American Exceptionalism as Religion

American Exceptionalism as Religion Postmodern Discontent - Literature, Religion, and Postsecular Studies

Paperback (30 Nov 2022)

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Publisher's Synopsis

Jordan Carson's American Exceptionalism as Religion looks at how American nationalist ideologies intersect with religious ones in contemporary literature. Carson traces out how an exceptionalist belief system began to emerge historically with a distorted picture of religious commitment. He then connects this trend to writers such as Don DeLillo, Ana Castillo, Thomas Pynchon, George Saunders, and Marilynne Robinson to argue that these authors dismantle the privatization of religion in their writing and then offer their own alternatives. Their work, he argues, redefines religion in terms of practice and discipline, gauging it by its power to ground and guide behavior, morality, and sociality.
 
As American exceptionalism resurfaces in public discourse, Carson's timely work invites readers to reconsider the nexus of religion, politics, and culture. Carson argues that defining religion according to secularist criteria has insulated ostensibly secular ideologies as well as traditional religion from public scrutiny. DeLillo's, Castillo's, Pynchon's, Saunders's, and Robinson's redefinitions of religion result in a better grasp of how individuals actually live out their religious lives. More importantly, these authors help erect a framework for constructively engaging American exceptionalism and the ideas that support it.
 

Book information

ISBN: 9780814255940
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Imprint: The Ohio State University Press
Pub date:
DEWEY: 810.9382
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 234
Weight: 356g
Height: 152mm
Width: 255mm
Spine width: 17mm