Grass

Related Texts:
C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Theodore Sturgeon's More than Human
Clifford D. Simak's City

Comment: I enjoyed the fact that such a sizable role was given to the horses in the book, as though they were supporting characters rather than tools or possessions, made me wonder if Tepper was a horsewoman herself. I found some of the Grassian "animals" rather difficult to imagine though, after they were first described as "mounts," "hounds," and "fox" during the initial hunt I had a hard time getting those images out of my mind.

Question: In light of this book's emphasis on spirituality, sin, salvation, and religion, why do you think Tepper chose to single out the Catholic church and a fictitious former-sect of the Catholic church in Grass? While Catholicism has a large following, it does not have a monopoly on religious thought today or in '89 when she was writing, so why the Catholic church rather than another religion or denomination?

Laine