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The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures
The Secular Scripture: A Study of the Structure of Romance
Northrop Frye’s thinking has had a pervasive impact on contemporary interpretations of our literary and cultural heritage. In his Anatomy of Criticism , a landmark in the history of modern critical theory, he demonstrated his genius for mapping out the realm of imaginative creation. In The Secular Scripture he turns again to the task of establishing a broad theoretical framework, bringing to bear his extraordinary command of the whole range of literature from antiquity to the present.
Romance, a mode of literature trafficking in such plot elements as mistaken identity, shipwrecks, magic potions, the rescue of maidens in distress, has tended to be regarded as hardly deserving of serious consideration; critics praise other aspects of the Odyssey , The Faerie Queene , Shakespeare’s last plays, and Scott’s Waverley novels, for example, while forgiving the authors’ indulgence in childishly romantic plots. Frye, however, discerns in the innumerable romantic narratives of the Western tradition an imaginative universe stretching from an idyllic world to a demonic one, and a pattern of action taking the form of a cyclical descent into and ascent out of the demonic realm. Romance as a whole is thus seen as forming an integrated vision of the world, a “secular scripture” whose hero is man, paralleling the sacred scripture whose hero is God.
The clarity of Northrop Frye’s perception, the scope and suggestiveness of his conceptualizing, the wit and grace of his style, have won him universal admiration.
Romance, a mode of literature trafficking in such plot elements as mistaken identity, shipwrecks, magic potions, the rescue of maidens in distress, has tended to be regarded as hardly deserving of serious consideration; critics praise other aspects of the Odyssey , The Faerie Queene , Shakespeare’s last plays, and Scott’s Waverley novels, for example, while forgiving the authors’ indulgence in childishly romantic plots. Frye, however, discerns in the innumerable romantic narratives of the Western tradition an imaginative universe stretching from an idyllic world to a demonic one, and a pattern of action taking the form of a cyclical descent into and ascent out of the demonic realm. Romance as a whole is thus seen as forming an integrated vision of the world, a “secular scripture” whose hero is man, paralleling the sacred scripture whose hero is God.
The clarity of Northrop Frye’s perception, the scope and suggestiveness of his conceptualizing, the wit and grace of his style, have won him universal admiration.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
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About the author
Northrop Frye
206 books296 followersBorn in Quebec but raised in New Brunswick, Frye studied at the University of Toronto and Victoria University. He was ordained to the ministry of the United Church of Canada and studied at Oxford before returning to UofT.
His first book, Fearful Symmetry, was published in 1947 to international acclaim. Until then, the prophetic poetry of William Blake had long been poorly understood, considered by some to be delusional ramblings. Frye found in it a system of metaphor derived from Paradise Lost and the Bible. His study of Blake's poetry was a major contribution. Moreover, Frye outlined an innovative manner of studying literature that was to deeply influence the study of literature in general. He was a major influence on, among others, Harold Bloom and Margaret Atwood.
In 1974-1975 Frye was the Norton professor at Harvard University.
Frye married Helen Kemp, an educator, editor and artist, in 1937. She died in Australia while accompanying Frye on a lecture tour. Two years after her death in 1986 he married Elizabeth Brown. He died in 1991 and was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario. The Northrop Frye Centre at Victoria College at the University of Toronto was named in his honour.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop...
His first book, Fearful Symmetry, was published in 1947 to international acclaim. Until then, the prophetic poetry of William Blake had long been poorly understood, considered by some to be delusional ramblings. Frye found in it a system of metaphor derived from Paradise Lost and the Bible. His study of Blake's poetry was a major contribution. Moreover, Frye outlined an innovative manner of studying literature that was to deeply influence the study of literature in general. He was a major influence on, among others, Harold Bloom and Margaret Atwood.
In 1974-1975 Frye was the Norton professor at Harvard University.
Frye married Helen Kemp, an educator, editor and artist, in 1937. She died in Australia while accompanying Frye on a lecture tour. Two years after her death in 1986 he married Elizabeth Brown. He died in 1991 and was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario. The Northrop Frye Centre at Victoria College at the University of Toronto was named in his honour.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 16, 2023
Just the final line...."it is not until we have shared something of this last Sabbath vision in our greatest romance that we begin to say that we have earned the right to silence.". What a journey. Thank you, once again, Prof. Frye.
October 23, 2023
When ut comes to literature , structure is everything!
February 18, 2018
Very interesting take on popular fiction and why it is so. I read it primarely for this reason, but his analysis of romance was quite interesting to read as well, even if I found it a bit too example heavy, it did show a similarity across genres and time.
July 23, 2024
Certainly worth to read it a second time. There's so much in this book to think about which makes it worth to read it more than once. Not an easy read.
November 4, 2018
As is typical with Northrop Frye, The Secular Scripture represents a highly systematized, "anatomical" approach to literature, in this case specifically the genre of romance. Frye (again typically) defines romance very broadly, so that it encompasses a great deal of "popular literature" - he mentions science fiction in particular again and again as a modern descendant of traditional romance, and explores elements derived from romance in more realist literature as well. The underlying premise of Frye's study is a relatively commonplace one: that the whole genre romance, and other fiction derived directly or indirectly from romance tropes, can be understood as the working-out of a few basic motifs which undergird everything from the narratives of the Old Testament to the myths of ancient Greece and ancient India to Arthurian legends, etc. In laying out his iteration of this conventional approach to traditional stories, Frye focuses especially on the nature of the heroes and heroines of myth and romance, and on motifs of ascent from a lower world/to a higher or world and of descent from a higher world/to a lower world. Where Frye is somewhat more innovative is in his ingenious application of this kind of folkloric-archetypal analysis to more realistic fiction. He shows how more sophisticated, less "naive" romance and even realist fiction frequently takes motifs from myth or fable (two terms which have specific technical meanings for Frye) and naturalize or rationalize them - what Frye calls "displacement."
This ingenious approach is, however, also one of the two major weaknesses in Frye's book, as a number of his examples become more than a bit strained. For instance, he is certainly right to see a connection between the chthonic elements in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (the earliest version of which was, notably, titled Alice's Adventures under Ground) and romance/mythological ideas of the underworld, but his claim that the motif of cards is "connected with themes of descent into a world of fatality" (pg. 156) is hard not to see as reading too much into what is probably incidental or even accidental. My other criticism is that, especially in the last chapter, Frye makes a number of statements and assessments that are clearly ideologically-motivated, but refuses to make clear what his own viewpoint is, making his value-judgments hard to assess. It struck me in particular that there are a few comments in that last chapter that might be mistaken for anti-Christian by someone who did not know that Frye was an ordained minister. He comes across as trying to strike a balance between being detached and analytical and being "morally responsible," but the attempt to have it both ways only muddies the waters at several fairly important junctures.
This ingenious approach is, however, also one of the two major weaknesses in Frye's book, as a number of his examples become more than a bit strained. For instance, he is certainly right to see a connection between the chthonic elements in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (the earliest version of which was, notably, titled Alice's Adventures under Ground) and romance/mythological ideas of the underworld, but his claim that the motif of cards is "connected with themes of descent into a world of fatality" (pg. 156) is hard not to see as reading too much into what is probably incidental or even accidental. My other criticism is that, especially in the last chapter, Frye makes a number of statements and assessments that are clearly ideologically-motivated, but refuses to make clear what his own viewpoint is, making his value-judgments hard to assess. It struck me in particular that there are a few comments in that last chapter that might be mistaken for anti-Christian by someone who did not know that Frye was an ordained minister. He comes across as trying to strike a balance between being detached and analytical and being "morally responsible," but the attempt to have it both ways only muddies the waters at several fairly important junctures.
May 12, 2020
This book is a delight to read. The use of Frye's language and the subtle, dry wit that punctuates his analysis of romance makes it as enjoyable as it is thought provoking. Frye traces the history of the romance, explores its development and demonstrates its literary and cultural importance.
This little book has many points to make, some of which seem so obvious, after reading, the reader cannot help but exclaim "Of course, why didn't I think of that?" His very brief reference to coincidence (only one and half pages) is a case in point.
My only regret is that I did not read this book years ago, but then again, it is probably more appreciated with the experience that comes with age.
This little book has many points to make, some of which seem so obvious, after reading, the reader cannot help but exclaim "Of course, why didn't I think of that?" His very brief reference to coincidence (only one and half pages) is a case in point.
My only regret is that I did not read this book years ago, but then again, it is probably more appreciated with the experience that comes with age.
August 11, 2017
If you want to be able to read fiction "deeply", this is a good book for you. However, be warned that the author often takes the long way around to defend his points, so it's easy to get lost if you have to stop reading in the middle of a chapter. He does provide a lot of literary examples to illustrate his points, but if you're not familiar with the books he's using, you might not appreciate them.
It's a good companion book to The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
It's a good companion book to The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
July 4, 2022
i was skeptical until that last chapter
July 16, 2025
Closing chapter is an outstanding achievement in literary criticism, thought i found the rest of the book well structured but slightly un-stimulating and repetitive.
December 31, 2009
As with all of Frye's work, it is a mixture between wonderful and horrible. Often he makes great observations coming from a perspective that is completely backwards to reality. He says much about the Bible as literature, but assumes that it is only literature instead of history, and has an annoying tendency to refer to apocryphal stories as though they were as authortitative as Scripture itself (coming, no doubt, from his assumption that both are on equal footing literarily). So some worldview discresion is advised, but if you can get beyond that, the book opens up into a wonderful exploration of literature. There is much fruit here for the Biblically minded.
He argues that the genre of "romance" is at once wide and narrow. He doesn't mean by romance the sort of book you would find in the "romance" section at Barnes and Noble. By romance he means all stories that form an imaginative and mythological matrix that includes stories of mistaken identities, mysterious births, adventures, the hero's journey, shipwrecks, magic potions, the rescue of maidens in distress, etc. This would include genres such as horror, science fiction, and fantasy, as well as more classical literature. Many critics disdain such stories, despite their continued popularity by people, and Frye believes they should indeed be taken more seriously than they have in the past.
The question of why such stories continue to be popular is raised, but his explanation left me ill satisfied. Rather, for the Biblical Christian, these stories continue to be popular because they tap into reality. For the Christian, the world is not limited to what is seen, to matter and energy alone. The universe is an open system - the Spirit is always pouring into it and Christ is the glue that binds all things together. The conventions of "romance" as Frye understands it strike a chord deep in our hearts. These stories resound in us because they are shadows of the greatest "romance" of all time; the Christian romance, which features miracles, mysterious births, mistaken identities, ship wrecks, the rescue of maidens and the waging of war against the Dragon. To the Christian these are really real aspects of what others call "mundane" life. I think if we take Frye's structures (and Joseph Campbell's for that matter) in this way, our understanding of stories and how they work will increase bountifully.
He argues that the genre of "romance" is at once wide and narrow. He doesn't mean by romance the sort of book you would find in the "romance" section at Barnes and Noble. By romance he means all stories that form an imaginative and mythological matrix that includes stories of mistaken identities, mysterious births, adventures, the hero's journey, shipwrecks, magic potions, the rescue of maidens in distress, etc. This would include genres such as horror, science fiction, and fantasy, as well as more classical literature. Many critics disdain such stories, despite their continued popularity by people, and Frye believes they should indeed be taken more seriously than they have in the past.
The question of why such stories continue to be popular is raised, but his explanation left me ill satisfied. Rather, for the Biblical Christian, these stories continue to be popular because they tap into reality. For the Christian, the world is not limited to what is seen, to matter and energy alone. The universe is an open system - the Spirit is always pouring into it and Christ is the glue that binds all things together. The conventions of "romance" as Frye understands it strike a chord deep in our hearts. These stories resound in us because they are shadows of the greatest "romance" of all time; the Christian romance, which features miracles, mysterious births, mistaken identities, ship wrecks, the rescue of maidens and the waging of war against the Dragon. To the Christian these are really real aspects of what others call "mundane" life. I think if we take Frye's structures (and Joseph Campbell's for that matter) in this way, our understanding of stories and how they work will increase bountifully.
September 9, 2012
The Secular Scripture offers a free-wheeling discussion of the different forms Romantic narratives take and why the forms (epic verse, chanson, play, opera, novel) matter to the meanings of the works and to the concept of Romance itself. His wide-ranging exploration includes Classical Greek and Roman drama, William Golding, Benjamin Franklin, the stories of O. Henry, and The Magic Flute. Frye’s digression into the differences between the erotic and the pornographic is entertaining.
May 23, 2010
An excellent read. Something addictive about literary analysis. There are countless parallels made to Biblical scripture and Frye analyzes many different works in his piece.
Some big themes emerge in his discussion, he dwells on them briefly and then departs. Some of these themes are surprising, and mentioned eloquently but in a cryptically passive way.
I like this book because it's imaginative and hope to finish some of his other books.
Some big themes emerge in his discussion, he dwells on them briefly and then departs. Some of these themes are surprising, and mentioned eloquently but in a cryptically passive way.
I like this book because it's imaginative and hope to finish some of his other books.
May 5, 2012
All I'd like to say is that some of the Greek romances Frye mentions are quiet difficult to find! Get on that, publishing world. I know Penguin put out a thing of Greek novels a year or so ago-- but why do things in half measure? Come on.
June 13, 2015
Wise, insightful work which analyzes the social and cultural functions of the romance form. Philosophical and meditative, I would recommend Frye's book to anyone with an interest in narratives, literary theory, and a desire for earnest self reflection.
June 22, 2016
Great thought, often uplifting, occasionally complex but worth the sweat! Recommended for all who want to know what the process of reading does to them without a recourse to psychology, except in a few passages where some Jungian influence is detectable.
May 15, 2013
Frye is classic. I especially liked Chapter 4: Themes of Descent and Chapter 5: Themes of Ascent.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews