Hans Urs von Balthasar and the Question of Tragedy in the Novels of Thomas Hardy

Kevin Taylor (PhD, University of Cambridge) is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pfeiffer University, USA. He recently co-edited a collection of essays, Christian Theology and Tragedy: Theologians, Tragic Literature and Tragic Theory (Ashgate, 2011)

• Introduction 1. Balthasar and Tragedy 2. Balthasar's Limited Conception of Tragedy 3. Balthasar's Critique of the Novel and The Return of the Native 4. The Mayor of Casterbridge and Prosaic Reality 5. Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Its Narrator 6. Jude the Obscure and Ignoble Suffering 7. The Place of the Tragic Novel within Balthasar's Theology Conclusion Bibliography Index

Taylor demonstrates a remarkable command of Thomas Hardy's novels and they lead him to an accomplished engagement with some of the most important themes in 20th-century theology, focusing especially on one of its giants: Hans Urs von Balthasar. It is rare to find a theologian who combines critical theological intelligence with literary sensitivity in this way. Taylor's close readings of Hardy are often delicate and profoundly moving. His honest, inquiring and reflective mind perfectly suits the interdisciplinarity of his subject.