The Recognition Of God—an Analysis Of The Religious Theme Of E.L.Doctorow’s City Of God From A Postmodernist Point Of View

Edgar Lawrence Doctorow is a writer who has written several critically acclaimed novels that blend history and social criticism. In recent years, the Chinese readers are gradually getting access to his works by Chinese translations. City of God is a new attempt by E. L. Doctorow with the religious theme. In this novel, Doctorow argues that the religion in20th century confronts a plight because of the chaotic, unstable and perplexing society, which can be explained by the idea of indetermanence in postmodernist theory raised by Ihab Hassan.Focusing on Doctorow’s new novel City of God, this dissertation discusses the religious problems reflected in this novel from a postmodernist point of view, analyses the plight confronted by the religion in the postmodern times and its deep reasons, and finds the destination of modern religion. It is hopeful that this dissertation can make a little contribution to the research filed of Doctorow’s novels.The first part of the main body is about the religious characteristics in the postmodern times reflected in City of God. The religious pluralism and the strengthening of religious secularization are the features of American religion in the20th century, which is embodied in the main plots—the loss of the cross and the marriage of Pem and Sarah. The new rising religious group in the novel is the epitome of the strengthening of secularized religion. These features let the religion divorce from the tradition that buried the unstable factors for the religious crisis.The second part focuses on the religious problems reflecting the postmodernist spirit in City of God. There are three factors to be analysed that threaten the religion. The human evil actions in the20th century, including the Holocaust and the Vietnam War, condemn the God; the development of modern society, including philosophy and science, deny the God; and the art reflecting the chaotic society, including the movie and music, question the God.Consequently, the third part is about the destination of religious belief in the postmodernist time. In City of God, Pem and Bishop Pike are both pious believers, they recognize God via different ways, such as seeking for the Jesus in history in Israel and converting to Judaism believer. But the Judaism is not the perfect religion that can solve all the religious problems. It must be refined. Therefore, there are the religious missions for the believers, who should inherit the spirit of God and improve this new religious group to adapt the modern society.Religion is a prolonged topic in the history of English literature. America is a nation with profound religious culture, which is the background, motif or theme of literature, architecture and art. This novel is one of Doctorow’s works that concerns about the practical problem, which makes him an undeniable master of postmodern times. By analyzing and understanding this immortal novel, the readers can get the profound comprehension of the American religious status and developments in the20th century.