Gearing Up to Study Worldview in Literature

by Shawn Hassen

Every single person has a worldview. Some people espouse an eclectic variety of (inconsistent?) beliefs gathered from many sources such as family, culture, education, politics, social media, and so forth. This can be true of writers, as well. Furthermore, a writer might only reveal snippets of his or her beliefs, particularly in a shorter piece. If any consolidated worldview is revealed, it may be very limited and certainly unnamable, so we might not get very far beyond the author’s commentary portion of our study (see previous post). Students must be careful not to foist opinions and ideas on a writer beyond what the piece’s evidence reasonably supports. If there is nothing to “name” a writer’s opinions, that’s okay.  But often there is a name . . . 

Nameable ideas are traceable to a couple of key sources. One idea-shaper for people can be religion. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Catholicism—these are nameable belief systems. A Christian who strives to derive his or her beliefs about the world from the word of God holds what we would call a biblical or Christian worldview. No one holds to these belief systems perfectly, of course, either intentionally or unintentionally, but we should be able to find recognizable evidence of their overwhelming influence. James Joyce and Flannery O’Conner are two writers who come to mind; it is conceivable that in studying some of their works, we might be able to name a particular religious influence in our outer worldview ring on our diagram (see previous post). If you are an English teacher guiding your Christian school students through canonized literary works, you will most often find only bits and pieces of biblical truths. Your biggest challenge is teaching students to solidify their biblical worldviews as they become more expert at sifting through the ideas of others. 

A significant portion of canonized literature will reflect (non-religious) ideas that we can name. Students might appreciate a simple definition of philosophy: a codified, recognizable, and nameable set of beliefs.  Another way of thinking of philosophy is as a historical, universally recognized worldview. Existentialism, nihilism, Marxism (which has given rise to Critical Theory more recently), naturalism, feminism, modernism, and postmodernism are just a few of the more commonly recognized philosophies and historic movements that have particularly impacted literature in recent history. Introduce students to these philosophies simply, yet comprehensively, and watch their understanding of literature soar to the next level. 

Our ultimate goal is for students to evaluate ideas in the world around them and develop or solidify their own worldviews. But before they can evaluate ideas, they must first understand the ideas. For this reason, we have to present them with objective—not subjective—information to the best of our abilities.  If you are a moral relativist, you will likely discredit a biblical worldview. If you are a Christian, you will likely discredit existentialism. But as a teacher, whether I am a Hindu, a naturalist, a Christian, a Marxist, or a feminist, it is my responsibility to first present my students with objective information.  I cannot teach them “naturalist garbage” or “Christian idiocy” or “feminist propaganda.”  I must first fairly present the basic tenets of each worldview. Only after students become more adept at understanding and recognizing these ideas in the world (and literature they are studying) will they be confident in the next step of developing their own worldviews. Until it is time for them to evaluate worldviews, teachers should be cautious to save their own critique and/or bias until the time is right (such as is the task of Christian educators who are ultimately guiding their students toward biblical thinking). 

Another key to your students’ success will be to caution them about absolutes when it comes to ideas, particularly as they study literature. Whatever it is that we believe, we believe inconsistently. Marxists, existentialists, critical theorists, Christians—everyone has to practice correct thinking. I may be the most devout naturalist, yet I will get it wrong sometimes. I’m still a naturalist. I may be the most devout Christian, yet I will contradict Scripture sometimes. I’m still a Christian, even when I get it wrong. When we study literature or process information from the world around us, let’s focus on overwhelming patterns of ideology as opposed to looking for every single idea to line up in perfect accordance with a worldview checklist. Writers are humans, too, and they will contradict themselves occasionally just like all of the rest of us.

Finally, present your introductory material to students in the same, consistent manner, so they can accurately compare and contrast. Remind them of the typical questions (from my earlier post) that people subconsciously ask and that worldviews answer: 

How did humans originate? 

Are humans animals?

What value do humans have?

What is “human nature–” what are we like in our most natural state?  

What defines us?  Nature? Nurture?  

Is anyone or anything in charge here?  

Is this world/life as good as it gets? 

Why does so much seem to be upside down?  What’s wrong? 

Can’t we just all get along?  What’s the solution? 

This will be the grid through which I will present the basic tenets of several philosophies, including biblical worldview, in the posts that follow. Keep in mind that this is English class—not Philosophy 101. We have time constraints. We want students to be intrigued and confident in their understanding, but we don’t have time or desire to overwhelm them or drown them in minutia. It simply isn’t necessary because the basics will serve them perfectly well in their literary studies. The posts that follow will help you present basic information succinctly, clearly, and fairly using key terms and “the language” of each philosophy. Keeping these frameworks at the forefront of your students' literary studies will gift them not only with a greater appreciation for the literature, but also with discernment as they develop their own worldviews.