Author Archives: Jonathan Sircy

Covenantal Conference Papers

Today I presented at the 2021 Southeast Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature. It was great to see old friends and hear some in-progress work. I invariably started grouping the papers I heard into the categories of the covenantal model. You can find the summaries of ten papers below.

Work In Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 4

CONCLUSION Kurt Vonnegut claimed that the New Journalists like Thompson practiced “the literary equivalent of Cubism.” By exposing the twisted nature of reality, they confronted readers with “luminous aspects of beloved old truths.” Reading Thompson’s cubist quest alongside Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling underscores three truths that, while not necessarily beloved, are pertinent nonetheless. First, whetherContinue reading “Work In Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 4”

Work In Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 3

SECTION III: Out on Highway 61 This is the heart of Kierkegaard’s insight into the story of Abraham and Isaac: we must resign any path to God that first takes us through a universal system of ethics and reason. Instead, the individual must confront the absolute God of the Bible directly. Then the individual canContinue reading “Work In Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 3”

Work in Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 2

SECTION I: Twisted Reality The key stylistic features of Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling are: Its pseudonymous authorship, which opens up a gap between the author and the book’s argument Its dialectical interplay of narrative and analysis And, finally, its sense of humor. Kierkegaard satirizes staid Christianity and pretentious Hegelian philosophy in equal measures, and theContinue reading “Work in Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 2”

Work In Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 1

Here is the introduction to an in-progress paper about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In covenantal terms, it’s about ethics and sanctions. Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Hunter Thompson used the phrase “fear and loathing” for the first time in the wake of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. “There is no human being withinContinue reading “Work In Progress: Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas Part 1”

Hamlet: Theme

Over the past several posts, I have commented on the dimensions of ethics and law addressed in Hamlet. At the level of plot, the play is about whether or not a son should avenge his father. Hamlet’s decision has ramifications for society’s three institutions: family, church, and state. Hamlet feels bound to handle his father’s murderContinue reading “Hamlet: Theme”

Hamlet: Act 5 Commentary

I am investigating how Shakespeare represents the law and ethics in Hamlet. Here are eight observations from Act 5. The act opens with a legal dilemma: where should Ophelia be buried? This question represents the overlap of religious and common law. That is, the Bible won’t directly answer the question about where to bury Ophelia. YouContinue reading “Hamlet: Act 5 Commentary”

Hamlet: Act 4 Commentary

I am investigating how Shakespeare represents the law and ethics in Hamlet. Here are five observations from Act 4. Gertrude identifies Hamlet’s attack on Polonius as a “lawless fit.” If that’s the case, it’s instructive to see how the kingdom handles his case. Claudius reveals that he’s underhanded, even with the open and shut case ofContinue reading “Hamlet: Act 4 Commentary”