Overview
Journals
Societies
Theory
Histories
Bibliography
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.
Religion & Literature
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.
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.
Research Aids
ATLA
Premier collection of databases, abstracts, digital historical archives, library guides, “Websites on Religion” project, and other resources.
The ARDA
Empirical data on religion and religious organizations.
Sacred Texts and Lexica
The Bible, Chinese Sacred Texts, Jewish Sacred Texts, The Qur’an, The Sutras, The Vedas
Digital Libraries
Dead Sea Scrolls; Patrologia Latina; Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene texts; medieval female mystics, Catholic Reformation, Classic Protestant texts, Puritan sermons, twentieth-century theology; sources on Islam.
Tailored Resources
in development
by literary field
American Literature
A bibliography prepared by the American Religion and Literature Society (ARLS)
African American
Asian American
Childhood Studies
Ecocriticism
Graphic Novels
Hispanic and Latinx (U.S.)
Postcolonial Studies
Science Fiction
Shakespeare
Victorian
Religions
in development
Histories
Brief History of the Field
Longer History:
Ziolkowski, Eric. Religion and Literature: History and Method. Leiden: Brill, 2020.
Current Series
Baylor University Press
Studies in Christianity and Literature
Bloomsbury Academic
New Directions in Religion and Literature
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury Studies in Popular Fiction and Religious Dynamics
Brill
Studies in Religion and the Arts
Fordham University Press
Studies in Religion and Literature
Ohio State University Press
Literature, Religion, and Postsecular Studies
Palgrave Macmillan (Springer)
Studies in Literature and Religion
Springer: J.B.Metzler
Studies in Literature and Religion
University of Notre Dame Press
Grants
The American Academy of Religion
Christianity and Literature Travel Grant
Networking Grant for CCCU Christian Scholars
University of Victoria Centre for Studies in Religion and Society
The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion
Women’s Studies in Religion Program (Harvard Divinity School)
Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in the Arts, Humanities, and Culture
The Harvey Fellows Program (for graduate studies)
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Graduate Programs
University of Virginia (Religious Studies)
Advice for Prospective Students
Prepared by the SOLAR Network (Scholars of Literature and Religion)