English literary realism derives from Reformation iconoclasm and now fuels anti-Muslim prejudice

Evidence

Jo Carruthers reinforces this point in her book England’s Secular Scripture, which traces the development of a Protestant-derived quintessential English aesthetic valuing simplicity and directness as set against more demonstrative or ritualistic traditions. Beginning with the iconoclasm of the Reformation and its rejection of Catholic pomp and ritual, theological doctrine became transposed into a moral and aesthetic register and wedded to the emergent English nation. The canon of English literature forms what Carruthers calls a “secular scripture” in its hallowed preference for the transparent “style-less” style of realism and its emphasis on directness and moral seriousness. Moreover, as in the case of Leavis’s criticism, “valued aesthetics are rendered natural, so that aesthetic judgements are considered equivalent to moral ones.” In our present age, this script has become combative, aligning itself with expressions of prejudice against Islam as a publicly performed religion. — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 93

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘secular scripture’ — the Protestant-derived English aesthetic that naturalizes moral judgments as aesthetic ones, a key critical vocabulary term.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s stated interest in distinguishing contesting vs. reinforcing Islamophobia — the ‘rational Islamophobia’ framing mentions Winterson, relevant to a chapter on fiction contesting the fear. — connects to: English empire turned literary anti-Muslim stereotypes into dominant colonization ideology — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 153