The redemptive power of the narratives of Scripture in Allegra Jordan’s Harvard 1914

Jordan Allegra's recently published novel Harvard 1914 (2012) is a modern exploration of the immense reserves of power and energy to be found in the narratives of the Scripture, which have the power to counteract prejudice and release us from our entrenched positions. Focusing on forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption, the novel tells the story of a strong young American woman, Helen Windship Brooks, who fights for the recognition of five German stiudents who died in the service of the Kaiser, one of whom was her fiancé. In demanding the erection of a plaque in their honour she encounters fierce opposition from Harvard University's President, Lowell. Although she comes from a family of strong women, Helen's chief source of strength is not her family but the narratives of Scripture, in which the promise of reconciliation and redemption is based on love - the love of God for His creation, a love that entailed the sacrifice of His only son. Helen's union with German-born Wils Brandl is a metaphor for the hope and promise of reconciliation between the pro- and anti-German factions at Harvard University - a redemption that requires the sacrifice of five young men. Set in World War One and the 1930s, Harvard 1914 represents a new social imagination and a fresh look at the redemptive message of Scripture.