Graham Greene: The Power and the Glory — Historical Criticism

Introduction

Historical criticism seeks to understand a literary work by examining the author's social, political, and intellectual surroundings, as well as the author's biography, life experiences, and psychological makeup. This paper applies that framework to Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory, exploring what in Greene's personal history led him to write the novel.

The Power and the Glory was published in 1940 and won the Hawthornden Prize. The work was condemned by the Vatican in 1953. Evelyn Waugh, a leading literary figure and friend of Greene, advised him that "they have taken fourteen years to write their first letter — you should take fourteen years to answer it." Greene did not outright refuse the Church's demands for revisions; he replied instead that his publisher already held the copyright, and the matter was dismissed.

Biography of Henry Graham Greene

Greene was born Henry Graham Greene on October 2, 1904, in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. He was the fourth of six children and was described as shy and sensitive in his youth, disliking sports and frequently truanting from school. During those absences he read adventure stories by authors such as Rider Haggard and R.M. Ballantyne, works that greatly influenced and shaped his later writing style.

Greene's school years were troubled largely because he was tormented by classmates for being the headmaster's son. He repeatedly attempted suicide and one day left school never to return. He wrote to his parents explaining that he did not wish to go back, and they sent him to London to see a therapist at the age of fifteen. His analyst, Kenneth Richmond, encouraged Greene's writing and introduced him to a literary circle that included Walter de la Mare, a noted poet of the day.