In this session, we look to certain non-Catholic authors who have many Catholic characters and themes. Most especially, we consider Henry James and Willa Cather.
Also, some lists of American authors and books are offered.
Listen online [here]!
---------------------------
Catholic Literature of the USA
The Catholic Influence on American Literature
Session 2, Catholic Themes in Non-Catholic American Authors
Don’t read good books, or else you won’t have time for the great books! (Fr Raymond Nyquist)
I. Course Outline
May 19th - Introduction, and the Importance of Great Literature
May 26th - Catholic Themes in Non-Catholic American authors: Henry James and Willa Cather
June 2nd - Popular Lapsed-Catholic American Authors: Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, and Cormac McCarthy
June 9th - Profoundly Catholic American Authors: Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, Walter Miller jr, “Michael Kent”
June 16th - Spiritual Writers of the USA: Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Walter Ciszek
II. Ways of approaching the classics and all good literature
A. Some classics that will help to appreciate all literature:
The Bible.
Familiarity with Homer, Greek and Roman mythology, and some of the Greek plays.
Aesop’s Fables and Grimm’s Fairy Tales must be read.
Know something of the classics of the Church Fathers and medieval theologians.
The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer and Don Quixote by Cervantes.
Shakespeare is a sine qua non. In particular, Hamlet, Macbeth, and others.
Truly great literature roots itself in the context of the western literary canon. A classic book will somehow build upon the themes of the classics that came before. Furthermore, a great book reminds us how much we have enjoyed the other great books, makes us want to return to the older classics, and leads us to look forward to the next great books on our list.
B. Read and listen to a course on the Divine Comedy.
C. Don’t be intimidated by the classics and don’t assume they will be boring.
D. Don't judge a book by it's cover, and also don't judge it by the first 100 pages.
E. When reading a classic, understand that the meaning or point of the story cannot be pared down to a simple phrase or even a paragraph. The meaning or point of a great book cannot be said in any simpler manner than it has been - it’s the whole book.
F. Reread the classics again and again! If a book is worth reading, it's worth rereading!
G. Use printed books or e-books or audiobooks; whatever is easiest for you.
H. Pay attention to the books that are universally recognized as the great books.
III. Non Catholic American Authors who often have Catholic characters or Catholic themes in their works
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1868). Though more focused on protestantism and especially puritanism, Hawthorne does include some Catholic characters or themes in some works. Most notably, The Marble Faun is set in Catholic Italy (specifically, in Rome) and is his most overtly Catholic themed work. This work explores sin and redemption, with much Catholic imagery. It is often considered Hawthorne's most complex and symbolically rich work - it is also somewhat controversial. He has a Protestant American character who struggles with Catholic spirituality, and many Catholic characters. This work is important for influencing Henry James, Edith Wharton and others, and also was influential on later works that are about American expatriates living in Europe.
Henry James (1843-1916). See below.
Willa Cather (1873-1947). See below.
William Faulkner (1897-1962). Though Faulkner mostly focused on Protestant life and thought, especially in the south (and hence, has few explicitly Catholic characters or themes); his novel A Fable is set in post World War I France and has many Catholic characters and themes. This is one of his only novels that is not set in Mississippi, and was written late in his career - it was fairly controversial and divided his fans because it is quite different from most of his other works. Although Faulkner does not have much explicit Catholicism in his works, he often resonates with Catholics - many say that he is Protestant on the surface but Catholic deep down (however, I doubt that he would appreciate that). “People to whom sin is just a matter of words, to them salvation is just words too.” (from As I Lay Dying) Faulkner was very influential on Flannery O’Connor, “The presence alone of Faulkner in our midst makes a great difference in what the writer can and cannot permit himself to do. Nobody wants his mule and wagon stalled on the same track the Dixie Limited is roaring down.”
Tennessee Williams (1911-1983). Not a Catholic, but used Catholic themes and characters in his works and plays. The Rose Tattoo is a tragic comedy that is set in a Sicilian-American community on the US Gulf Coast, hence many Catholic characters and themes. This work focuses on the experience of the immigrant to the USA, especially Italian Catholic immigrants. This play is not as depressing as A Street Car Named Desire.
John Updike (1932-2009). A devout protestant who as very interested in theology and explored the different ways that the Catholic Church approaches sin, redemption, grace, and sacramental symbolism. In Rabbit, Run and the other Rabbit Novels (set in suburban America), Updike sees sin as destructive and harmful - there are various Catholic priests or other figures (like Catholic neighbors), who are usually presented in a positive light. The novel The Coup is set in Africa and contains explicit reference to Catholic missionaries. Brazil is set in Brazil which is a Catholic country.
Saul Bellow (1915-2005) and Philip Roth (1933-2018) are two Jewish American writers who have some reflection on Catholic themes and Catholic life in their works.
Note a number of writers who are sometimes listed as non-Catholics, but who were actually Catholic (even if non-practicing): Cormac McCarthy, Toni Morrison, Don DeLillo, Joyce Carol Oates. Also: Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald
IV. Henry James
One of the greatest American novelists, known for his psychologically subtle fiction and his exploration of the contrast between American innocence and European sophistication. Born in New York City into an intellectually prominent family, he spent much of his adult life in Europe. His early novels often examine Americans encountering the older, more complex cultures of Europe.
James developed a highly refined literary style focused on consciousness, moral ambiguity, and social perception. His major works include The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove, and The Golden Bowl. He also wrote influential ghost stories such as The Turn of the Screw. He became a central figure in the development of the modern novel and Flannery O’Connor considered him one of her primary influences.
Many of Henry James’ works are set in Europe, usually with Americans interacting with Europeans and “Old World” culture. Especially when these European settings include Italy or France or Spain, there will be Catholic characters and culturally Catholic realities.
Probably his most famous novella, The Turn of the Screw, has the two malevolent ghosts as Catholic characters - this is not a negative reflection on Catholicism.
Also, The Golden Bowl, which is a study of marriage and adultery, has Catholics for all four of the principal characters.
Furthermore, The Wings of the Dove may have a Catholic in Milly Theale, who is often recognized as one of the most saintly and self-sacrificial characters not only in James’ writings but in all literature. While it is not entirely clear, there is some textual evidence that could suggest she is meant to be a Catholic - and she is that innocent “dove” of the novel.
V. Willa Cather
The writer of the American plains. “Anybody can love the mountains, but it takes a soul to love the prairie.” They say that the land is a character unto itself in her writings.
In My Antonia, the child looks out over the open prairie of Nebraska, “There was nothing but land; not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made.” Cather was not Catholic, but was raised Baptist and converted to Episcopalianism. A practicing Episcopalian, there is much suspicion that she may have been homosexual, living with another woman for many years - however, homosexuality was so taboo at the time, there is no explicit evidence to confirm this theory. Still, Cather admired much about the Church and was fascinated with Catholic missionaries, priests, etc.
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Cather wrote the novel after visiting New Mexico and hearing stories of early French missionaries who worked among Indigenous and Hispanic communities. Drawing from the real experiences of Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Father Joseph Machebeuf, she created the fictional characters Father Jean Marie Latour and Father Joseph Vaillant. The landscape—its mesas, arroyos, and mission ruins—forms both a physical and spiritual framework for the narrative. The novel tells the story of the missionary efforts in the American south, especially New Mexico; the establishment of the Diocese; and the building of the Cathedral in Santa Fe, which is still there today.
The book is told in episodic chapters which focus on the Archbishop (Bishop Latour, in the novel) and his priest friend (Father Vaillant), but also include stories of other priests and people (a wide variety, including natives, non-Catholics, priests, the poor, etc).
This is one of the great Catholic novels of American Literature, and it is astonishing that Willa Cather is able to capture especially the Catholic vision and the interior life of the Catholic priest so well.
My Antonia
The narrative follows Jim Burden, an orphaned boy from Virginia, who recounts his lifelong bond with Antonia Shimerda, the daughter of Bohemian immigrants settling in Nebraska. Through Jim’s reminiscences, the story traces Antonia’s struggles, endurance, and connection to the land, reflecting broader themes of identity, memory, and belonging in the American immigrant experience.
The Shimerda family are Bohemian immigrants, and Catholic. Though their Catholicism is usually in the back ground, when there is a suicide their Catholic concerns are brought forward very clearly. Most especially, there is concern about the fact that the priest wasn’t there to give last rites, nor is a Catholic funeral permitted - this is a devastating moment in the book.
Furthermore, Antonia’s family often clash with their Protestant neighbors over the expressions of faith - there is a very notable scene of Mr Shimerda praying in front of the Burden family’s Christmas tree on Christmas day; this highlights the differences of Catholic spirituality compared to Protestant, and in a very favorable way towards Catholics.
On Christmas morning, […] Grandfather came down, wearing a white shirt and his Sunday coat. Morning prayers were longer than usual. He read the chapters from Saint Matthew about the birth of Christ, and as we listened, it all seemed like something that had happened lately, and near at hand. In his prayer he thanked the Lord for the first Christmas, and for all that it had meant to the world ever since. He gave thanks for our food and comfort, and prayed for the poor and destitute in great cities, where the struggle for life was harder than it was here with us. Grandfather’s prayers were often very interesting. He had the gift of simple and moving expression. Because he talked so little, his words had a peculiar force; they were not worn dull from constant use. His prayers reflected what he was thinking about at the time, and it was chiefly through them that we got to know his feelings and his views about things. [...]
At about four o’clock a visitor appeared: Mr. Shimerda [...] As it grew dark, I asked whether I might light the Christmas tree before the lamp was brought. When the candle-ends sent up their conical yellow flames, all the coloured figures from Austria stood out clear and full of meaning against the green boughs. Mr. Shimerda rose, crossed himself, and quietly knelt down before the tree, his head sunk forward. His long body formed a letter ‘S.’ I saw grandmother look apprehensively at grandfather. He was rather narrow in religious matters, and sometimes spoke out and hurt people’s feelings. There had been nothing strange about the tree before, but now, with some one kneeling before it—images, candles... Grandfather merely put his finger-tips to his brow and bowed his venerable head, thus Protestantizing the atmosphere. [...] At nine o’clock Mr. Shimerda lighted one of our lanterns and put on his overcoat and fur collar. [...] He made the sign of the cross over me, put on his cap and went off in the dark. As we turned back to the sitting-room, grandfather looked at me searchingly. ‘The prayers of all good people are good,’ he said quietly.
[From Book I, Chapter 12]
Others: Shadows on the Rock, One of Ours, The Professor’s House
Of these, Shadows on the Rock would be the most explicit in treatment of Catholic life and thought and characters. This novel is set in the late 1600s in Quebec, and therefore contains many reference to Catholic feasts, rituals, saints, devotions, etc; and also has numerous Catholic characters. This work is later in her career but is something of a return to the more historical fiction of Death Comes for the Archbishop, because it is based on actual letters and correspondence from the period. The story follows Euclide Auclair, a widowed apothecary serving Quebec’s isolated French community, and his twelve-year-old daughter, Cécile. Over the course of a year, their household routines—supplying medicines, observing religious festivals, and caring for neighbors—mirror the colony’s struggle between old-world tradition and new-world hardship. Themes include spiritual continuity, cultural identity, and the quiet heroism of everyday life.