The Secular Scripture: A Study of the Structure of Romance by Northrop Frye (Eng

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Frye finds in romantic narratives of Western tradition an imaginative universe stretching from an idyllic world to a demonic one, and a pattern of cyclical descent into and ascent out of the demonic realm. Romance thus forms an integrated vision of the world, a "secular scripture" whose hero is man, paralleling sacred scripture whose hero is God.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

Northrop Frye's thinking has had a pervasive impact on contemporary interpretations of our literary and cultural heritage. In his Anatomy of Criticism, a landmark in the history of modern critical theory, he demonstrated his genius for mapping out the realm of imaginative creation. In The Secular Scripture he turns again to the task of establishing a broad theoretical framework, bringing to bear his extraordinary command of the whole range of literature from antiquity to the present.Romance, a mode of literature trafficking in such plot elements as mistaken identity, shipwrecks, magic potions, the rescue of maidens in distress, has tended to be regarded as hardly deserving of serious consideration; critics praise other aspects of the Odyssey, The Faerie Queene, Shakespeare's last plays, and Scott's Waverley novels, for example, while forgiving the authors' indulgence in childishly romantic plots. Frye, however, discerns in the innumerable romantic narratives of the Western tradition an imaginative universe stretching from an idyllic world to a demonic one, and a pattern of action taking the form of a cyclical descent into and ascent out of the demonic realm. Romance as a whole is thus seen as forming an integrated vision of the world, a "secular scripture" whose hero is man, paralleling the sacred scripture whose hero is God.The clarity of Northrop Frye's perception, the scope and suggestiveness of his conceptualizing, the wit and grace of his style, have won him universal admiration.

Author Biography

Jean O'Grady is associate editor of the Collected Works of Northrop Frye at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. Alvin A. Lee is a professor emeritus in the Department of English at McMaster University, a research associate at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, and general editor of the Collected Works of Northrop Frye. The late Northrop Frye was a professor in the Department of English at Victoria College, University of Toronto.

Table of Contents

1. The Word and World of Man 2. The Context of Romance 3. Our Lady of Pain: Heroes and Heroines of Romance 4. The Bottomless Dream: Themes of Descent 5. Quis Hic Locus? Themes of Ascent 6. The Recovery of Myth Notes Index

Review

Northrop Frye's criticism is so richly textured, so dense with insight, and so wide-ranging in its references… The Secular Scripture is in fact the most sophisticated study of popular culture, considered on a world scale, that we have yet had. * The New Republic *His breadth of learning and his consistently penetrating insights lend engrossing substance to his thesis…provide the literary vehicle that enables what he calls 'the secular scripture' to encompass the spectrum of man's experience from idyllic to demonic. Frye literally weaves an enchanting prose tapestry out of this concept. * Publishers Weekly *

Review Quote

His breadth of learning and his consistently penetrating insights lend engrossing substance to his thesis...provide the literary vehicle that enables what he calls 'the secular scripture' to encompass the spectrum of man's experience from idyllic to demonic. Frye literally weaves an enchanting prose tapestry out of this concept.

Details ISBN0674796764 Author Northrop Frye Publisher Harvard University Press Language English ISBN-10 0674796764 ISBN-13 9780674796768 Media Book Format Paperback Imprint Harvard University Press Place of Publication Cambridge, Mass Country of Publication United States DEWEY 809.914 Pages 200 Series The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures Subtitle A Study of the Structure of Romance Residence -CN Birth 1912 Death 1991 Short Title SECULAR SCRIPTURE REV/E Edition Description Revised DOI 10.1604/9780674796768 UK Release Date 2004-07-19 AU Release Date 2004-07-19 NZ Release Date 2004-07-19 Audience Undergraduate Year 1978 Publication Date 1978-01-01 US Release Date 1978-01-01 We've got this

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