Through an insightful, literary treatment of various utopian visions, Peter Hawkins examines the human urge for widespread happiness, while pondering our consistent failure to produce it.

The Bible in the American Short Story examines Biblical influences in the post-World War II American short story.

Through these novels and short stories, Hawkins highlights the impoverishment of spirit and imagination when religious language fails us.

His knowledge of Dante and enthusiasm for his vision make him an expert guide for the willing reader. For over seven centuries, Dante and his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, have held a special place in Western culture.

Exploring Dante's reading and how he transformed what he found, this book argues that the independence and strength of Dante's poetic stance stems from deep and sustained experience of Christian scriptures.

To this end Hawkins uses the Divine Comedy to help us imagine what happens when we die as he works his way through Christian tradition, contemporary culture, a rich array of literature, and his own personal experience.

Turning to the work of three contemporary novelist- Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, an Irish Murdoch -Peter Hawkins shows a divorce attends betray the reality of grace across a jazz is a move on belief.

"Each volume includes excerpts from the works of eight contemporary American authors, supplemented by author profiles, reflection questions, and a companion video."--Publ.

This leader guide offers suggestions for using the Reader and the Video, and provides suggestions for organizing class time and responding to reflection questions.