"Marilynne Robinson: theologian of the ordinary"

Tracing the ‘Americanness’ of the ordinary in her work, the introduction situates Robinson in relation to Emerson and the American Renaissance more generally, and the chapters that follow chart her theological thinking alongside key contemporary thinkers in continental philosophy of religion.

Demonstrating the theological coherency of Robinson’s published work, the thesis presents a reading of her novels that does justice to the godlessness of Housekeeping and the rich theology developed in her Gilead trilogy and essay collections. Chapters on Language, Grace and Self develop self-contained readings of her novels, focusing on the ‘ordinary’ foundations of Robinson’s theology. Reading Robinson alongside Nietzsche, Freud, Lacan, Levinas and Feuerbach, the thesis situates her work in relation to continental thought and brings her thinking into contemporary dialogue with Kearney, Caputo and Rivera.