The Hebrew Bible and New Testament have served many functions throughout their histories, including being  sources of artistic inspiration.  Since antiquity, people have produced expanded narratives drawing on the characters, stories, gaps, or contradictions found in biblical texts.  In this course we will examine this variety of these expanded narratives ("fictions") to ask what purposes (aesthetic, religious, political, and so forth) they may have served in the cultures in which they were produced. 

 

We will begin by exploring the history of the biblical texts themselves, and ask how a closed canon of sacred texts creates the opportunity (or even necessity) for ever more creative forms of interpretive "rewriting." We will then examine several different genres of biblical fiction from antiquity to the present: theatrical drama (plays and musical theater), prose (novels, satires, and graphic fiction), and cinematic production (movies and television) in order to explore the conceptual and technical concerns that emerge from the expansion of biblical texts. We will compare these biblical fictions with their "source texts" from the Bible, but also consider them as artistic productions located in particular cultural settings. For each genre (drama, prose, and cinema) we will look at excerpts and selections, and also consider one extensive example (a play, a novel, and a movie) together as a class (you can find details on the course syllabus and the assignments page).

 

Throughout the quarter we will be considering three main questions:

 

•  How and why have some people decided to "rewrite" and fill in portions of the Bible?

•  What sorts of "rewritings" are considered permissible and impermissible?

•  How do we draw the line between sacred literature and fictional narrative?

 

All three questions revolve around the always controversial issues of how to read the Bible, how to interpret the Bible, and what sorts of cultural boundaries we perceive to be erected around the Bible, who controls them, and who breaches them.

 

 


Familiarity with the structure and contents of the Bible (both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament) is strongly recommended before taking this class, preferably through an academic course of study.

 

Updated: The grade weights below reflect a correction to the previous numbers which did not add up to 100%. The numbers in red reflect the change. (October 14, 2008)

 

Final grades will be calculated based on the following criteria:

 

1. Participation (15%). Attendance in class is mandatory: more than four absences will result in a lowering of the participation grade. In addition, you are required to participate actively (i.e., out loud) in class discussions.

 

2. Three response papers (10% each; 30% total). For each full-length biblical fiction (one play, one novel, one movie) you are required to write a response paper in which you compare the biblical fiction with its "source text" and analyze how the fictional rewriting has adapted its source, and why. Specific details concerning content and format of the response papers can be found on the course website.

 

Note: Response papers are to be turned in at the beginning of the class period in which they are due.

 

3. Final project (55% total). You will write an analysis of any biblical fiction (not including the subjects of the three response papers). Suggestions for biblical fictions and guidelines for all component parts can be found on the website.

 

Note: students interested in completing a creative final project must consult with the professor before turning in an initial proposal.

 

Your final project grade will be based on the following components:

 

a. proposal (10%): A brief (1-2 page) write-up of the biblical fiction, which should include basic information about the fiction and the biblical passages upon which it is based. Due October 27.

 

b. presentation (20%): A five-minute presentation to the class in which you introduce your biblical fiction and give one clear, illustrative example of how it treats its source material. Dec. 1 and 3, with sign-up for times before Thanksgiving break. Note: Students may get some extra credit by presenting before Thanksgiving, on Wednesday, November 26.

 

c. paper (25%): Your full analysis of the biblical fiction you have chosen, at least 10 pages long (not including any illustrations, pages of lyrics, tables of comparison, etc.). Due to the professor's office by 2pm on Wednesday, December 10, 2008.

 

Note: There is no final exam for this class.

 


Books (available at UCR Bookstore):

 

John Kenneth Riches, The Bible: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000)

 

 

Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley, Salome: A Tragedy in One Act, tr. Lord Alfred Douglas (New York: Dover Publications, 1967)

 

 

Mark Twain, The Diaries of Adam and Eve (Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2000)

 

 

Manga Messiah (Tyndale Press, 2007)

 

 

Anita Diamant, The Red Tent (New York: Picador, 1998)

 

 

Photocopied readings are are marked with an asterisk (*) and are available through this course's Blackboard site ([link removed]), or through direct link on the course's syllabus page. Make sure you are already logged in to Blackboard before clicking those links.

 

Additional on-line readings: all online readings are available through the course website on the syllabus page.

 

It is also strongly suggested that you have a personal copy of the Bible; relevant biblical readings will be linked to an online version of the Bible from the website, but it is also helpful to have your own copy on hand for assignments and class discussions. Suggested study Bibles are listed on the course website.

Books (available at UCR Bookstore):

 

Suggested study Bibles are listed on the links & further resources page.

 

 

 


A course website has been set up for this class at:

 

[link removed]

 

All course assignments, requirements, and information (including links to online readings) can be found through this main course website. Announcements related to assignments, as well as links and various resources for the course, will be added throughout the quarter.

 

Additionally, a Blackboard site will be activated for this class (log-in through [link removed]). While most of the materials for this course are found through the main course website, the following will be found on the Blackboard site:

 

* readings marked with an asterisk [*] on the syllabus (although these are also available through the course website, if you have already logged into Blackboard)

* communications options (in case you want to email your fellow students)

* discussion boards (in case you want to continue discussion after class)

 

 

 


Mark your calendars now!

October 13:  

October 27:  

November 3:

November 12:  

November 26:

December 1-3:

December 10:

First response paper due in class

Final project proposal due in class

Second response paper due in class

Third response paper due in class

Project preview day: Early presentations by volunteers

Final project presentations in class

Final project papers due (to professor's office) by 2 pm