This book considers the connection between the world of mental health in the twenty-first century and the traditional concept of desire in Christianity and the Arts. It draws parallels between the desire for rest from anxiety among mental health sufferers with the longing for peace and happiness in Religion and the Arts. The author presents Biblical, philosophical and theological insights alongside artistic ones, arguing that desire for rest remains at the heart of spiritual living as well as mental health recovery. The chapters draw from historical and contemporary voices, including Plato, Augustine of Hippo, Julian of Norwich, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Simone Weil, Samuel Beckett, Tennessee Williams, Jean-Louis Chrétien, Eric Varden and others. The study demonstrates why longing continues to fascinate and grip individuals, creative endeavour and society at large, not least in the development of the understanding of mental health. It is valuable for scholars and advanced students of Christian theology and those interested in spirituality and the arts in particular.
Author(s): David Torevell
Series: Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 240
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Note
References
Part I: Contours and Obstacles
1. Contours of Desire
Ontology and Disposition
Revelation
The Heart
Liturgy
References
2. Obstacles of Desire
The Limited Horizon of the Distracted and Autonomous Self
Authenticity
Divertissements
Waging a War
Note
References
Part II: Voices of Desire
3. Ancient Greek and Biblical Voices
Plato (428/9-347 BCE)
The Song of Songs: 'Driven by Nature'
The Wound of Love
Other Biblical Texts
References
4. Modern Voices
The Twentieth Century
Simone Weil (1909-1943)
Of Gravity and Grace
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)
Karl Rahner (1904-1984)
The Politics of Desire
The Twenty-First Century
Jean-Louis Chrétien (1952-2019)
Eric Varden (1974-)
Note
References
Part III: The Arts and Desire
5. Theoretical Frameworks
Kant (1724-1804) and Schopenhauer (1788-1860): Art and Desireless Desire
Heidegger (1889-1976): Desire for the Concealed
Tolstoy (1828-1910): The Desire to Share Feelings
Desmond (1951-): Art Beyond Self-Determination
References
6. Drama and Poetry: Samuel Beckett, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Tennessee Williams
Samuel Beckett
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)
Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)
Notes
References
7. Film and Painting: Xavier Beauvois and Masaccio
Xavier Beauvois
Masaccio's The Expulsion
Temptation, Desire and Shame: Self-Elevation Exposed
Notes
References
Conclusion
References
Bibliography
Index
