How Realistic Can a Catholic Writer Be?: Richard Sullivan and American Catholic Literature
In 1933, a twenty-five-year-old writer named Richard Sullivan articulated for himself the qualities a novel should have. In a “Record of Work Begun and Ideas for Stories,” 1932-1933, he wrote:Let all be adoration. 9-14-33, a novel must be—?, American—constantly; of course, naturally. Scope—heights t...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
1996
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| In: |
Religion and American culture
Year: 1996, Volume: 6, Issue: 1, Pages: 35-61 |
| Online Access: |
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| Summary: | In 1933, a twenty-five-year-old writer named Richard Sullivan articulated for himself the qualities a novel should have. In a “Record of Work Begun and Ideas for Stories,” 1932-1933, he wrote:Let all be adoration. 9-14-33, a novel must be—?, American—constantly; of course, naturally. Scope—heights to depths; and length also: a life Religious—naturally; how else? Bitter—like life; intermittently. When he wrote these words, Sullivan had not yet published a novel; the publication of his first short story in a national magazine was still three years away. He eventually published six of his novels and dozens of short stories while teaching English at the University of Notre Dame from 1936 to 1974. Few people have heard of him or his work, and, at first glance, his life looks commonplace, even prosaic—he never lived farther than one hundred miles from his birthplace and seldom traveled; he taught at the same place, largely the same courses, for thirty-eight years; he wrote and published for almost forty years, coming tantalizingly close to major success, which nonetheless always eluded him. |
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| ISSN: | 1533-8568 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion and American culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1525/rac.1996.6.1.03a00030 |