Asking, answering – and sometimes sneakily evading – readers’ spiritual questions, literature offers many memorable men of the cloth
From whisky priests to reluctant exorcists, visionaries to hypocrites, literature is densely populated with a wide range of unfortunate clerics. Not for them the silent cloisters and deserted pews. They are forced into the spotlight by their authors, to be emotionally (and sometimes physically) tortured on their journey to salvation.
Even as children, we are introduced to the idea of churches and monasteries as a setting for our stories. Perhaps the rules and boundaries of school are softly reflected in their walls, or perhaps in either location the subtlety social dynamics lead to small victories feeling like great triumphs. As adults, our fictional preachers are sent out into the world, to ask and answer life’s most difficult questions on our behalf.
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