The Maternal Image of God in Victorian Literature: Divine Mother Nature

The book explores a religious metaphor of God as a mother in British and US literature from 1850–1915, revealing a tradition of writers who reworked their inherited faith to create a new symbol that met their religious needs. It symbolizes compassion, universal salvation, and social reform, giving authority to women's voices and feminine cultural values in the public sphere.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 10 July 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into the profound exploration of a religious metaphor: the notion of God as a mother in British and American literature from 1850 to 1915. It unveils a rich tradition of writers who sought to redefine the traditional masculine deity by embracing the concept of divine motherhood. Elizabeth Gaskell, Josephine Butler, George Macdonald, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, among others, independently reimagined their inherited faith, drawing upon ideal Victorian notions of motherhood and "Mother Nature." Divine motherhood became a symbol of compassion, universal salvation, and a gospel of social reform, led primarily by women, aimed at establishing harmonious communities. This theological concept intertwined with Victorian feminism, granting women authority and elevating "feminine cultural values" in the public sphere. It also represented divine immanence within the world, fostering an ecological ethic that emphasized human-animal fellowship. Furthermore, this book extends its analysis to include writers such as Charlotte Brontë, Anna Jameson, Charles Kingsley, Elizabeth Charles, Theodore Parker, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mary Baker Eddy, and authors of literary utopias, shedding light on the extensive presence of maternal theology in Victorian thought. By exploring its cultural roots, the book unveils a novel perspective on how Victorian writers creatively navigated between religious tradition and modernity, contributing to the rich tapestry of Victorian literature and thought.

Weight: 580g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367473631