Article
The Problem of Sacrifice in Mary Gordon’s Final Payments
Christianity and Literature
(2024)
Abstract
This article examines how Mary Gordon’s Final Payments (1978) represents
a transition in the portrayal of sacrifice in Catholic fiction from pre-1965 works by
Mauriac, Greene, and O’Connor to more contemporary ones. Further, when read in
dialogue with the concerns of prominent feminist theologians, the novel’s uniqueness
comes into sharper focus. Against this backdrop, Final Payments prefigures
more recent contemporary Catholic novels that also explore the theme of sacrifice,
but with even greater ambiguity. Final Payments thereby both responds to earlier
Catholic fiction as well as foreshadows the works of subsequent decades.
Keywords
- Mary Gordon,
- Catholic Novelists,
- Final Payments,
- Feminist Theology
Disciplines
Publication Date
March, 2024
Citation Information
Brent Little. "The Problem of Sacrifice in Mary Gordon’s Final Payments" Christianity and Literature Vol. 73 Iss. 1 (2024) p. 99 - 118 ISSN: 0148-3331 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/brent-little/24/