Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong
“Holistic Spirituality in the Fiction and Life of Gail Godwin: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong” focuses on the whole-life quality of the female spiritual journey, as revealed through two strongly realized female figures in Gail Godwin’s novels: Margaret Gower (Bonner),...
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| Language: | English |
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Laboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherches sur le Monde Anglophone (LERMA)
2011-03-01
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| Series: | E-REA |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/erea/1579 |
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| author | Elaine LUX |
| author_facet | Elaine LUX |
| author_sort | Elaine LUX |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | “Holistic Spirituality in the Fiction and Life of Gail Godwin: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong” focuses on the whole-life quality of the female spiritual journey, as revealed through two strongly realized female figures in Gail Godwin’s novels: Margaret Gower (Bonner), of Father Melancholy’s Daughter and Evensong, and Magda Danvers, of The Good Husband, and as revealed by Godwin’s remarks about herself in a 2009 personal interview with Elaine Lux and in other writings and interviews. The holistic quality of Godwin’s expressed spirituality, in her life and fiction, emanates from her emphasis on spirituality as quest and process, not mere outcome; from her focus on women’s spirituality as a type of heroic journey that includes personal growth, love, individualization, creativity, and psychological integration, as well as finding “the sacred kingdom within” (Heart, 83); and from her perception of Jesus in the context of other spiritual traditions and teachings. The article interweaves the fictional and real-life threads of these three women, exploring love and marriage in the context of spirituality, spiritual quest as a type of heroic journey, and biblical analogs for the female spiritual journey. Magda Danvers, an English professor who is herself a visionary and a prophet, is a larger than life figure, whereas Margaret Gower Bonner, a priest in an Episcopal church, is a more grounded and humble figure, one who gains her insights and visions more slowly and less dramatically. Godwin, the writer, is neither as outwardly magnetizing as Magda, nor as much a servant as Margaret, but the two characters are part of her, for she has imagined them and their spirituality. For all three women, love becomes intermingled with the spiritual quest motif, manifested in the here-and-now but pointing to a reality beyond. Marriage is thus a spiritual metaphor for the marriage of the soul with Christ and a Jungian symbol of the divided self that needs to synthesize its contraries even as it is a daily living out of mundane human existence. All three seek “enlightenment [. . .] through the development of an imaginative vision that can transform [them] as individuals and help bring about the enlightenment of others” (Heart, 83-84). Their lives, fictional and real, speak to us about the spiritual journey and about women and spirituality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-018c45457258461eb04f22db2b26976f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1638-1718 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-03-01 |
| publisher | Laboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherches sur le Monde Anglophone (LERMA) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | E-REA |
| spelling | doaj-art-018c45457258461eb04f22db2b26976f2025-01-09T12:54:00ZengLaboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherches sur le Monde Anglophone (LERMA)E-REA1638-17182011-03-018210.4000/erea.1579Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and EvensongElaine LUX “Holistic Spirituality in the Fiction and Life of Gail Godwin: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong” focuses on the whole-life quality of the female spiritual journey, as revealed through two strongly realized female figures in Gail Godwin’s novels: Margaret Gower (Bonner), of Father Melancholy’s Daughter and Evensong, and Magda Danvers, of The Good Husband, and as revealed by Godwin’s remarks about herself in a 2009 personal interview with Elaine Lux and in other writings and interviews. The holistic quality of Godwin’s expressed spirituality, in her life and fiction, emanates from her emphasis on spirituality as quest and process, not mere outcome; from her focus on women’s spirituality as a type of heroic journey that includes personal growth, love, individualization, creativity, and psychological integration, as well as finding “the sacred kingdom within” (Heart, 83); and from her perception of Jesus in the context of other spiritual traditions and teachings. The article interweaves the fictional and real-life threads of these three women, exploring love and marriage in the context of spirituality, spiritual quest as a type of heroic journey, and biblical analogs for the female spiritual journey. Magda Danvers, an English professor who is herself a visionary and a prophet, is a larger than life figure, whereas Margaret Gower Bonner, a priest in an Episcopal church, is a more grounded and humble figure, one who gains her insights and visions more slowly and less dramatically. Godwin, the writer, is neither as outwardly magnetizing as Magda, nor as much a servant as Margaret, but the two characters are part of her, for she has imagined them and their spirituality. For all three women, love becomes intermingled with the spiritual quest motif, manifested in the here-and-now but pointing to a reality beyond. Marriage is thus a spiritual metaphor for the marriage of the soul with Christ and a Jungian symbol of the divided self that needs to synthesize its contraries even as it is a daily living out of mundane human existence. All three seek “enlightenment [. . .] through the development of an imaginative vision that can transform [them] as individuals and help bring about the enlightenment of others” (Heart, 83-84). Their lives, fictional and real, speak to us about the spiritual journey and about women and spirituality.https://journals.openedition.org/erea/1579biblical type scenesEvensongFather Melancholy’s DaughterFeminismChristianityGail Godwin |
| spellingShingle | Elaine LUX Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong E-REA biblical type scenes Evensong Father Melancholy’s Daughter Feminism Christianity Gail Godwin |
| title | Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong |
| title_full | Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong |
| title_fullStr | Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong |
| title_full_unstemmed | Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong |
| title_short | Holistic Spirituality in Gail Godwin’s Life and Fiction: Father Melancholy’s Daughter, The Good Husband, and Evensong |
| title_sort | holistic spirituality in gail godwin s life and fiction father melancholy s daughter the good husband and evensong |
| topic | biblical type scenes Evensong Father Melancholy’s Daughter Feminism Christianity Gail Godwin |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/erea/1579 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elainelux holisticspiritualityingailgodwinslifeandfictionfathermelancholysdaughterthegoodhusbandandevensong |