Author

Publication

2000-04-03 - University of California Press

Language

English

Word Count

55,500 words, Guess

Page Count

222 pages

Physical Format

Hardcover

Identifiers

and 4 more

Classifications

  • LCCBS1225.5 .P37 2000

Description

"In her exploration of national imagination in the Bible, Pardes highlights the textual manifestations of the metaphor, the many anthropomorphisms by which a collective character named "Israel" springs to life. She explores the representation of communal motives, hidden desires, collective anxieties, the drama and suspense embedded in each phase of the nation's life: from birth in exile, to suckling in the wilderness, to a long process of maturation that has no definite end. In the Bible, Pardes suggests, history and literature go hand in hand more explicitly than in modern historiography, which is why the Bible serves as a paradigmatic case for examining the narrative base of national constructions." "This portrayal of the history of ancient Israel will be of interest to anyone interested in the Bible, in the interrelations of literature and history, in nationhood, in feminist thought, and in psychoanalysis."--BOOK JACKET.

First Sentence

In a grand annunciation scene, hovering between dream and revelation, God leads Abraham outdoors and says, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them....

Subjects

Other Editions

  • The Biography of Ancient Israel: National Narratives in the Bible (Contraversions, 14)HardcoverUniversity of California Press2000-04-03

Similar Books

Reader Reviews

No reviews yet for this book.

Be the first to share your thoughts!