What is beauty? What is the soul? What facilitates our apprehension of beauty in ourselves, others, and the world, and what impedes it? In The Beauty of Souls, Mark S. M. Scott explores these spiritual questions through a dynamic synthesis of theology, philosophy, and literature. Focusing on Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Marilynne Robinsons novels and essays, Scott gleans transformational insights about the life of the soul.
Scott argues that Robinsons writings spiritually sensitize her readers, preparing them for deeper levels of soul-discovery and soul-formation. Excavating Robinsons conception of beauty and its relation to the soul, Scott traces themes of perception, contemplation, growth, loss, brokenness, wonder, and redemption through Robinsons writings, particularly her magisterial Gilead saga. The Beauty of Souls guides readers through the complexity of the spiritual life in critical and creative dialogue with Robinsons signature works. It shows that Robinsons fiction does more than simply display and evoke beauty; it offers a philosophical-theological framework to discover and express the beauty of our own souls.
