Walker Percy and the Postmodern World

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY PRESS - CHICAGO

Mary K. Sweeny

Walker Percy is the distinguished author of five critically acclaimed novels: The Moviegoer, The Last Gentleman, Love in the Ruins, Lancelot, and The Second Coming. Unlike other books concerning the writings of Walker Percy, Mary Sweeny traces the Christian-Existentialist view that Percy has woven throughout his work. She does this by examining the common threads of malaise, search, journey, and belief that she has discovered in each novel. Sweeny utilizes a collection of Percy's philosophical essays, entitled The Message in the Bottle, to explore his concern with the death of the modern age. She pays tribute to Percy's wit and compassion while also emphasizing the deep significance he gives to love as a means to our survival.

This work will be enjoyed not only by Percy enthusiasts, but also by those who share Percy's belief that a new age is upon us and by those who share his interest in a Christian-Existentialist search for meaning in the age to come.

Mary K. Sweeny is a librarian and free-lance writer. She received her M.A. degree from John Carroll University and her M.S. in Library Science from Case Western University. She is Head Reference Librarian at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. Sweeny has also written book reviews and poetry.

Publication Date: May 1, 1987

Pages: 85