Description
The Bible and Literature: The Basics provides an interpretive framework for understanding the significance of biblical allusions in literature—even for readers who have little prior knowledge of the Bible. In doing so, it surveys the Bible’s influence on a broad range of English, American, and other Anglophone literatures from a variety of historical periods. It also:
- offers a "greatest hits" tour of the Bible
- focuses as much on 20th- and 21st-century literatures as on earlier periods
- addresses the Bible’s relevance to contemporary issues in literary criticism such as poststructuralist, postcolonial, feminist, queer, and narrative theories
- includes discussion questions for each chapter and annotated suggestions for further reading
This book explains why readers need a basic knowledge of the Bible in order to understand and appreciate key aspects of Anglophone literary traditions.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Bible as Witness to the Power of Stories
Chapter 1. Wrestling with God: The Bible as an Untellable Tale
Chapter 2. Friends, Family, and Lovers: A Familiar God
Chapter 3. Crime and Punishment
Chapter 4. Unexpected Heroes and Miraculous Recreations
Chapter 5. The Words and Their Afterlives
Conclusion: A Secular Age?
A Note on English Bible Translations
Online Resources
Additional Secondary Sources
Index
