`god is nowhere; god is now here': The Co-existence of Hope and Evil in Douglas Coupland's Hey Nostradamus!

Author: McCampbell, Mary W.

Source: The Yearbook of English Studies, Volume 39, Numbers 1-2, 1 july 2009 , pp. 137-154(18)

Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association

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Abstract:

This article focuses on the character-driven yet theologically focused exploration of the coexistence of evil and grace in Douglas Coupland's 2003 novel Hey Nostradamus!. Centred on the devastating slaughter of students in a high-school shooting, the novel contrasts religious legalism and divine grace through its depictions of each character's emotional and spiritual responses to this tragic event. The novel's critique of religious hypocrisy and self-righteousness, alongside its promise of enduring hope and redemption, has resonances with many New Testament passages, including Christ's rebuking of the Pharisees in Matthew 23, the Apostle Paul's hopeful promise of an afterlife in I Corinthians 15, and Christ's parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15.

Keywords: Character; theologically; evil; grace; Douglas Coupland; Hey Nostradamus!; high-school shooting; religious legalism; divine grace; religious hypocrisy; self-righteousness; hope; redemption; New Testament; Christ; Matthew 23; Apostle Paul; afterlife; I Corinthians 15; parable; prodigal son; Luke 15

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Calvin College, Michigan

Publication date: 2009-07-01

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A supplement to the Modern Language Review, this journal includes articles and reviews on the language and literature of the English-speaking world. Most of the volumes published so far are 'Special Numbers', collections of between fifteen and eighteen commissioned articles on particular topics, such as the impact of the French Revolution on English writers; literature in the modern media; and colonial and imperial themes in literature.