In Adam Fould's novel The Truth About these Strange Times we meet Howard McNamee, an everyman of the heart. On nearly every page lies the contention that heart is at the centre of our humanity. The questions: what is the heart? how do we judge the heart? and how do we repair it? are eloquently approached.
Bev: So the literary device of Matthew - and this is really really summary stuff - we are let in on the story through direct speaking and being told about the characters. So we get to know the characters based on their traits and ultimately the story is woven through this telling of traits, i.e. Jesus' traits are described as obedient toward God and compassionate towards crowds. Jack Kingsbury talks about that there's round characters which is Jesus and the disciples. And what he means by that is that these characters have a variety of traits and sometimes they're conflictual.