Date of Award
Spring 5-10-2023
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration & Visual Culture
Degree Type
Thesis
Abstract
This essay promotes the writing and illustrating of middle grade literature that mirrors the wonder-inducing experiences of leafing through an illuminated manuscript and stepping into a Gothic cathedral. An examination of Catholic medieval visual culture moves into a discussion on its underlying philosophy and theology, which are profoundly centered on relational healing and the dignity of the human person. Christian writers including St. Pope John Paul II, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Josef Pieper, Madeline L’Engle, Dr. Bob Schuchts, Makoto Fujimura, and Andrew Peterson inform an exploration of mercy, forgiveness, and love as self-gift in the context of illustration and storytelling at large.
By highlighting a selection of middle grade/young adult fantasy novels and introducing my MFA thesis project as a part of that tradition, I discuss the need for books which invite families to come together and contemplate the joys and sorrows of the human experience.
Language
English
Program Chair
John Hendrix
Recommended Citation
Lamb, Bernadette, "Legends of Light: Crafting middle grade fantasy in the tradition of Catholic philosophy and medieval visual culture" (2023). MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture. 18.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_illustration/18
Included in
Aesthetics Commons, Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Art Education Commons, Book and Paper Commons, Catholic Studies Commons, Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Christianity Commons, European History Commons, Fiction Commons, Illustration Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Medieval History Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons