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Echoes Of Eden: Reflections On Christianity, Literature, And The Arts (2013)

by Jerram Barrs(Favorite Author)

4.02 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1433535971 (ISBN13: 9781433535970)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Crossway

review 1: A compelling invitation to consider how thoroughly and consistently the arts (in this case, with a focus on literature) resound with "echoes of Eden"--themes whose origin and foundation can be located in the unfolding redemptive work of God in history as recorded in the Bible. Barrs insightfully demonstrates that pure creation, tragic corruption, and future redemption are three primary "echoes" that predominate in so many "classic" works (those pieces of literature and art and music and myth and other domains that endure for reasons we do not always consciously understand) because they reveal to us something profound--something of mankind's true Story. In sampling the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, William Shakespeare, and Jane Austen, he urges us to em... morebrace the inexhaustible literary/artistic world from a robustly biblical perspective, striving to identify and appreciate those timeless redemptive themes which, embedded deep within the human soul, so frequently and richly characterize the work it produces. Indeed, we find that these very themes, quite apart from their value as literary or even Christian ideals, have a truly universal application, for they contribute to an illuminated understanding of what it is to be human.
review 2: "We turn now...to consider an issue that I think will help us understand the universal appeal of art: its echoes of the truth about the human condition," Barrs writes in Chapter 5. Later in the chapter he explains, "This fifth means of God's revelation of himself is the pool of memories within the human race of the truth about our condition: what I am calling here 'Echoes of Eden.' It seems that among every people on the face of the earth there is a recollection of the original good creation; there is an awareness that the world we now live in is broken and fallen, and there is recall of the promise and hope of the restoration of what is good."Art - good art - tells us the truth about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.Barrs goes on to examine works by of some of the most popular writers of all time, showing how these authors do just that. C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Shakespeare, Jane Austen - these are some of my favorite writers!Whether you are an artist (musician, painter, writer, etc.) or simply want to better appreciate the art created by others, this book provides practical guidance for better understanding, engaging with, and assessing the art we encounter in our daily lives. less

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