From isolation to incorporation : medical-theological imagery in the work of T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, and Gwyneth Lewis.

This dissertation argues for the centrality of Christ-as-Surgeon (Christus Chirurgus) imagery in the work of three modern and contemporary British Christian authors: T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) and Gwyneth Lewis (b.1959). Through a detailed analysis of each author's medical-theological imagery, I argue that all three authors interweave medical and theological imagery to comment on the relationship between bodies and souls, individuals and communities, and the human and the divine, while also critiquing their isolated and medicalized societies and emphasizing healing as a move towards unity with the Body of Christ. The introduction provides an overview of the Christ-the-Physician and Christ-the-Surgeon traditions and explores how these traditions relate to the concept of the "Body of Christ." The introduction also discusses key surgical and societal shifts in the twentieth century, the shifting relationship between religion and medicine, and concomitant changes in views of human bodies and communities. Chapter Two analyzes T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Four Quartets, exploring the transformation of his surgical metaphors from the earlier poem to the later work. I argue that Eliot's surgical metaphors reflect his conversion to Christianity and a shift from modernist medicine to an engagement with the Christus Chirurgus tradition. Chapter Three explores C.S. Lewis's surgical-theological imagery in The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and Till We Have Faces, showing how Lewis uses narratives of surgical operations to convey his characters' changing relationships to their bodies, their communities, and Christ. His works also emphasize the necessary coherence between religious and medical thought. Chapter Four discusses Gwyneth Lewis's epic poem A Hospital Odyssey, showing how she employs Biblical allusion and the language of Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection—including a direct reference to the Crucifixion as a surgical procedure—to present a holistic and narratively-centered vision of health. By assessing the intersection of medical and theological concepts in these works, I emphasize the broad theological and artistic appeal of the Christ-the-Surgeon metaphor and highlight the intersection of medicine and religion in modern and contemporary British literature.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Chittenden, Kelly, 1995-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Russell, Richard Rankin.

• Christ-as-surgeon.
• Medical humanities.
• T.S. Eliot.
• C.S. Lewis.
• Gwyneth Lewis.
• Religion and medicine.Christ-as-surgeon.
• Medicine and religion.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13119

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13119