Being Franco (an Interview)

I (Yuri Smirnov from Minsk, Belarus) was intrigued to talk with Mrs. Ann Franco, when I learned that she is a believer in Christ and at the same time an English professor who (as her father had told me) has so often lectured on the importance of literature for a Christian minister.

Here is but one quote from a letter that a reader (an elderly lady) sent to us:

"My dear brothers and sisters... I am always impatiently waiting for a next issue of your 'Branches'. I would like all the members of our church to read your very interesting paper, but...
"One modern Pharisee said that you are supposed to read only the Bible, and everyone follows his advice...
"Lord, forgive me, but our people love it more to speak themselves than to listen to others."

It's not the only time I have heard solid-looking believers in our, Soviet, hemisphere, say that to read Dickens or C. S. Lewis is to commit a sin. Chronicles of Narnia and a bottle of vodka are on the same side of evil and good for some. 

But one wise man in the same hemisphere said that you cannot be a good pastor if you haven't read Dostoyevski.

So, I was very intrigued to know if people who "lecture on the importance of literature" in the other, anti-Soviet hemisphere, are a thriving species or a Red Book one.

And here is what I got from my sister in Christ Ann Franco:

— I have a bachelor's degree in English as well as a master's degree in English with a minor in history. I love history and believe that a proper understanding of it is essential for many things, including the study of literature. I don't hold with a lot of the new theories of criticism that seek to ignore context of any kind as well as the author's biography. I taught literature and composition for six years at Piedmont Bible College (now Piedmont Baptist College). I have now chosen to stay home and raise my daughter, Mikaela, who just turned a year old in August. Someday, I would like to go back to teaching, or if I am really brave, I will attempt to do some writing of my own.

Overall, I prefer British literature to American, and I find the early twentieth century most interesting. It's hard to pick my favorite writers because I feel like a mother trying to say which of her children she loves best — I love them all (well, almost all) in different ways. Probably I would put T.S. Eliot at the top of my list. He was a true seeker, and when he came to know Christ, he continued to write honestly. He saw the world as truly broken, and he saw Christ as the only true hope of the world. Above all, Eliot had immense talent and dedication, and he had a sense of humor. I would also have choose John Donne for many of the same reasons.

I also enjoy Virginia Woolf, for like so many other writers of her time, she was asking good questions as she struggled with the immense isolation of modern life. Unfortunately, she never chose the right Answer to those questions. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is another favorite — his insight is almost chilling. F. Scott Fitzgerald's insight also amazes me — he saw the lostness of his generation so clearly, yet he never escaped. And the beauty of Fitzgerald's good work is as overwhelming as the flatness of his bad work. I cannot read The Great Gatsby without marveling at his mastery of the English language.

The Existentialists may be an odd choice for my list of favorites, but I like them for many of the same reasons that I am drawn to Virginia Woolf. Most of them write with such beauty as they seek to pick through the wreck of civilization and seek to make sense of it. Albert Camus is a master, especially in The Plague. I wish that more Christian writers could face the world so honestly. So many want to sugarcoat the brokenness of the world, and it so unnecessary because we alone have true hope in Christ. Only we can explain why men and women can create works of such beauty and works of such destruction. As Peter said, "You alone have the words of life," and Christ left us here with them. Sorry, I get carried away with all of this. Back to my list, I'll lump Ernest Hemingway in with the Existentialists since, at heart, he truly was. In fact, his short story "The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber" was a great example to explain Existentialism to my students. 

I'll round out my list with E.M. Forster, C.S. Lewis, and George Eliot.

— What about Dostoyevski?

— As far as my acquaintance with Russian literature, well, to be honest, it isn't much. Although it is no excuse, my programs of study tended to emphasize British and American literature. I did finally read Crime and Punishment about two years ago and wished only that I had read it sooner.

It is a fantastic novel, but I'm sure that I don't have to tell you that. Beyond that, I am somewhat familiar with Chekhov, but I didn't find him as marvelous as Dostoevsky. I would be interested in any suggestions you could give me about what to read. I think I am also hurt by not knowing much about Russian history, except for some very general information.

A side note to Crime and Punishment: shortly after I read it, they put a "made for television" movie of it on. I don't know if I have ever seen anything so terrible in my life. They completely butchered Dostoevsky. It was obvious that they had no intention of being faithful to anything except getting ratings and making money. But, then, I don't think too much of books turned into movies. The books are always better.

— Your likes from the bookshelves of Western literature are an interesting list and a stimulus for me to read or reread some of the authors and the works mentioned... But if we return to our starting point, what can you say about Christians and literature? Can a Christian read only 66 books or more... or much more?

— I love literature, but I think that it's easy for us as Christians to miss the value of literature, especially literature by non-Christians. When I taught, my college students often asked me why they as Christians preparing to be pastors, missionaries, and teachers needed to study literature. At first, that question bothered me because I thought the answer was obvious. After giving it more thought, however, I realized that they were honestly confused and deserved an answer. It seems that most Christians, at least in America, don't read much beyond Christian fiction by Christian writers for a Christi-an audience. By doing this, we have let a lot of great literature go unread. I believe that we have also let important opportunities slip by us.

Obviously, then, I see great value in literature for us as Christians and as human beings. I believe that literature allows us to enjoy some precious gifts from God our Maker. It was God Who gave us the ability to communicate both in speech and in writing. In fact, God chose the written word to leave His Word with us, so it seems to me that God views the written word as quite important. Furthermore, God gave us the ability to create and to enjoy what is created.

As a Christian, I believe that I can enjoy literature that deals with many subjects, not just literature that talks about nice and pleasant things. Good literature deals with life in all of its joy and sorrow, complexity and simplicity. Certainly, we of all people know that not all endings are happy, yet we also recognize that not all endings are tragic and full of despair. The world is truly fallen, but, praise God, we are created in His image and we have hope because we have been redeemed. I would add, though, that I think some literature deals with subjects that we are wisest not to read about.

But I find more than just aesthetic pleasure in literature. To me, 'Literature is also a way to understand the world and the other People in the world. I can learn much — even — from non-Christians. This is probably the Point that I stressed most to my students.

To begin, literature allows me to learn about life. As the American poet Emily Dickinson put it, "There is no frigate like — a book." I heartily agree. Literature is rather like a time machine, that allows me to experience and understand people, times, and ideas otherwise unavailable to me. Literature allows me to participate in the experiences of others in a way no history book can (and, I have the highest respect for good history).

Some examples of this point come to my mind. I think of the British poet, Wilfred Owen who chronicled his experiences on the battlefields of World War I. Reading his description of a gas attack in "Dulce et Decorum Est," I experience the horror of war in a powerful way. I also think of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Conrad takes us into his experiences in the heart of Africa, but he also takes us into the darkness of our own hearts. Furthermore, through literature I can learn to understand and evaluate another person's world view. This can better prepare me to witness for my Lord. One of my students once told me that he saw literature class as a kind of missions class, which I thought was a good point. Another student actually had the opportunity to witness using what he had learned in literature class. Through a discussion of Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot, he was able to share the truth of the Gospel with a young man he met on the train.

Perhaps even more important for me personally is that studying literature gives me greater compassion (and therefore a greater urgency) for a lost and dying world. I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home, and I came to know Christ when I was four years old. Sometimes I have struggled to understand how it is for others who did and do not have this opportunity. But when I read literature, particularly literature from the 20th century, I am struck by the cries I hear from so many of the pages. I hear them from the sadly beautiful pages of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises to the terrifying vision of Albert Camus' The Plague. I watch T.S. Eliot as he searches for truth, trying first this way and then that. At last, I rejoice as he finally comes to understand the truth of the Gospel and writes, "And I would do it all again . . ." ("Journey of the Magi").

For these reasons, I see literature as having great value for us as Christians and as human beings. I agree with the ancient Greeks who said that literature was to delight us and to instruct us. Literature speaks to our whole being if we let it; it affects every part of us, touching our minds, our senses, and emotions. If we use it correctly, I believe that it makes us more well-rounded people and better servants of our God.

— So, it seems like we are free in Christ to read whatever Christ doesn't forbid us to read, if we read it with Him and for His glory. And, connected with this, a question that I try to ask everyone: what is freedom in Christ as such to you?

— I see freedom in Christ as having two aspects. First, Christ makes it possible for me to be free from the power of sin in the here and now. As Paul writes in Romans 6:18, "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (NKJV). Second, Christ also frees me from the penalty of sin. Paul goes on to say, "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:22, 23).

So, I believe that because Christ has saved and I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit, I am free not to sin. Instead, I am a slave to righteousness, to God's will. This puts freedom in perspective for me because it shows me that I am not free to do anything I please. I am free, however, to live as God created me to live although I must still contend with a fallen world. And I think freedom in Christ just gets better because I don't always have to live in this fallen world, nor must I experience separation from God for eternity. The freedom I now have in Christ makes me free to spend eternity with God free from the penalty of sin: death.

For me, then, to live each day in the freedom of Christ means that I have a responsibility to walk in righteousness. I guess that doesn't sound much like our concept of freedom here in America, but I believe that it is God's concept of freedom. I have been liberated from the power of sin, and I know serve a new Lord. I find the words of John Donne in his poem, "Batter my heart, three-personed God" sum up my idea of freedom in Christ. Toward the end of the poem, Donne laments the power of sin and thus of Satan in his life. He says to God that he is "betrothed unto your enemy [Satan]". Yet Donne continues, and as he addresses God, he masterfully sums up the paradox of freedom in Christ. "Divorce me, untie or break that knot again; / Take me to you, imprison me, for I / Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, / Never chaste, except you ravish me."