Augustine’s Confessions and Shakespeare’s King Lear

Paffenroth has done a remarkable job highlighting the continued relevance of two unlikely figures in the western canon: Augustine and Shakespeare. Should the world fear two “toxic males” in a world skeptical of power imbalances? No, Paffenroth suggests. In fact, what makes Augustine and Shakespeare’s Lear stand out is their awareness of their problematic privilege and power despite their obvious shortcomings in fully addressing these problems they identify. Paffenroth reminds us that with the hermeneutic of scrutiny we can still find beauty in literary texts regarded as classics. Caring scrutiny is what we need to discover the real reason these men and their stories have endured: the discovery of empathy even amid failure. And if the powerful can discover empathy despite their own failures and shortcomings, there is hope for the future. * Paul Krause, editor of VoegelinView, USA *At the end of this book, Paffenroth references the “scrutiny and aesthetics and moral judgments” in his critique of these two classics. He hopes these interpretive tools succeed in opening new dimensions of the texts’ beauty and meaning. They do—even for veteran readers. But his “moral judgments” go deeper. Paffenroth extracts a prophetic critique from the texts that spotlights the tragedy unfolding in the drama of our politics. Malignant pride, lust for power, untethered ambition, misogyny, and humiliation rather than humility emerge within his interpretations as cautionary themes for our times. The book is a clinical dissection of the libido dominandi that both Augustine and Lear confess, each in his own way, a libido that remains unconfessed, unchecked, and incapable of the eventual resolutions attained by Augustine and Lear. * Joseph Kelley, Merrimack College, USA *Paffenroth offers a lively discussion that puts Augustine’s Confessions and Shakespeare’s King Lear into a contemporary discourse, using accessible, colloquial language and opening the door with his analysis to today’s students and lay readers. There’s a lot to think about in this exploration of toxic masculinity, the mysteries of God and humility, and the weight of responsibility that eventually must settle somewhere, no matter how those with power might like to frame it. * Philippa Kelly, Napa Valley Shakespeare, USA *

Kim Paffenroth is Professor of Religious Studies at Iona University, USA.