| Unit name | Rewriting the Bible |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL30129 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Cathy Hume |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will introduce students to a range of biblical literature, mainly written in English. No previous expertise in the Bible will be assumed. The aim of the unit will be to consider the limitations and possibilities of literature that rewrites a fixed text, and consider how and why writers created these adaptations. Students will explore a range of literary genres, such as drama, lyric and narrative poetry, and consider how and to what end biblical literature creates comedy, mystery and pathos. The treatment of gender, social class, racial and religious difference will be explored, as will questions of literary status and authority and audience. Wider cultural contexts including the agenda of the Church, lay religious practices, and the visual arts will also be explored. In any given teaching year, the unit may be focussed on a particular historical period (e.g. the Middle Ages). Students will compile a portfolio including close readings of some pieces of literature, reflections on secondary materials, and an abstract of their final essay, to promote engagement across the course and give some formative feedback, before exploring a question in depth in their final essay.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. compare the Bible with literary adaptations of biblical material;
2. analyse biblical literature, paying attention to its literary qualities, political and didactic aims, and intended audience;
3. apply an understanding of social, historical and cultural contexts to their analysis;
4. identify and present pertinent evidence to develop a cogent argument appropriate to level H;
5. demonstrate skills in textual analysis, argumentation, and critical interpretation, using evidence from primary texts and secondary sources.
1 x 2-hour seminar per week
One 2000 word portfolio (40%) [ILOs 1-2]
One 3000 word summative essay (60%) [ILOs 2-5]
The 'Douai-Rheims Bible (1840)'
Medieval Drama, ed. David Bevington (1975)
Works of the Gawain-Poet, ed. Myra Stokes and Ad Putter (2014)
Rebecca Lemon (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to the Bible in Literature (2009)
Christopher de Hamel, The Book: A History of the Bible (2001)
