Is there an idiomatic prepositional phrase meaning the same as 'with the help of something', the something being a theory which helps to shed light on the reasons for certain events found in a novel?
What I have in mind –very specifically– is interpreting a novel (the events in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart) with the help of a general theory of society and human culture (René Girard's 'mimetic theory'; René Girard, 1923-2015, was a French anthropologist who taught at Stanford University).
In French, the phrase would be "lire Things Fall Apart à la lumière de la théorie mimétique de René Girard".
I have looked on the Internet but only found 'in (the) light of something' (with the definite article, UK, without, US), which –wrongly– seems to be exactly what I need since the words the English idiomatic prepositional phrase is made of are so close to the French ones.
Wrongly, though, because, from what I could gather from the trustworthy online dictionaries (I mean Cambridge, Oxford, Collins, Macmillan, Merriam-Webster) the meaning of 'in (the) light of something' is 'because of something' and not 'with the help of something'.
Merriam-Webster has two meanings for the phrase 'in light of something', one of which is nearly what I am after:
while thinking about (something that affects the way one sees or understand things)
You should think about their advice in light of your own needs.
You should read the story in light of your own experiences.
Only nearly because the 'light' that is meant there is a 'special angle' –a spotlight– and not the 'general theory' –a floodlight– I have in mind.
Hence my question, again: Is there an idiomatic prepositional phrase meaning 'with the help of something' in this particular context?
Best Answer
through the lens of
This phrase doesn't exactly mean "with the help of", but it suits the particular purpose you're looking for. It's a metaphoric use of lens, and conveys a more active process, as if the novel were being seen and interpreted from within Girard's theory, rather than his theory simply "shedding light on" or "illuminating" the novel.