Contemporary literary fiction in the face of suffering and evil in the oeuvre of Emmanuel Carrere: a case study

Abstract

Suffering and evil are among the key issues addressed in various religious traditions. At the same time, it is undoubtedly one of the most important motifs in artistic culture, including literary fiction. The matter is also present in the sociological tradition: theodicy has been explored by Max Weber, Talcott Parsons or Peter L. Berger; what is more, many sociologists have treated literature as an inspiration to conduct their inquiries. The works of Emmanuel Carrere, a French writer and screenwriter, are permeated with theodicean themes related to the experience of corporality (suffering of the body or death). Yet, Carrere himself engages in several simultaneous discourses in this respect: as a Catholic, a yoga practitioner and – finally – as an atheist. Carrere’s literary oeuvre, analyzed from the sociological standpoint, provokes a discussion on the process of secularization and medicalization of suffering and evil, whilst being a singular laboratory of how to write about religious experiences in the world that is subjected to growing secularization.