The artist as peacemaker: "Babette's Feast" as a narrative of reconciliation. From: Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature | Date: March 22, 2008| Author: Gagne, Laurie Brands | COPYRIGHT 2008 Marquette University Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

IN the preface to one of his Stories of God, Rainer Maria Rilke describes the circular course of God's journey in human history. In ancient times, he says, people prayed with their arms wide open and God buried himself in the darkness of human hearts. But then a new faith came and people began to bury God in the brightness of their minds. This was when they prayed to God with folded hands and built cathedrals with pointed spires and steep, sharp roofs. But God grew lonely dwelling i...