This thesis deals with most of the key elements, that relate to the relationship between religion and literature. The first section represents a short historical summary of the formation of the Slovenian and Russian nation. Literature, as well as religion, played a key role in the search for national identity and the formation of the common language. The next chapter elaborates on the history of research in this interdisciplinary science, going back to questions early scientists already asked themselves in this field of study. Furthermore, this thesis shows how modern researchers analysed the most common problems they encountered in the fields of religion and literature. The second chapter investigates the role, that an author’s personal philosophy and faith have on the reader. With special emphasis on an essay of French literary theorist Roland Barthes. The third chapter refers to ethics and literature – whether art must always be ethical and what kind of role the reader has in this dilemma. T.S. Eliot’s theory helps analyse this matter. With the help of essayist Salman Rushdie’s essay Is Nothing Sacred?, the question - if freedom of art has any borders, when it comes to writing about religion - is investigated. The fifth chapter presents a theory of the Russian philosopher and literary critic, Mihail Bakhtin. Bakhtin opposed the structural way of analysing literature and concluded that literary works are some kind of symbols. The sixth chapter deals with a number of concrete examples on how religion is represented in contemporary literature, with a sub-chapter that elaborates on Slovenian literature. Here the focus is on the representation of two common literary trends, which are often the reason, why researchers claim that contemporary literature is antireligious: postmodernism and magical realism. Because this research more specifically analyses the Russian novel Laurus, the next chapter explores the role of the Russian Orthodox Church. The second section of this master’s thesis, connects the above mentioned theories with the novel Laurus, by Eugene Vodolazkin. What are Vodolazkin’s personal philosophy and belief? Which religious themes are present in the novel? What is the novel trying to tell to its readers, considering the theory of »religious reading«? Does the novel contribute to readers spiritual growth? This research answers these questions.
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