The Methodist "Authoritarian fiction" of George Bond

Abstract

George John Bond (1850-1933), born in St. John's, Newfoundland, had a passion for both the island and the Methodist Church. His fictional oeuvre consists of one published novel, four published and eight unpublished short stories. In the narratives, the religious themes and practice of prayer, conversion, revival, temperance, and Sabbath observance are addressed. By contrasting the lives of his characters before and after the arrival of Methodism, Bond highlights the improvement that he believes occurs when living a spiritually based life. This thesis understands Bond's fictional work as "authoritarian fiction" and discusses the phenomenology of prayer, psychology of conversion, and historical presence of Newfoundland Methodism. It is evident that Bond used both positive and negative exemplary models to relay Methodist theology to the reader. The relationship established between Bond and the reader suggests that the literature was meant to extend beyond entertainment value. The repetition and redundancy in the collection reinforces the motifs for his stories and novel and teaches and preaches nineteenth-century Methodist theology and practice as understood by Bond.