Karen Swallow Prior

Reading great literature well has the power to cultivate virtue. Great literature increases knowledge of and desire for the good life by showing readers what virtue looks like and where vice leads. It is not just what one reads but how one reads that cultivates virtue. Reading good literature well requires one to practice numerous virtues, such as patience, diligence, and prudence. And learning to judge wisely a character in a book, in turn, forms the reader's own character. Acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life. In reintroducing ancient virtues that are as relevant and essential today as ever, Prior draws on the best classical and Christian thinkers, including Aristotle, Aquinas, and Augustine. Covering authors from Henry Fielding to Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen to George Saunders, and Flannery O'Connor to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Prior explores some of the most compelling universal themes found in the pages of classic books, helping readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounters with great writing. In examining works by these authors and more, Prior shows why virtues such as prudence, temperance, humility, and patience are still necessary for human flourishing and civil society. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection questions geared toward book club discussions, features original artwork throughout, and includes a foreword from Leland Ryken.

Finding the Good Life through Great Books

On Reading Well

"Ever wished you'd had a teacher who made you want to read the classics? Your wish has come true in this beautifully-told book. Karen Swallow Prior movingly and honestly tells a compelling story of self-discovery and coming to faith through some of the greatest books ever written"--P.4 of cover.

Literature in the Soul of Me

Booked

With a foreword by Eric Metaxas,best-selling author of Bonhoeffer and Amazing Grace. The enthralling biography of the womanwriter who helped end the slave trade, changed Britain's upper classes, andtaught a nation how to read. Thehistory-changing reforms of Hannah More affected every level of 18th-CenturyBritish society through her keen intellect, literary achievements,collaborative spirit, strong Christian principles, and colorful personality. Awoman without connections or status, More took the world of British letters bystorm when she arrived in London from Bristol, becoming a best-selling authorand acclaimed playwright and quickly befriending the author Samuel Johnson, thepolitician Horace Walpole, and the actor David Garrick. Yet she was also aleader in the Evangelical movement, using her cultural position and her pen tosupport the growth of education for the poor, the reform of morals and manners,and the abolition of Britain's slave trade. Fierce Convictions weaves together world and personal history into astirring story of life that intersected with Wesley and Whitefield's GreatAwakening, the rise and influence of Evangelicalism, and convulsive effects ofthe French Revolution. A woman of exceptional intellectual gifts and literarytalent, Hannah More was above all a person whose faith compelled her both to engageher culture and to transform it.

The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More--Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist

Fierce Convictions

Charlotte Brontë

Frankenstein. Jane Eyre. You're familiar with these pillars of classic literature. You have seen plenty of Frankenstein costumes, watched the film adaptations, and may even be able to rattle off a few quotes, but do you really know how to read these books? Do you know anything about the authors who wrote them, and what the authors were trying to teach readers through their stories? Do you know how to read them as a Christian? Continuing this beautifully designed series, bestselling author, literature professor, and avid reader Karen Swallow Prior will guide you through a selection of classics. She will not only navigate you through the pitfalls that trap readers today, but show you how to read them in light of the gospel, and to the glory of God.

A Guide to Reading and Reflecting

Jane Eyre

Mary Shelley

Frankenstein

How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis

Evangelical Imagination

Jake Meador

Life Together at the End of the World

What Are Christians For?

Thomas Hardy

The next clothbound classic in bestselling literary scholar Karen Swallow Prior's series reflecting on the full original text through a Christian and literary worldview.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Scarlet Letter

Some people are lucky enough to get paid to do what they love. But many are not. What if your vocation doesn't align with your passion? In You Have a Calling, award-winning author Karen Swallow Prior has encouraging news: If we pursue the good, true, and beautiful in all our work, we will find our greatest fulfillment. In an age when passion and calling are often confused, Prior helps readers understand that passions come from within and calling, or our vocation, comes from without and is about being called by others to serve. That crucial distinction can help us understand how God can use both our passions and our work, even if for different purposes. This book will appeal to everyone who wants to know that their daily work, ordinary though it may be, can fulfill a higher calling to God. Readers will emerge with a renewed sense of purpose, knowing they are created for virtue in all they do because they are created in the image of God.

Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful

You Have a Calling

With a foreword by Eric Metaxas, best-selling author of Bonhoeffer and Amazing Grace. The enthralling biography of the woman writer who helped end the slave trade, changed Britain’s upper classes, and taught a nation how to read. The history-changing reforms of Hannah More affected every level of 18th-Century British society through her keen intellect, literary achievements, collaborative spirit, strong Christian principles, and colorful personality. A woman without connections or status, More took the world of British letters by storm when she arrived in London from Bristol, becoming a best-selling author and acclaimed playwright and quickly befriending the author Samuel Johnson, the politician Horace Walpole, and the actor David Garrick. Yet she was also a leader in the Evangelical movement, using her cultural position and her pen to support the growth of education for the poor, the reform of morals and manners, and the abolition of Britain’s slave trade. Fierce Convictions weaves together world and personal history into a stirring story of life that intersected with Wesley and Whitefield’s Great Awakening, the rise and influence of Evangelicalism, and convulsive effects of the French Revolution. A woman of exceptional intellectual gifts and literary talent, Hannah More was above all a person whose faith compelled her both to engage her culture and to transform it.

The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More? Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist

Jane Eyre. Frankenstein. Tess of the d'Urbervilles. You’re familiar with these pillars of classic literature. You have seen plenty of Frankenstein costumes, watched the film adaptations, and may even be able to rattle off a few quotes, but do you really know how to read these books? Do you know anything about the authors who wrote them, and what the authors were trying to teach readers through their stories? Do you know how to read them as a Christian? Taking into account your old worldview, as well as that of the author? In this beautiful cloth-over-board edition bestselling author, literature professor, and avid reader Karen Swallow Prior will guide you through Tess of the d'Urbervilles. She will not only navigate you through the pitfalls that trap readers today, but show you how to read it in light of the gospel, and to the glory of God. This edition includes a thorough introduction to the author, context, and overview of the work (without any spoilers for first-time readers), the full original text, as well as footnotes and reflection questions throughout to help the reader attain a fuller grasp of Tess of the d'Urbervilles. The full series currently includes: Heart of Darkness, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, The Scarlet Letter, and Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Joshua D. Chatraw

How should Christians approach important contemporary issues like war, race, creation care, gender, and politics? Christians in every culture are confronted with social trends and moral questions that can be difficult to navigate. But, the Bible often doesn't speak directly to such issues. Even when it does, it can be confusing to know how best to apply the biblical teaching. In Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues authors Joshua D. Chatraw and Karen Swallow Prior first offer a broadly accessible framework for cultural engagement and then explore specific hot topics in current Western culture including: Sexuality Gender Roles Human Life and Reproduction Technology Immigration and Race Creation and Creature Care Politics Work Arts War, Weapons, and Capital Punishment Featuring contributions from over forty top Christian thinkers, proponents of various Christian views on the specific topics present their approaches in their own words, providing readers an opportunity to fairly consider options. Unique in how it addresses both big-picture questions about cultural engagement and pressing current issues, Cultural Engagement provides a thorough and broad introduction useful for students, professors, pastors, college ministers, and any believer wanting to more effectively exercise their faith in the public square.

Karen Swallow Prior

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