| Unit name | The Bible and Literature |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL20210 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jo Carruthers |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None. |
| Co-requisites |
None. |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit looks at the Bible as literature; the reciprocal relationship between the Bible and literature; and what the Bible does to a literary text. By the end you should be more familiar and knowledgeable about the Bible, its genres, ideas and narratives and be able to appreciate its literary qualities. You will develop skills of exploring the relation between a literary text and the biblical text it invokes: in what ways does literature provoke more profound readings of a literary text and of the Bible itself? Does rewriting refine or subvert the Bible? Throughout we will have in focus issues related to reading, interpretation and adaptation that will be relevant to your wider studies. Topics may include: the biblical narratives of Creation, of King David, and of the Crucifixion, and the books of Lamentations and Ecclesiastes; biblical allusion in Milton, T.S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and Angela Carter.
Aims:
1. To acquaint students with the major genres, themes and language of the English Bible.
2. To grapple with the issues associated with historically and culturally contextualizing the Bible and its significance.
3. To explore the problems associated with understanding how a literary appropriation of the Bible relates to its originary text.
4. To develop analytical and critical skills through discussion of specific biblical texts and their influence on specific literary works.
1. A knowledge of the content and literary style of the Bible.
2. An understanding of the ways in which readers perception of biblical texts are historically and culturally specific.
3. A theoretical framework for thinking about how biblical texts and their literary appropriations relate to each other.
4. An ability to critically analyse specific literary texts in relation to their biblical sources and the cultural forces at work in the reading and writing process.
Students will have the opportunity to sit in on the Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Introduction to the New Testament, complemented by two seminars of student presentations (at the beginning of TB2) dedicated to an introductory knowledge of the Bible. A weekly lecture and a weekly seminar on a specific pairing of biblical text and literary text, plus 1-to-1 discussion in the Consultation Hour where desired.
Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature, ed. by David Lyle Jeffrey (2002).
The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture (2006), chapter on Literature.
