The Bible in the American Short Story

by Cushing Stahlberg, Lesleigh; Hawkins, Peter S.; Mason, Emma; Knight, Mark

• ISBN13: 9781474237161
• ISBN10: 1474237169
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2017-08-10
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

The Bible in the American Short Story examines Biblical influences in the post-World War II American short story. In a series of accessible chapters, Lesleigh Cushing Stahlberg and Peter S. Hawkins pair close-readings of short stories by leading contemporary writers such as Flannery O'Connor, Philip Roth, Tobias Wolff and Julia Valdez Quade with examinations of the biblical passages that they reference. Exploring episodes from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament and both Jewish and Christian heritages, this book is an important contribution to understanding the influence of the Bible in contemporary literature.

Author Biography

Lesleigh Cushing Stahlberg is Associate Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies at Colgate University, USA. She is co-editor of Scrolls of Love: Ruth and the Song of Songs, as well as articles on the Bible in literature and contemporary culture.

Peter S. Hawkins is Professor of Religion and Literature at Yale University Divinity School and the Institute of Sacred Music, Worship and the Arts, USA. His previous books include Dante's Testaments: Essays in Scriptural Imagination and The Poet's Dante: Twentieth-Century Responses.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Exodus / John J. Clayton, “The Contract”
2. Joshua 5 (and Genesis 17) / Max Apple, “The Eighth Day”
3. Samuel / Steven Millhauser, “A Voice in the Night”
4. Daniel / Flannery O'Connor, “Circle in the Fire”
5. Jonah / Allegra Goodman, “And Also Much Cattle”
6. Hosea / Bernard Malamud, “The Magic Barrel”
7. Matthew / Philip Roth, “Conversion of the Jews”
8. Prodigal Son (and Cain and Abel) / Tobias Wolff, “The Rich Brother”
9. Passion Story / Julia Valdez Quade, “Five Wounds”
10. Paul on the Road to Damascus / Nathan Englander, “The Gilgul of Park Avenue”
Bibliography
Index