How Far Can You Go? (1980) is a novel by British writer and academic David Lodge. It was renamed Souls and Bodies when published in the United States.[1] It won the Whitbread Book of the Year award (1980), and went straight into paperback in Penguin Books in 1981.[2]
The book deals with the intersecting lives of a group of English Catholics from their years as students at University College London in the early 1950s up to the late 1970s. The characters are confronted with a wide range of issues and experiences including marriage, contraception, adultery, illness, grief and, most important of all, the changes in the Catholic Church brought about by the Second Vatican Council and the papal encyclical against contraception, Humanae vitae (1968).
The title's meaning is twofold: it is on the one hand a reference to how far you ought to go with a member of the other sex before marriage, but also to the question of disorientation in the face of abrupt changes in the Church within only a few years.
Major themesedit
The novel is a bitterly funny satire on life for young English Catholics in the 1950s and 1960s, depicting them juggling the pressures of youth, sexual desire and the modern world with rigid rules about the avoidance of pleasures, the shame of disappointing Christ and the Virgin, and the fear of hell. Yet it also describes how the loss of faith leads to disorientation and sadness in the characters.
Cover Imageedit
As explained in the novel "The name of the game was Salvation, the object to get to heaven and avoid Hell. It was like Snakes and Ladders: sin sent you plummeting down towards the Pit; the sacraments, good deeds, acts of self-mortification, enabled you to climb back towards the light."
Referencesedit
^"Professor David Lodge: British Council Literature". britishcouncil.org. British Council. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
^Cooke, Rachel (20 April 2008). "Nice work". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
May 03, 2024
this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, november, 2014, learn, when. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources How Far Can You Go news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2014 Learn how and when to remove this message How Far Can You Go 1980 is a novel by British writer and academic David Lodge It was renamed Souls and Bodies when published in the United States 1 It won the Whitbread Book of the Year award 1980 and went straight into paperback in Penguin Books in 1981 2 How Far Can You Go First editionAuthorDavid LodgeCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishPublisherSecker amp WarburgPublication date1980Media typePrint hardcover paperback Pages244ISBN0 436 25661 4 Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Major themes 3 Cover Image 4 ReferencesPlot summary editThe book deals with the intersecting lives of a group of English Catholics from their years as students at University College London in the early 1950s up to the late 1970s The characters are confronted with a wide range of issues and experiences including marriage contraception adultery illness grief and most important of all the changes in the Catholic Church brought about by the Second Vatican Council and the papal encyclical against contraception Humanae vitae 1968 The title s meaning is twofold it is on the one hand a reference to how far you ought to go with a member of the other sex before marriage but also to the question of disorientation in the face of abrupt changes in the Church within only a few years Major themes editThe novel is a bitterly funny satire on life for young English Catholics in the 1950s and 1960s depicting them juggling the pressures of youth sexual desire and the modern world with rigid rules about the avoidance of pleasures the shame of disappointing Christ and the Virgin and the fear of hell Yet it also describes how the loss of faith leads to disorientation and sadness in the characters Cover Image editAs explained in the novel The name of the game was Salvation the object to get to heaven and avoid Hell It was like Snakes and Ladders sin sent you plummeting down towards the Pit the sacraments good deeds acts of self mortification enabled you to climb back towards the light References edit Professor David Lodge British Council Literature britishcouncil org British Council Retrieved 13 November 2014 Cooke Rachel 20 April 2008 Nice work The Guardian Guardian News and Media Retrieved 13 November 2014 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title How Far Can You Go 3F amp oldid 1083274470, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
