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== Style ==
== Style ==
Each chapter begins with a quote from a famous literary work, often a [[fairy tale]] or [[poem]] dealing with folklore, like [[Grimms' Fairy Tales|the Grimms' canon]], ''[[Peter Pan]]'', and [[Hans Christian Andersen]]. The [[third-person narrative]] switches between several points of view, including village businessmen, Catholic officials, and other minor, as well as important, characters. According to critic Adrian Schober: "It is a pretentious novel, with aspirations to the literary [...] Unfortunately, Herbert is never able to transcend his melodramatic B-grade imagination, which is perhaps what allows the book to succeed at all."<ref>Schober, Adrian. (2004). ''Possessed Child Narratives in Literature and Film: Contrary States.'' Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 119. [https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Special%3ABookSources&isbn=1-4039-3510-6 ISBN 1-4039-3510-6]</ref>
Each chapter begins with a quote from a famous literary work, often a [[fairy tale]] or [[poem]] dealing with folklore, like [[Grimms' Fairy Tales|the Grimms' canon]], ''[[Peter Pan]]'', and [[Hans Christian Andersen]]. The [[third-person narrative]] switches between several points of view, including village businessmen, Catholic officials, and other minor, as well as important, characters. According to critic Adrian Schober: "It is a pretentious novel, with aspirations to the literary [...] Unfortunately, Herbert is never able to transcend his melodramatic B-grade imagination, which is perhaps what allows the book to succeed at all."<ref>Schober, Adrian. (2004). ''Possessed Child Narratives in Literature and Film: Contrary States.'' Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 119. ISBN 1-4039-3510-6</ref>

{{James Herbert}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

{{James Herbert}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrine}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrine}}

Revision as of 22:42, 15 August 2016

Shrine
AuthorJames Herbert
LanguageEnglish
GenreHorror novel
PublisherNew English Library
Publication date
1983
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typepaperback and hardback
Pages433 pp (paperback)
ISBN0-450-05659-7 (paperback)
Preceded byThe Jonah 
Followed byDomain 

Shrine (1983) is a horror novel by James Herbert, exploring themes of religious ecstasy, mass hysteria, demonic possession, faith healing and Catholicism. The story is about Alice Pagett, a deaf-mute child who's cured one night when she runs to an oak tree behind St. Joseph's, her local church. She's found by reporter Gerry Fenn and, when news of her cure spreads, their village becomes ablaze with publicity. After Alice performs several "miracle" cures in front of the tree, and claims to have seen the Virgin Mary there, it starts to be treated as a Lourdes-like shrine by Catholic pilgrims. St. Joseph's priest, Father Hagan, however, senses spiritual danger.

Characters

  • Alice Pagett, "miracle" healing child
  • Molly Pagett, Alice's mother, a devout Catholic
  • Len Pagett, Alice's father, an atheist
  • Gerry Fenn, an ambitious journalist
  • Father Hagan, troubled priest of St. Joseph's
  • Monsignor Delgard, paranormal investigator for the Catholic church
  • Bishop Caines, Hagan's superior
  • Sue Gates, Gerry's lover and fellow journalist
  • Nancy Shelbeck, American journalist

Style

Each chapter begins with a quote from a famous literary work, often a fairy tale or poem dealing with folklore, like the Grimms' canon, Peter Pan, and Hans Christian Andersen. The third-person narrative switches between several points of view, including village businessmen, Catholic officials, and other minor, as well as important, characters. According to critic Adrian Schober: "It is a pretentious novel, with aspirations to the literary [...] Unfortunately, Herbert is never able to transcend his melodramatic B-grade imagination, which is perhaps what allows the book to succeed at all."[1]

References

  1. ^ Schober, Adrian. (2004). Possessed Child Narratives in Literature and Film: Contrary States. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 119. ISBN 1-4039-3510-6