The Artist and the Trinity: Dorothy L. Sayers’ Theology of Work by Christine M. Fletcher (review)

world itself could not contain the books that would be written.’’ Applied to the subject of art, the statement of containment seems fitting as well: there is so much to say about art and writing that it seems impossible to get everything down on paper. But judging by the market, lots of folks are willing to give it a try. There is perhaps a glut of books by successful Christian writers who want to explain how Christians are to view art in general, a random sampling of which includes Hans Rookmaaker’s Art Needs No Justification (1978), Nicholas Wolterstorf’s Art in Action (1987), Gene Edward Veith’s The State of the Arts (1991), Jeremy Begbie’s Voicing Creation’s Praise (2000), and N. D. Wilson’s Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl (2009). More particularly, Christians have written many books on the craft of writing, including Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird (1995) and Douglas Wilson’s Wordsmithy (2011). What makes Lott’s contribution in Letters & Life worthy of joining the stout ranks is his own stature as a successful novelist, editor, and teacher. His secular triumph summons our attention. Commendations by Dana Gioia, Makoto Fujimura, Eric Metaxas, and Gregory Wolfe do not hurt either. Jeremy Larson Baylor University Christine M. Fletcher. The Artist and the Trinity: Dorothy L. Sayers’ Theology of Work. Cambridge, UK: Lutterworth Press, 2014; Pp xx + 141.: ISBN 978-1-62032-375-5, $19.00 (pbk). A full-length examination of Dorothy L. Sayers’ theology of work is long overdue. Many readers are surprised to learn that Sayers’ canon extends beyond the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, and someone in the classical education field even said, ‘‘I didn’t know she had written anything other than ‘The Lost Tools of Learning’!’’ In fact, Sayers wrote extensively on theological themes in works ranging from plays to poetry, essays, letters, and a book. Christine Fletcher expertly mines a number of these documents to explore Sayers’ views on vocation and work. The Artist and the Trinity deepens from an overview of Sayers’ life to a perusal of her various genres of writing, to a more specific analysis of Sayers’ theological anthropology and its implications as played out in her theology of work. Most of Sayers’ explicitly theological writings came around the time of World War II. As Fletcher notes, ‘‘Much of her work during the war has not been studied in depth, and as that was the period when she was concentrating on presenting her ideas about work and human life, it is a rich field to mine which adds to Sayers studies as well as social ethics’’ (xvii). Fletcher’s book seeks to integrate Sayers’ views on work with the thinking of Alasdair MacIntyre to provide ‘‘a philosophical basis for an ethics of care . . . a theologically grounded account of work in a good human life’’ (xviii). 334 Christianity & Literature 64(3) Fletcher details her lifelong interest in women’s work and her desire to ‘‘review and clarify the gains that women have achieved, and identify what we have learned which can contribute to a better life for women and for men’’ (xv). Fletcher is attentive to these themes both in Sayers’ fiction and her nonfiction. Of Sayers’ mysteries, Fletcher notes, ‘‘Work and vocation are either major or minor themes in every novel, interwoven with the themes of the role of women in the society and marriage; this sets Sayers apart from Agatha Christie, who is content to accept the social norms of the day as the background of her mysteries’’ (14). Fletcher reads Sayers’ mysteries ‘‘as fiction which discloses her theology of work: meaningful work is important for men as for women, and that work should be suited to the workers’ talents, not defined by their gender’’ (16). Sayers’ theology of work has not been studied extensively before, in part because some of the most important nonfiction essays detailing her views have been difficult to locate, and because many of Sayers’ letters remain unpublished . Letters to a Diminished Church, the most recent collection of her essays (a reprint of The Whimsical Christian), contains ‘‘Why Work.’’ ‘‘Vocation in Work’’ is found in the book...