…for inclusion on this site.
The question of what makes a novel or short story “Catholic” is a debatable one. There could be no such thing as an exhaustive, let alone definitive, definition of what constitutes “Catholic fiction.” Therefore we simply set down our own criteria for choosing the books we review here, and encourage readers to use these reviews (and the Reading List) as a resource.
In keeping with Bl. Flannery’s definition that Catholic fiction is “a Catholic mind looking at anything,” we have opted to err on the side of inclusivity, in large part in order to encourage discussion of the subject from a more literary rather than merely doctrinal point of view. We are interested in how writers, especially (but not exclusively) Catholic writers, deal with important themes in fictional works. We will therefore likely draw a larger circle than some would prefer.
With this in mind, the books reviewed on this site (or included on our Reading List) are either novels or collections of short stories, in any fictional genre, that meet one or more of the following (sometimes very subjective) criteria:
- Stories with overtly Catholic themes. Though our focus is on fiction in which the Catholic world view is treated in a manner consistent with Church teaching, we will also happily review works by writers like Mary Gordon and Andrew Greeley, who identify themselves as Catholics, but dissent from one or more Church teachings. Of course, we’ll also point out how this dissent is reflected in the work of fiction. We will also review works by non-Catholic and non-Christian authors, such as Franz Werfl and Mary Doria Russell, who write seriously on Catholic themes. On occasion we may even take the trouble to review an overtly anti-Catholic novel, by way of caveat emptor.
- Stories from Catholic and Christian authors, which, while not dealing overtly with Christian themes, nonetheles1) exhibit a sensibility or worldview informed by faith, 2) tell stories amenable to a Catholic reading, or 3) tell stories of special interest to Catholics. Obvious examples of works in this category would be J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Stories by or about non-Catholics, which deal with important themes of faith in serious terms. In this category we would include writers like Dostoevsky, whose passionately Christian but sometimes anti-Catholic views may come across as tiresome (or humorous) for the Catholic reader, but whose stories are notwithstanding valuable.
- And occasionally we’ll just have to throw in a great book or author (say, P.G. Wodehouse) for no other reason except that we think he/she shouldn’t be off anyone’s reading list.
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