Literature and Religion

Overview

Tailored Resources

by field, religion, and continent

Click on underlined links.

Journals

Christianity and Literature

Founded in 1950 and published by Johns Hopkins University Press, Christianity and Literature includes scholarly articles, book reviews, and original poetry. Cir. 1500.

Founded in the 1970s and housed at the University of Notre Dame, Religion & Literature explores the relations between the religious impulse and the literary forms of any era, place, or language. Cir. 500.

Literature and Belief

Founded in 1980, Literature and Belief addresses literature, critical theory, cultural dynamics, and faith. Cir. 400.

More Journals

Literature and Theology

Founded in 1986, Literature and Theology: An International Journal of Religion, Theory, and Culture is published quarterly by Oxford University Press. It offers a critical non-confessional forum for the exploration of questions pertinent to literary study and theology, broadly understood.

Religion and Literature Collection

A curated collection of articles drawn from Oxford University Press journals such as the Journal of Islamic Studies, the Journal of Hindu Studies, the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and Modern Judaism.

Journal for the Study of Christian Culture

Founded in 1999, this journal focuses on literary studies and is published in both Chinese and English by Renmin University of China Press. Cir. 500.

Societies

The American Religion and Literature Society

Founded in 1997, ARLS meets annually at the American Literature Association convention and focuses on U.S. religion and literature.

International Society for Religion, Literature, and Culture

Begun in 1980 but formalized in 2000, ISRLC is based in the United Kingdom and has close ties to the journal Literature and Theology. It holds conferences and connects to related groups in Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa, and North America.

Christianity and Literature Study Group

Founded in 1988, CLSG is a Canadian scholarly organization that holds an annual conference.

More Organizations

Societies in England, Germany, Korea, Norway, Scotland, the United States, and other nations.

The Conference on Christianity and Literature

Established in 1956, CCL sponsors sessions at the Modern Language Association Convention (U.S.), organizes conferences, presents annual awards, and publishes the journal Christianity and Literature.

The MLA Forum on Religion and Literature

Begun in 1974 and renamed in 1997, this forum sponsors panels at the annual convention of the Modern Language Association (U.S.), with proposals for papers and panels open to MLA members.

Scholars of Literature and Religion (SOLAR) Network

Housed with the Rivendell Center for Theology and the Arts at Yale University, the SOLAR network aims to connect rising post-graduate students with scholars and to foster collaboration between scholars.

Theory

Literary Theory

Contemporary theorists addressing religion.

Frameworks and Methodologies

Ways of conceptualizing religion and literature. Methodologies for the reading of religion and literature. Theory of the intellectual study of religion. Drawn from literary studies, anthropology, history, psychology, religious studies, and sociology.

Theology

Theologies of language, narrative, poetics, hermeneutics, and related subjects.

Readings

Field Overview:

Short Reading List

Essential reading on the classic concerns and recent trends of the field.

Full Bibliography

Extended reading in categories such as Journal Special Issues; Literary Theory; Poetics; Post-Secular Theory; the Bible; the Qur’an; Religious Ways of Reading; Theology and Literature

Knight, Mark, ed. The Routledge Companion to Literature and Religion. Routledge, 2016.