The Jewish Novel in the Ancient WorldLawrence M. Wills here traces the literary evolution of popular Jewish narratives written during the period 200 B.C.E.-100 C.E. In many ways, these narratives were similar to Greek and Roman novels of the same era, as well as to popular novels of indigenous people within the Roman Empire. Yet as a group they demonstrated a variety of novelistic innovations: the inclusion of adventurous episodes; passages of description and of dialogue; concern with psychological. Motivation; and the introduction of female characters. Wills focuses on five novels: Greek Esther, Greek Daniel, Judith, Tobit, and Joseph and Aseneth. Drawing on a wide range of theoretical works, he delineates the techniques and motifs of the Jewish novel, shows how genre both initiated and distanced itself from nonfictional prose, such as historical and philosophical writing, discusses its relation to Greco-Roman romance, and describes the social conditions governing its emergence and reception. He also places the novels in historical context, between the Hebrew Bible on the one hand and subsequent developments in Jewish and Christian literature on the other. Wills sees the Jewish novel as a popular form of writing that provided amusement for an expanding audience of Jewish entrepreneurs, merchants, and bureaucrats. In an important sense, he maintains, it was a product of the "novelistic impulse," the impulse to transfer oral stories to a written medium and to reach a more literate audience. |
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... writing from the publisher . For information , address Cornell University Press , Sage House , 512 East State Street , Ithaca , New York 14850 . First published 1995 by Cornell University Press . Printed in the United States of America ...
... writing from the publisher . For information , address Cornell University Press , Sage House , 512 East State Street , Ithaca , New York 14850 . First published 1995 by Cornell University Press . Printed in the United States of America ...
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Contents
From Legend to Novel | 40 |
Tobit as Tale and Novel | 68 |
Esther and Greek Esther | 93 |
The Judith Novel | 132 |
Joseph and Aseneth and the Joseph Tradition | 158 |
Jewish Historical Novels | 185 |
The Analysis of Genre and the Poetics of the Jewish Novel | 212 |
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addition Adiabene Ahikar Alexander Romance appears Assyria audience Bakhtin Bible biblical Bickerman Book of Esther Book of Judith Book of Tobit century B.C.E. chapter character Christian court narratives culture Daniel death depiction Diaspora Dragon emotional episodes female fiction focus folktales Genesis genre Greco-Roman Greek Esther Greek novels Greek Romance Haman Hebrew Esther Hellenistic hero heroine historical novel Holofernes introduced Israel Jerusalem Jewish Literature Jewish novels Jews Joseph and Aseneth Joseph story Judaism Judith king later legends literary Maccabean Maccabean Revolt male modern Mordecai motifs myth Nebuchadnezzar Nickelsburg Niditch noted novelistic impulse novelistic literature Onias oral parallel period Persian plot Poetics popular prayer protagonist reader reflect relationship ritual role Sarah satirical scene scholars Second Maccabees sexual similar social structure suggests Susanna temple Testament of Abraham Testament of Joseph theme Third Maccabees tion Tobiad Tobiad Romance tradition woman women writing written