The Catholic Imagination

April 3, 2000
Readers familiar with Greeley's previous nonfiction works will find this extended essay a variation on a familiar theme. Greeley--a Catholic priest, sociologist and novelist who teaches at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona--posits that Catholicism creates an imaginative worldview that finds grace "lurking everywhere," from the city streets to the landscape to the bedroom. It is a worldview that pervades Greeley's many novels. Here, Greeley draws on art, literature, music and films produced by Catholics, ranging from the Baroque sculptures of Bernini to the contemporary fiction of James T. Farrell. He also draws on his own research to illustrate what he calls an "enchanted imagination," a sensibility Greeley attributes to Catholicism's emphasis on God's immanence, as opposed to Protestantism's focus on God's transcendence. This book's principles reiterate Greeley's previous books and articles on Catholic myth and imagination, including several that seem less hurriedly composed. Protestants may be put off by some of his comparisons (for example, "Catholics are more interested in the fine arts than Protestants" and "Catholics tend to picture society as supportive and not oppressive, while Protestants tend to picture society as oppressive and not supportive"). Imperfections aside, Greeley devotees may enjoy following him over this terrain again, possibly collecting references to artistic works for follow-up.

February 15, 2000
Greeley has written an "extended essay" in which he maintains that Catholics (both practicing and supposedly lapsed) have developed a religious imagination that inclines them to see the Holy lurking in all corners of creation. Greeley proposes that such religious imagination produces a sense of enchantment, which is reflected in high and not-so-high culture, in religious devotion, in community structures and relationships, and even in sexual enjoyment. This is not a new proposal for Greeley; he has been writing about it for the last dozen years or so. But this essay gives him the chance to pull many aspects together into a single coherent piece. Unfortunately, Greeley uses the book's format as an extended opinion piece to excuse himself from theological precision, and he continues his unsavory habit of resorting to jargon ("K ln" and "Dom" rather than "Cologne" and "Cathedral," for example) to dress up his argument. Recommended for larger libraries and for those where Greeley's name will assure good circulation.--David I. Fulton, Our Lady of Victories Church, Baptistown, NJ

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2000
Although more widely known for his best-selling novels, Greeley is a Catholic scholar and sociologist of depth and insight. In attempting to describe and analyze the unique, often mysterious culture of Catholicism, Greeley explains that the Catholic imagination is fueled by the presence of the divine in daily life. For Catholics all reality is sacramental, and even tactile objects are infused with grace, serving as concrete symbols of God's overwhelming love. Drawing parallels between Catholic high culture and Catholic popular culture, he finds evidence of the pervasive mysticism and enchanted imagination that infuse the collective Catholic soul in devotional practices embracing Mary, angels, souls in purgatory, statues, holy water, religious medals, rosary beads, and candles. According to Greeley, Catholics believe the proximity of God is essential, and each and every object, event, and person "discloses something about God and, in so doing, brings Him among us." A perceptive examination of the prominent role played by ritual, imagination, and spirituality in the everyday lives of both practicing and nonpracticing Catholics. ((Reviewed March 1, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)