How to Read Great Literature as Scripture (My 7-Stage Approach)

[@judan1998]

Love this. Being an Anglican priest myself I’ve given a Bible 101 class to a few high school English classes because without any familiarity with the biblical stories it’s sometimes difficult to fully grasp a lot of classic literature. We often hear of reading scripture as literature, but I love this idea of reading literature scripturally.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Daniel. When I was teaching English, I had to do the same thing. I realised that I couldn't assume that students would have huge amounts of biblical knowledge. My Roman Catholic upbringing resulted in a deep familiarity with much of the Bible, but it does seem like this is less of a norm these days. As you say, without that foundational familiarity with the Bible, so much of classic literature is beyond our grasps. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Melville all leap immediately to mind - a deep-reading of the Bible pays dividends in being able to appreciate them. Thanks for the great comment :)

[@johnmanole4779]

​@@BenjaminMcEvoy will you make a dedicated video talking about your critical lenses?

[@jonigreenwell1778]

Wonderful , thought provoking offering. Thank you for the outline. At 63 - I'm going through a Shakespeare course. I find I return to King Lear. An 80 year old man begging for meaning, and I think about my mom - an 82 year old woman still building her estate and...begging for meaning. It's your stage 3, setting "your" intention that resonated with me and how I am looking at, and what I am gaining from the literature I am choosing. Well done Benjamin. Very well done.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Joni :) I really appreciate that, and I thoroughly applaud you're going through Shakespeare! King Lear is the play I also most frequently return to. I find a terrifying warning running through that play, a warning not to leap over wisdom as one ages. I feel as though we can learn so much about inter-generational relationships from this one tragedy alone. I don't think a year will ever go by where I don't enjoy a deep rereading!

[@lovelyscarlett2936]

I read classics to my children daily, and this method of being more deliberate is beautiful, we read a chapter or so and then discuss a few minutes comparing/ contrasting with our own lives, but I never thought to look further into the words and why the author chose them and I’ve never looked at it as scripture, but I see that I often use the text as teaching moments for my kiddos. I think I will follow this guideline next for Moby Dick with them. Thanks so much!❤️❤️❤️

[@adeelali8417]

Which books might I ask?

[@KyleMaxwell]

This is a large part of why I have resumed literary studies as a middle aged man, part of my own reconstruction of a faith that works for me as a person.

[@jukerdanz]

This is fascinating! I undertook this process (without thinking of it as treating the text like scripture) with the story of Herakles. I was driven by the need to do something about my insomnia and found that recalling the Greek myths in the dark tended to send me off to sleep. Over time I became more and more deeply interested in Herakles in particular and increasingly with the labours. I have journaled about the text, read it slowly, read around it and have thought a lot about what his life meant and how Herakles accepted the lot that was given to him and continued to live his life as well as he could. I have been engaged in this practice with the story of Herakles for years and feel that there is still much to explore. Thank you for work.

[@oakus8503]

Really nicely said. You are criminally under appreciated. Thank you for all you do!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so kind of you :) Thank you, my friend!

[@thomaslowry7079]

I absolutely love your idea of a scriptural approach to reading! Your presentation was so inspiring that I plan to adopt it immediately! At the moment, I am re-reading the novels of Thomas Hardy. I loved Oscar Wilde's idea that to write literary criticism is the highest form of autobiography! In my experience, this is true! I just finished writing a book of movie criticism and, indeed, it turned out to be highly autobiographical! Over the course of a lifetime of reading and writing, I have found my goals changing from trying to become a better person to simply appreciating the beauty in the books I am reading. You are so, so right that it is crucial to pay attention to why we do what we do! At the very least, that is an excellent place to start! I adored your phrase "reflection is connection." Again, in my experience, this is absolutely true. Reading the great books helps us connect with others. It also helps others connect with us. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this brilliant piece of work!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Thomas :) I'm thrilled to hear you're enjoying Thomas Hardy. He's one of my favourite authors. Every year, I like to take a couple of weeks to reread through a stack of his works. I always look forward to it, even if I end up feeling rather depressed by the end of Tess and Jude. Thank you for sharing your experience as a reader - it sounds like you have truly connected with what Harold Bloom called the Reader's Sublime!

[@shaanparwani]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I am glad to know about your scripture in literature. i was wanting to know if u would do one of children's classics for example recommend to your future children.

[@chasitydeanna4861]

This is the perfect inspiration for getting back to reading the Bible. Your lectures are inspiring and refreshing! Thank you 🙏

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Chasity :)

[@Ajk47-k3n]

I actually have a similar approach for this, I have gotten into the habit every night reading a ghazal from the diwan (anthology ) of a classical Urdu poet Ghalib pondering its various interpretations and then reading the Quran . Ghalib is a great poet and resembles Shakespeare in that you can find every human emotion expressed in it's most eloquent form in his poetry , reading the Quran afterwards allows one overtime to see how he engaged with the religious tradition . I think a lot of non religious people miss out on having a source of wisdom to continually seek from and I think your idea is an excellent antidote toward that . Once again a very well done video

[@ethanr6394]

Fantastic video! I have decided to take this approach with Proust. French is my native language but I have only studied literature in English at school, so my connection to literature in French is something I want to rekindle. I started reading Swann's Way last week and I already see myself living with it and thinking and reflecting on it at various points in my day. I've also decided to take a similar approach to Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal as my first dive into poetry. The only difference is that I have been coming to it only when it speaks to me and I have found it quite freeing. I have found Les Fleurs du mal to be the most vivid reading experience I've had to date!

[@EmilynWood]

The Brothers Karamazov has striking biblical symbolism throughout it and it makes me ecstatic to recognize it in unexpected places. When Ivan is standing in/by a wheat field in the middle of the book. I think it's pointing back to the scripture at the very beginning of the book about the seed dying and finding new life, and other passages about harvest and reaping and sowing. It struck me deeply, and yet I haven't completely unpacked it yet on a conscious level.

[@bradeggerton]

If I could make a recommendation for those wanting to read the Bible: get a "Reader's Bible". It doesn't have any verse or chapter numbers and I find it reads so much more fluidly. I bought the nice six volume ESV set and it not only looks great on my shelf, but reads beautifully.

[@wburris2007]

Next I am going to read Dante The Divine Comedy. My plan is to use a spiral approach to my reading of literature. I have listened to a few episodes of The Literature and History podcast for my first pass at Homer and the Bible. Next I am doing the WESTERN CORE SERIES from a Leaf by Leaf video. For my next approach to the Bible, I will read the sections mentioned by Steve Donoghue in his Western Canon Starter Kit videos. The main reason for using the Leaf by Leaf list, is that 15 works seems doable. With other list that I have looked at, I might end up spending the rest of my life in ancient Greece. By reading Dante in small chunks I can get started now instead of waiting until I finish what I am currently reading. 100 Cantos in 482 pages. I will see how 1 Canto per day works out.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you for sharing this treasure trove of things to explore, Bill. I'll check out what you've mentioned here :) I'd love to hear how you get on with Dante!

[@touchofsound]

I love the Commedia - and I came to Dante through Dorothy Sayers (my favourite crime fiction writer)! I read her translation (and others) and her wonderful and fun lectures about Dante.

[@shabirmagami146]

Great video ...brilliant talk ...thank you for this 💕

[@alexhindes3861]

Thank you for your work Benjamin.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Alex :)

[@SammyJ96]

Wow.., 2:07 not only are you educated,but you are wise. I'm so delighted ,so grateful to have stumbled upon your channel. I find myself watching your videos before I bet out of bed. So unlike me. Because I like to pray before I do anything else in the morning.

[@susprime7018]

Yes, William Blake is difficult with his visions. I need to read the second volume of Clarissa but I am taking a rest after volume one, but it has the promise of more action, the wrong and escape. Recently finished the contemporary The Bass Rock, which is dark and difficult at times. I agree, the liturgy and a sermon by a good speaker is comforting and leads to introspection.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Oh, absolutely. I find having a book of his illuminations/engravings open whilst reading Blake helps a lot! And great to hear you're making headway with Clarissa :)

[@maleem4421]

I just love your content! I do the same with great literature and I do find it to be akin to a spiritual experience. I love your 7-stage approach.

[@LostHorizon_]

I meditate on the gospels with the Lectio Divina method (Literally divine reading) using the brilliant app Hallow. Even if you are a non-believer, I would suggest trying this technique out with passages of literature or poetry. It's also great with meditating on the Psalms. You will uncover a deeper understanding of the text and find how it applies to your own life.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Very nice recommendation, Christian. Thank you so much :)

[@patmac9820]

Ah! So it's not just me! I, too, am familiar with Lectio Divino, and it's what first jumped into my mind in the first 5 minutes of this video. It's very much about exploring how a text speaks to you. As for literary applications of it, while driving to the lake, I many times shared with my young daughter a podcast on reading Harry Potter with Lectio Divino, which both of us found really interesting and revealing---and also great fun to share! (I can't recall the exact name of it right now, but a search of podcasts would probably bring it up). Personally, however, I've done more Ignatian contemplation (as per Spiritual Exercises), because the visual and visceral almost-theatrical immersion of it is so natural to my visual tendencies. I recognized it instantly as a version of the second type of visualisations at 20:00! A lot of the best literature I've read has scenes that return to me over and over, replaying (and expanding) for me in this mindfully detailed way.

[@doctor1alex]

I’ve been really enjoying your videos recently, thank you!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm thrilled to hear that :) Thank you for watching, Alex!

[@whichypoohs]

So inspirational. You are an amazing teacher 😊

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Heather! That's so kind of you :)

[@kassander1304]

Your comments about going back to the Bible are interesting. Years ago I tried to read through it to gather fodder to refute the Christians who were constantly trying to convert me. I gave it up after a short while. Evidently it wasn't a good enough intention to follow through with it. You've inspired me to return to it in order to understand biblical references that other writers use, and maybe even learn a little wisdom in the process. Thanks.

[@knittingbooksetc.2810]

Almost intuitively I try to apply this approach to my reading. This year I selected the book The Brothers Karamazov to reread it slowly. I’m dedicating one month to each book (it’s conveniently divided in twelve books). I’ll incorporate some of your ideas in my practice.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's amazing - perfect book and wonderful approach! The Brothers Karamazov is one of those novels that really deserves a year-long read.

[@DressyCrooner]

​@@BenjaminMcEvoy I just read it - in an amazing 9 days in fact. I actually feel bad for reading it too quickly. But I loved it. I will re-read it at some point.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

@@DressyCrooner That's awesome. No need to feel bad. For me, rereads go a lot quicker than first reads. So 1-2 weeks sounds about right for a joyful reread!

[@DressyCrooner]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I actually meant to say read for the first time, not re-read!

[@noahadam6979]

That's really another great inspiring and informative video! Thanks a lot ... Please keep going with such splendid and creative ideas.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Noah :) I'll keep going!

[@DoubleRainbows-fp6ih]

Thank you so much Ben or is it Benjamin. You're helping me greatly. I was late in life Diagnosed with a few neurodiversity issues & have Visual Stress( Irlen Myers syndrome) I literally could not reada book until I got my 1st pair of tinted glasses @ 57! So for me; this slowing down & savouring texts & even words is not just beautiful but life changing. You are a Great and very humble teacher. I'm loving Virginia Woolf's "Orlando"( recommended by ex English teacher) last week. Such Beautiful imagery; in parts: helping us link to" historical events. Stunning. I'm off now; to go back & read aloud as I do with my bible.

[@kina7128]

Love the straightforward statement!

[@alielbaitam]

I love your channel Benjamin. Thanks for these videos. I just completed this video and realized how smart of you to recommend approaching literature like scripture. It struck me how some of the stages you mention we use in reading the Quran. We go to school as children to learn proper recitation (science of Tajweed) where we learn how to properly make every voice of every letter, when to stretch…). We also listen or read in a little faster way (tarteel). We can, but rarely read it like a regular book. We also are ordained to have a daily reading (wird in Arabic). Finally, we also need to read an exegesis that explains the meaning because the Quran is very dense. Would I read a literature book like the a quran? It’s a good idea except I wouldn’t do the recitation like I do the Quran. One thing I like to do a lot is to listen to poetry (I memorize poems because I listen ti then repeatedly) which is very popular in our culture and I would recommend.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you :) I really appreciate that. It's interesting to hear you say that because some of this method is definitely inspired by what Muslim friends have taught me about reciting the Quran. I always found the tradition thoroughly fascinating.There's a quote I learnt recently that I love: "The one who recites the Quran beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verse, then he will have twice that reward." Such a beautiful sentiment.

[@alielbaitam]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thank you actually for all the effort on this channel. Impressive.

[@ReginaCopado]

That is a beautiful way to read, there's so much reverence to holly words and their deep meaning in this way to approach scripture.

[@ReginaCopado]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I love that quote

[@HeiwaPaz2000]

Such valuable talks yours are. I have always struggled with poetry of any kind but I will apply your recommendations from now on. Best greetings and long life from Spain. Thank you for your generosity.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Paz :) I'm so happy you appreciate them, and happy reading over in beautiful Spain! 🇪🇸

[@michaelrhodes4712]

Your channel is excellent. Have you read "Just the arguments: 100 of the most important arguments in Western philosophy"? That book is incredible, and it would be great to hear you talk about a certain philosophical question and the corresponding argument, and a novel that deals with the same question. For example, The Brothers Karamazov.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Michael :) I really appreciate that. I think I have that book somewhere, but I'm not sure I've read it. I'll check it out thanks to your great recommendation. It was actually my love of philosophy that drew me to the great books, and great writers like Dostoyevsky, in the first place!

[@johnmooney9403]

Hi Benjamin just recently discovered your channel. I really like your content and the recommendations are excellent. Its widened my choice of discovering new literature.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Hi John :) Thank you! I really appreciate you saying that!

[@johnmooney9403]

Do you have a favourite classical novel Benjamin?

[@molocious]

What I find paradoxical with some writers is that what they were as actual people belies the sublimity they are able to inspire in their readers. This occurred to me after viewing your, Benjamin's, excellent video on how to read the novel Clarissa by Samuel Richardson whom you described as a rigid, stuffy Puritan whom one would not particularly want to meet. This leads me to think that Plato may have been on to something in his dialogue, Ion, about the relation between art (poetry) and divine inspiration. Well, I'll use your method as a springboard for further contemplation.

[@edwardpowers4465]

Thank you!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Edward :)

[@sararahmani-ey6sd]

Bravissimo! 👏🏻

[@sarahtalone7031]

Thanks once again. I was clueless about this method, and I shall apply it to my next readings. My next read is going to be Jorge Luis Borges, but after I'm planning on reading one of the masters, like William Blake or Milton, since I've never read any of them before, can anyone recommend a starting point?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Very nice choices, Sarah. My favourite Borges short story is 'The Library of Babel', but he has many great ones - so short, but so incredibly challenging. For William Blake, I would recommend starting with his 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience'. For Milton, I would recommend 'Paradise Lost'. It's difficult, but worth starting with his best. Take it a book at a time. We have a podcast episode that walks through the first book of PL, and we'll have more on the way. Let us know how you get on :)

[@mattjmjmjm4731]

Have you read The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann? That book is 100% high literature, emotionally and intellectually complex unlike any other book I have read. It's considered one of the most influenital Modern German Novels. I think Mann ranks with Goethe in greatness, go check him out. Also check out Death in Venice, amazing novella.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm reading it now actually :) I completely agree with you. I tried reading Mann's Death in Venice when I was much younger trying to learn to speak German. I remember enjoying it thoroughly, but I definitely need to reread it!

[@mattjmjmjm4731]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Ah very nice, hope you enjoy it!

[@alielbaitam]

As a Muslim one of the most beautiful literary Surahs (chapters) to me in the Quran is the chapter called Maryam (Mary) and her son Isa (Jesus). Another is the story of Yusef (I am not sure but he might be the same as Joseph).

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you for sharing :) I'll read Maryam this evening!

[@alielbaitam]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Yusuf is the only Surah that is a story beginning to end. Maryam has many short stories but the description of her son talking to her under the palm tree is very beautiful. I am not preaching Islam here; just talking about the literary aspect.

[@kugiii4098]

Milton - Paradise Lost w/ Sonnet a week for beginning

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Beautiful choices :)

[@eddyk2016]

Which is the best King James Bible to read, the version Christopher and Peter Hitchens loved. I’ve got the 1611 one but it turns out it’s not the beauty poetry one?

[@chickencharlie1992]

Very interesting idea, I like it

[@serafilirose6685]

This is a great way to study the Eddas.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Absolutely :)

[@serafilirose6685]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Re-writing my study plan to reflect this. Thank you!

[@kingfisher9553]

Beautiful!

[@doctor1alex]

Just returning here since I had previously commented to share the Gospel message. I recently listened to the podcast on CS Lewis’ Screwtape letters. What got me so disheartened was Ben’s experience with what is called the Christian community and I wanted to attempt to set the record straight. What is known as Christendom today (and for the last 2000 years) is a mishmash of true Christianity and false Christianity. There is vast and deep evil within what is known as the “Christian community”. All I would like to communicate is this issue of false Christianity vs genuine Christianity. Since God saved me in Christ I have been horrified at the perversions and abuses of men in power who have acted in the name of Jesus. These will be judged the most severely. Their condemnation will be far worse even than unbelievers. One example is that I am a reformed Protestant. I oppose the Church of Rome which has departed from the truth and has committed innumerable evils over the centuries. Take the English reformers.. They were burned for opposing the false teachings of Rome like transubstantiation in the Mass. Devastatingly there is also much evil and falsehood in what is called Protestantism today. Jesus and the apostles warned that there would be many deceivers and false “Christians”. The wolves and the goats. The tares down among the wheat. The foolish virgins. False prophets and false teachers have arisen. And I believe that the number of genuine Christians is comparatively few. Jesus said we will know them by their fruits. Ultimately we must look to Jesus if we want true Christianity. And I will refrain from commenting further with this final remark - you and I will be held accountable to God. If we think we may stand before Him by ourselves we will be found wanting. Because God is holy and righteous, and He has provided salvation, that is the forgiveness for our sins against Him, and eternal life, in His Son. If we do not embrace Him we reject Him. But if we turn to Him in repentance and faith we will find life, and life in all its fullness.

[@petermuer715]

+READ THE BIBLE, READ THE TRUE JESUS, READ CHOPIN & HIS PIANO, AND TAKE FLIGHT!!! WELL DONE BENJAMIN! YOU HAVE A GREAT GIFT!

[@Perspectivist]

I was wondering if you could make a video similar to this one, except with the procedure one should follow after finishing a book. I sometimes feel like I have left something on the table when I'm done, I need a sense of closure, a farewell of sorts. It just feels weird to simply start another book.

[@bernardperron9798]

I've listened to a few of your talks lately; they speak to me, somehow, though I don't share your belief in the great value of literature, not in the least, not at all. It's strange... Maybe I think I'm wrong, or handicapped, to feel the way that I do, and that I'm missing out on something? (Don't mind me. I think you said in one of your talks that we don't know how we really feel about a question until we write down (all) our thoughts about it? That we may see, when we do so, that some of our thoughts, in the larger context, don't hold water. Maybe that's a clue for me: I can't imagine writing in a journal, or in the margins of a novel - to, of all people, myself.)

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Perhaps you’re drawn to another art form? My first loves were theatre, film, and music, and my appreciation for literature came later. I love wandering through art galleries, looking at paintings and sculptures, but I’m aware that someone who is more visual than me, someone who can actually paint and draw themselves, will be getting more out of the artwork than I do. I love putting a good pair of headphones on and blissing out with a symphony or some jazz, and I spent some time in college as a DJ, but, again, there are listeners out there who understand how to read the language of different musical forms much better than myself. Some will find their artistic expression in movement - a sport, dancing, that sort of thing. I believe an appreciation of literature can absolutely be learnt, but your heart might pull you to another area completely, and that is to be celebrated!

[@bernardperron9798]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy What a generous response. Thank you for it. I do enjoy several of the art forms you mention, but they have nothing to do with me personally, so to speak, the way that classic literature clearly... inhabits you (if that's the right word). You've spoken of how the great works have changed you, have changed your thinking, and how new readings of the same work can continue to do so. You basically embody Catherine when she says (but "says" is much too mild a verb here, isn't it; she was a plaything of the gods, wasn't she): "I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas: they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind." Books, dreams... I feel your passion, I know that it's real because I'm so moved by it. But I'm as disheartened as I am thrilled by it. Because classic literature and other fine arts certainly effect no change in me; none that I can identify, anyway. Listening to you speak is like listening to a priest whose passion for God is so strong that it reveals to you, atheist that you are, that God really does exist, after all - much to your surprise and dismay, because you can't "pick up" on Him yourself, not to save your life. It seems that your wiring is faulty and that it's your lot in life never to know Him - unless it's through the priest.

[@bernardperron9798]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thinking through: Like listening to a priest whose passion for God is so strong AND INTELLIGENT, QUIETLY FORCEFUL, that it reveals to you...

[@doctor1alex]

We must see that either Jesus is in fact the Christ, fulfilling what was written in the Old Testament Scriptures, or he was a raving mad man claiming to be God incarnate. The Jewish leaders crucified him for this. If we take Jesus’ words as true we must come to the conclusion that the whole of the Bible is the inspired, authoritative word of God. This means we must turn to God in repentance and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that unless a man is born again he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God and those that come to him must come as humble as a little child. But those that do come to him will find forgiveness of sin and eternal life which is to know God and enjoy him forever. Jesus’ crucifixion was not merely the work of evil man putting to death a righteous person, it was the foreordained plan of God to redeem a sinful humanity. And this is proven not only by the prophecies about his death , but also by his resurrection from the dead.

[@doctor1alex]

What I’m sharing in not Roman Catholicism, it’s not man’s religion attempting to justify himself before God. It’s simply the Gospel. The good news of the salvation given freely in Jesus Christ to those who will receive Him simply by humble faith.

[@yahuahlove9447]

By the way, KJV uses pagan names for their titles of ALAHIM (God), these names are Restored by the Besorah Yahusha Natsarim VERSION (BYNV), check it out at Lew White channel. Blessings to you in YAHUAH, instead of “the Lord”, Yahusha the not “Jesus”, & so on.

[@christopheryanish223]

Anyone who knows Walllace Stevens would make a wonderful boyfriend