Full Description
This is the first large-scale critical introduction for biblical criticism of a significant area of contemporary cultural and literary theory, namely Marxist literary criticism. The book comprises studies of major figures in the tradition, specifically Althusser, Gramsci, Eagleton, Adorno, Benjamin, Bloch, Lefebvre, Lukacs and Jameson. At the same time, through careful choice of critics, the book will function as a general introduction to Marxist literary theory as a whole in relation to biblical studies. Throughout the aim is to show how this material is relevant to biblical criticism, in terms of both particular approaches to the Bible and the use of those approaches for interpreting selected texts from Genesis, Exodus, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Psalms and Daniel. This is volume 87 in the Biblical Seminar Series.
Contents
Introduction; 1. Louis Althusser: The Difficult Birth of Israel in Genesis; 2. Antonio Gramsci: The Emergence of the 'Prince' in Exodus; 3. Terry Eagleton: The Class Struggles of Ruth; 4. Henri Lefebvre: The Production of Space in 1 Samuel; 5. Georg Lukacs: The Contradictory World of Kings; 6. Ernst Bloch: Anti-Yahwism in Ezekiel; 7. Theodor Adorno: The Logic of Divine Justice in Isaiah; 8. Fredric Jameson: The Contradictions of Form in the Psalms; 9. Walter Benjamin: The Impossible Apocalyptic of Daniel; Conclusion: On the Question of Mode of Production