Why Catholics Should Read Classic Fiction

We live in an age in which many of us are shackled to our devices. We are glued to our screens from morning to night and never pick up a book. Most thoughtful people will presumably concede that this is not good. If, however, we can agree that the reading of books is worthwhile, we will not agree as quickly or as easily about which books we should read.

Should we read fiction? If so, should we read the greatest fiction? Should we read the classics? If we should, which classics should we read? And, equally important, which shouldn’t we read?

These questions came to mind when I received an email from a young man who argued that Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, was an immoral book which Catholics should not read. His argument was rooted in the immoral actions of Edward Rochester, a brooding and Byronic presence in the novel with whom Jane Eyre becomes involved romantically. I’ll let my correspondent state his case:

We see Edward Rochester breaking his wedding vows, poisoning the marital union by his rejection of giving up his life for his wife. He would have been content to continue his infatuation with Jane Eyre had she not discovered he was married; even after she knows this, Edward pleads with her to stay and be with him even though he cannot legally marry her…Edward clearly disregards his marital vow and is indifferent to the moral demand of the value-response his wife merits; he completely disregards the entire sphere of values to pursue his desire for union with Jane. In doing this, he poisons his affection towards Jane.

This is all very true, but the presence of a wicked and prideful character does not make the novel wicked and prideful. On the contrary, the novel exposes Rochester’s prideful wickedness, his neglect of his insane wife, and his deceitfulness. It also shows how his moral relativism has harmful and destructive consequences.

Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel is a great example of what might be called the art of darkness, which paradoxically sheds light on the presence of goodness, truth, and beauty. What, then, is the art of darkness and how does it show us goodness and truth?

This question is answered by showing the world of difference between the art of darkness and the dark arts. Truth be told, there is more than a world of difference; there is a hell of a difference and a hell of a distance. It is the difference and the distance between Heaven and Hell. The dark arts are evil whereas the art of darkness is the depiction of evil.

Evil art makes sin attractive, denying its sinfulness and seducing us with the lie that it is only a pleasure to be grasped when the opportunity presents itself. Such art reduces all morality to mere ambivalence and ambiguity, replacing the truths of religion with the mere opinions of the relativist. The art of darkness, on the other hand, shows the ugliness of sin and illustrates its destructive consequences. It is not evil art but the realistic portrayal of evil in art. It is not sinful but is full of sin.      

Having shown the difference between the art of darkness and the dark arts, there is no denying that Jane Eyre is very much the former. It is a Christian novel written by a devoutly Christian novelist. This doesn’t mean that it has not been misread. It has been subjected to the sort of critical abuse that besets all great literature. It is easy for Catholics to be confused by misleading misreadings of great books or to be misled themselves by their own misreading of them.

What is necessary is a true reading of the truths to be found in classic literature. It was this necessity which has led me to partner with Ignatius Press for almost 20 years as series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions. There are now over 30 titles in the series, including works by St. Augustine, Boethius, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, St. John Henry Newman, and Charles Dickens. Jane Eyre has also been published in the series, and I will let the title of the introduction and the titles of a couple of the critical essays speak for themselves: “Helen’s Hour in Jane’s Journey: The Lasting Value of Morality in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre,” “To Delight in Sacrifice: True Love in Jane Eyre,” and “Religion in Jane Eyre.”

Should Catholics read classic fiction? Absolutely! And the more of it the better. It will help them to grow in wisdom and virtue through the literary presence of goodness, truth, and beauty. Will it help to read classic fiction with the guidance of good and reliable Catholic scholars? Absolutely!

There is no better place to begin the guided tour of the great books of civilization than by checking out the Ignatius Critical Editions.