ApostleVia Dennis Taylor s Work The Need for Religious Literary Criticism
The Apostle Via Dennis Taylor’s Work “The Need for Religious Literary Criticism” Although Dennis Taylor’s work specifically addresses religious literature, his thoughts can be easily related to other forms of communication, for example film. The 1997 film The Apostle, starring Robert Duvall, can be analyzed using Taylor’s work as a guideline. When Taylor asks the question, “But we are unable to talk about the essential thing. ... ” he is stating the fact that it is nearly impossible for religion to be discussed without a common language for religion (Taylor 22). He also states, “I cannot imagine what such a language would look like in our culture” (Taylor 24). ... His southern drawl is sometimes hard to discern, which would probably lead Taylor to say, “There it is, the Southern Baptist language. ... ” (Taylor 10). Through this essay, I plan on giving a brief summary of the film and a brief summary of Taylor’s work with an analysis of both. I aim to discuss the film, The Apostle, and relate some of the hardships Duvall’s character goes through to some of the issues Taylor discusses in his work, “The Need for Religious Literary Criticism. ... Taylor describes Sonny unintentionally when describing a character in a Yeats’ poem, “But what is left over is a nagging question about the man, about the worth of his life as we see it, and as he sees it. There are questions of where he is going, what stages he arrives at, and what is his life’s meaning” (Taylor 5). ... A miracle (a radio changes stations unexpectedly) brings the movie to a conclusion; Sonny being led away from his new church by police for the murder of Jessie’s new lover.