Overview

This volume works through deconstructing traditional models of the imago Dei in search of a more inclusive understanding of the doctrine, one that allows for literature to bring important questions to bear. Brief analyses of Karl Barth and Paul Tillich and then growing dissatisfaction with the two in various liberation theologies brings to light the problems of a perfected image of God. An exploration of four novels by Jean Rhys between 1928 and 1939 then follows the footsteps of Katie Cannon and others who include literature in their theological work. The Rhys novels follow tragic stories of women who are wounded both by others and by their own inability to see themselves as worthy. Through the questions these women ask about themselves and God, the reconstruction of the imago Dei is set up. This reconstruction centers trauma, wounds, and a non-contrastive transcendence that Kathryn Tanner defines. Ultimately it is not in how we are perfect, but rather through our risks, our wounds, and even our grief that we connect to God.

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Reviews

"""This is a vivid and challenging text that calls upon readers to re-examine and reconstruct the fundamental building blocks of theology through a powerful, poetic encounter with God's wounded image in the literature of Jean Rhys. This meeting with brokenness is both tragic and renewing; it demolishes old paradigms and unfolds to reveal the surprising form of a tender and transformative hope."" --Heather Walton, professor of theology and creative practice, University of Glasgow ""Kristine Whaley offers a nuanced, sensitive, and sophisticated account of a relational theology of the imago Dei that insists on taking account of, and remaining accountable to, the experiences of the most marginalized. Wounded Images draws together a wealth of material, from a wide-ranging analysis of twentieth- and twenty-first-century theology to a deep consideration of the methodology of theological engagements with literature, to detailed, original readings of the theological implications of Jean Rhys's literary works."" --Elizabeth Anderson, senior lecturer in English, University of Aberdeen ""This careful critique of the imago Dei focuses on the limitations of traditional hierarchical and oppressive imaginings of God as power. The theme of wounding and trauma is established as a personal and present concern, not an abstract notion that affects others outside of scholarly work. The call to tell, and listen to, stories from the margins and situations of trauma is compelling and makes this book of interest to a reader of theology as lived experience, as well as the academic working in the interdisciplinary field of marginal theologies and literature, and the work of Jean Rhys."" --Fiona Darroch, lecturer in religion, University of Stirling ""This book is deeply theological, beginning with Karl Barth and Paul Tillich followed by more contemporary feminist theologians, yet also rooted in the wounded female characters of Jean Rhys' fiction. It weaves complex strands of argument to suggest how God connects to us through the wounds. There are no easy solutions, but the end is not despair, rather a reminder that even the oppressed and broken are made in the image of God who is bound to us in love."" --David Jasper, professor emeritus of literature and theology, University of Glasgow"

Author Information

Kristine M. Whaley is faculty at St. Petersburg College, where she teaches both religion and humanities. Her interdisciplinary interests are primarily centered on Christian theology and literature, but often also stray into pop culture, mostly about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost.

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