The Mimetic Search for Holiness
How Literature Sanctifies the Imagination
2020 Symposium Plenary Session Abstract by Jessica Hooten Wilson
AS HUMANS, we are mimetic creatures in need of models. Most of our ways of being and imagining ourselves in the world come from how we have seen others live—our parents, teachers, pastors, celebrities (and I’ll argue, protagonists in our favorite novels or films). As Christians, we have not lost our capacity to adore these heroes, but, as Protestants, we are uncomfortable venerating anyone unless it is an NFL Player, Rachel Hollis, or an Avenger. What I hope to show is the need for reading models who pursue holiness. I am taking a rather unorthodox approach to this search for holiness by seeking our models in fictional characters. However, I do so for at least three reasons: 1) we do not have to debate the status of holiness according to the factual or misrepresented versions of biographies; 2) through fiction, we are able to take on this person’s perspective, see through their eyes, experience their sinful thoughts as well as how God accomplishes good despite these weaknesses; 3) because our imagination is the first access point to our wills and to changing how we live in the world. Thus literature or counter-narratives to those offered by a secular culture become paramount for Christian living.
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