and religion, Sampson challenges these distinctions by arguing that Greene has a dramatic contribution to add to their methodological premises, and, especially, the imaginative and interpretative statuses of literature and Catholicism. Inclusive of Greene’s contribution are different critical and religious impulses that are present throughout the investigative tenors that his work invokes. Chapters on Greene’s four “Catholic” novels and two of his “post-Catholic” novels are complemented by a fresh and vital insight into the critical importance of his non-fiction. The study paints an image of an inviting yet beguilingly complex literary figure, and within new and significant perspectives on the growing importance of the theological aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar. Greene is shown to be central to groups who have until now been largely neglected in literary debate.