World literature exposes students to the great ideas that have shaped civilizations. But many of these ideas are directly opposed to biblical truth. This course develops the ability to:
Identify philosophical worldviews in literature
Critique them from a biblical perspective
Appreciate literary craftsmanship while rejecting false ideas
Articulate why Scripture offers better answers
1Philosophy Through Literature
Why Philosophy Matters
Literature as Philosophy
Great literature doesn't just tell stories - it embodies worldviews. Every author has assumptions about:
Metaphysics: What is real? Is there a God?
Epistemology: How do we know truth?
Ethics: What is right and wrong?
Anthropology: What is human nature?
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Messiah." - Colossians 2:8
Major Philosophical Movements in Literature
Philosophies You'll Encounter
Classicism: Order, reason, universal truth (Greek/Roman)
Realism/Naturalism: Material world is all there is
Existentialism: No inherent meaning; create your own
Nihilism: Nothing has meaning or value
Postmodernism: No objective truth; all is interpretation
The Biblical Alternative
Scripture answers what these philosophies cannot:
Reality includes both physical and spiritual realms
Truth is revealed by Yahuah in His Word
Morality is grounded in Yahuah's character
Humans are made in Yahuah's image, fallen, redeemable
Reflection
Why is it important to identify the philosophy behind a work of literature?
2Ancient Greek Literature
Homer - "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey"
c. 8th century BC
Foundation of Western literature. Explores honor, fate, the relationship between gods and men.
Greek Worldview
Polytheism: Many gods with human flaws
Fate (Moira): Even gods are subject to fate
Honor/Shame culture: Reputation is everything
Cyclical history: No ultimate purpose or direction
Greek Tragedy - Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex"
c. 429 BC
Man cannot escape fate. Even trying to avoid prophecy fulfills it. Raises questions: Is life just cruel fate? What about free will?
Problems with Greek Worldview
Gods are not morally worthy of worship
Fate removes meaning from choices
No redemption - tragedy is inevitable
No resurrection hope
Biblical Contrast
Unlike Greek fate, Yahuah is sovereign AND just. Unlike Greek gods, Yahuah is holy and worthy of worship. Unlike Greek tragedy, there is redemption and resurrection.
How does Jeremiah 29:11 differ from the Greek view of fate?
3Russian Literature
Fyodor Dostoevsky - "Crime and Punishment"
1866
Raskolnikov murders to prove he's a "superman" above morality. His psychological torment leads to confession and redemption through Sonia's faith.
Dostoevsky's Genius
Dostoevsky was a Christian who explored what happens when people reject God:
"If God does not exist, everything is permitted"
The psychological consequences of sin
Redemption through suffering and faith
The failure of purely rational morality
Dostoevsky - "The Brothers Karamazov"
1880
Three brothers represent faith (Alyosha), doubt (Ivan), and sensuality (Dmitri). The "Grand Inquisitor" chapter is crucial philosophical dialogue.
Leo Tolstoy - "War and Peace" or "Anna Karenina"
1869 / 1877
Epic scope exploring meaning, faith, society. Tolstoy later became a Christian moralist (though unorthodox).
Why Read Dostoevsky?
Dostoevsky demonstrates the psychological and spiritual truth of Christianity by showing what happens without it. He's one of the few major authors who takes Christian themes seriously.
How does "Crime and Punishment" illustrate Romans 6:23 ("The wages of sin is death")?
4Existentialist Literature
What Is Existentialism?
A philosophy claiming:
Existence precedes essence (you create your own meaning)
There is no inherent purpose to life
Freedom is absolute - and terrifying
Authenticity requires confronting absurdity
Albert Camus - "The Stranger"
1942
Meursault feels nothing - not at his mother's death, not after killing a man. The "absurd hero" who accepts meaninglessness.
Camus' Worldview
Life is absurd - there's no inherent meaning
We must accept this and live anyway
Authenticity means not pretending meaning exists
Society's values are arbitrary conventions
Jean-Paul Sartre - "No Exit"
1944
"Hell is other people." Three damned souls trapped together, torturing each other. No redemption, no escape.
Problems with Existentialism
Self-refuting: Claims "there's no meaning" as meaningful truth
Cannot ground ethics: Why not murder if nothing matters?
Leads to despair: Camus asked if suicide was the logical response
Ignores evidence for God: Dismisses possibility a priori
"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity... Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear Elohim, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." - Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12:13
Analysis
Ecclesiastes reaches a similar starting point ("all is vanity") but arrives at a different conclusion. Compare Solomon's answer to Camus' answer:
5Postmodern Literature
What Is Postmodernism?
Rejection of "grand narratives" (including Christianity)
No objective truth - only perspectives
"Your truth" and "my truth" - all equally valid
Language doesn't convey truth - it creates power structures
Deconstruction - tearing apart texts to expose "hidden meanings"
How Postmodernism Appears in Literature
Unreliable narrators - can't trust any voice
Fragmented structure - no coherent story
Irony and parody - mocking sincerity
Blurring fiction and reality
Challenging reader assumptions
Problems with Postmodernism
Self-refuting: Is the claim "there is no truth" true?
Unlivable: No one actually lives as if all truth is relative
Morally bankrupt: Cannot condemn real evil
Intellectually dishonest: Selectively applied
"Yahusha said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
The Christian Response
Christianity claims truth exists, is knowable, and is revealed in Yahusha. This is either true or false - it cannot be merely "true for you."
How would you respond to someone who says "That's just your truth"?
6Asian Literature
Chinese Classics
Confucius - The Analects: Ethics based on social harmony, hierarchy, virtue
Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching: Mystical naturalism, "the way"
Eastern Philosophy in Literature
Confucianism: Right relationships, duty, self-cultivation
Taoism: Harmony with nature, non-action, mysticism
Buddhism: Suffering, detachment, enlightenment
Hinduism: Karma, dharma, cycles of rebirth
Key Differences from Biblical Worldview
No personal Creator: Impersonal force or principle
Cyclical time: No ultimate direction or consummation
Self-salvation: Enlightenment through human effort
Karma vs. Grace: You get what you deserve vs. unmerited favor
Absorption vs. Resurrection: Losing self vs. glorified body
Japanese Literature
Shusaku Endo - "Silence": Christian novel about faith under persecution
Yukio Mishima: Beauty, death, samurai code
Comparison
Compare the Buddhist concept of escaping desire through detachment with the Christian concept of transformed desire through the Holy Spirit:
7African & Latin American Literature
Chinua Achebe - "Things Fall Apart"
Nigeria, 1958
Tragedy of Okonkwo and the collision of Igbo culture with Christianity and colonialism. Complex - both traditions are critiqued.
Questions to Consider
What was good about pre-colonial Igbo society? What was problematic?
How is Christianity portrayed? Fairly or unfairly?
Is the message anti-Christian or anti-colonialist (or both)?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - "One Hundred Years of Solitude"
Colombia, 1967
Magical realism. Generations of the Buendia family. Cyclical time, fate, solitude. Latin American identity.
Magical Realism
A literary style blending realistic narrative with supernatural elements presented as normal. Consider:
What worldview allows the supernatural and natural to blend?
How does this differ from biblical miracles?
Is it celebrating superstition or critiquing rationalism?
Analysis
How should Christians read post-colonial literature that critiques missionary activity? Can we acknowledge real abuses while maintaining the truth of the Gospel?
8Synthesis & Final Project
What We've Learned
Key Insights
Every work of literature embodies a worldview
Greek lit: fate and tragedy without redemption
Russian lit: Dostoevsky shows Christianity's psychological truth
Existentialism: honest despair without God
Postmodernism: denial of truth that is itself a truth claim
Eastern lit: impersonal universe, self-salvation
Post-colonial lit: valid critiques complicated by anti-Christian bias
Final Project Options
Philosophical Analysis Essay (5-7 pages): Analyze the philosophy of one work from the course. Identify assumptions, critique from Scripture, and evaluate.
Comparative Essay (5-7 pages): Compare two works from different cultures/philosophies. How do they answer the same questions differently?
Apologetic Response (5-7 pages): Write a response to one philosophy (existentialism, postmodernism, etc.) defending the Christian worldview.
Course Completion Checklist
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah." - 2 Corinthians 10:5
Final Reflection
What is the most important philosophical insight you gained from this course?
How will you approach literature differently going forward?
Why is it important for believers to engage with challenging ideas rather than avoid them?