Literature and the Bible

The western literary tradition has a long and complex relationship with the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Authors draw on the Bible in all sorts of ways and for different reasons, and there is also the myriad of subconscious ways through which the biblical text enters literary culture. Biblical stories, characters, motifs and references permeate the whole of the literary tradition.

In the last thirty years or so there has been a growth of critical interest in this relationship. In Literature and the Bible: A Reader the editors bring together a selection of the key critical and theoretical materials from this time, arranged across nine chapters.

Each chapter contains:

• An introduction from the editors, contextualising the material within and alerting readers to some of the historic debates that feed into the extracts chosen
• Approximately four previously published extracts of substantial length, offering greater contextualisation and allowing the Reader to be used flexibly
• Lists of further reading, providing readers with a wide variety of other sources and perspectives.

Designed to be used alongside the Bible and selected literary texts, this book is essential reading for anyone studying Literature and the Bible on undergraduate English, Religion and Theology degrees.