How British Literature Affected Western Christianity

Brit Lit Final
Bobby Yang
Over the centuries, British writers and their respective literary works significantly impacted the Western Christian perspective. Beginning as early as the ninth century, you can find literary evidence of Christianity in vague monotheistic references in Beowulf that have led many scholars to believe it was of Christian authorship. These early writings show Christianity's influence upon the culture, but as centuries went by, the tides began to turn, and the culture would begin to sway the religion. Any search into this claim will uncover examples and methods innumerable and interwoven, but the most influential aspects seem to involve the role of morality plays, the political influences within Britain itself, and perhaps most strongly, the writings of England's three literary geniuses; Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Austin. It is therefore the intent of this paper to touch upon these influences and to get a glimpse at the importance of British Literature in the shaping of Western Christianity.
The Canterbury Tales was Chaucer's flagship work, and covered such a variety of subjects that one could veritably quote him on any topic. The first way that Chaucer affected religious views is in the very backdrop of his poem. The Tales take place amidst a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Chaucer has shown in his fictional piece that the pilgrimage is for all people, be they a humble housewife or a noble knight. Secondly, the stories and prologues are peppered with commentary about religious subjects of the day. Through the Pardoner's Tale, Chaucer expresses the hypocrisy of Catholic indulgences more than 170 years before Luther's 95 Theses was published. The list goes on, and so does Geoffrey Chaucer's impact upon the religion of this day.
In Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, there is as a well a Christian message hidden in this story, besides the obvious message about the transformative power of love. There is a Reverend Collins in this movie, who while not an upper class twit, is nonetheless a twit totally in the thrall of his patroness who has granted him his “living” a nice parsonage and a lovely parish church. He is indeed a kept man, and it reminds us of how Christian ministers can become captives to the social systems of their day, and find themselves running to the beck and call of the wealthy persons who make their “living” possible. It is not a flattery image that emerges of clergy completely co-opted by the larger social culture, but then this was not just a vice of 18th and 19th century clergy— we see it a plenty today, especially in the larger and mega-churches in North America. When sermons are seen as a means to ethically civilize and pacify the clientele so that society may remain as inequitable as it always was, then we see the extent to which the Gospel can become captive to the larger agendas of the culture, indeed can become the chief conveyor of those often anti-Christian values. As Pogo once said “I have seen the enemy, and he is us.”

Shakespeare was not one to take outright stance in his work, and his concerns for the future were possibly lacking. In fact, he did not even sustain his own manuscripts for later publication. But his work still influenced people's thoughts toward God, whether Shakespeare intended it or not. He makes Antonio, in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, is a “fake” in “Christian” lingo . In public, he condemns jews for usury, but when he needs money to lend to Bassanio he goes to jews to borrow money. Likewise, Shylock is also guilty of hypocrisy. When he see’s Antonio heading towards him, he mumbles to himself, “How like a fawning publican he looks. I hate him for he is a Christian.” He holds bitterness towards Antonio and makes the obscure suggestion of taking an equal pound of Antoino’s flesh if he doesn’t pay the borrowed amount on time. William Shakespeare created a perfect example of what were the Pharisees in biblical days.

The influence of literature on any culture is inevitable, and as shown, British Literature held profound sway on the development of beliefs in the Western European world and by extension, the Americas. While those listed are some of the most prevalent, they are by no means the extent of that influence.