Identifying a worldview in literature

A worldview in literature is the perspective the author approaches life and the world. To find out what the worldview of the author is, look for their view on human nature, the existence of God, and truth claims they make. Does the author believe man is sinful by nature or good by nature? Do they believe in God or not? Is there absolute truth in the world, if so what is it? These are basic questions to ask when reading a piece of literature. One can tell from these questions whether the author is atheistic or theistic, or whether the author believes man is god because man is good by nature. William Blake, in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, tells the reader that there is a right and wrong. Both need to exist for the other to exist. This is a Christian doctrine that both good and evil exist in the world. Blake also references the Bible and uses similar structure to the Bible, so one can conclude he is writing from a Christian worldview. The key to finding what worldview the author is looking for hints in the text that sounds like a specific worldview while asking the three basic questions. Blake mentions facts from the Bible and believes good and evil are necessary for existence. This sounds like the Christian worldview. Thus to recognize what worldview the author is writing from, ask the three questions while reading and look for hints in the text.