The Good Book: Reading the Bible as Literature

The Bible is the most widely read book in history and its influence on English literature cannot be overstated. It is—for better or worse—in the background of almost everything. This course is an entirely secular, non-theological introduction to the literary study of the Bible as collection of narratives, poems, letters, fables, myths, proverbs. We will look at issues of its translation into English and some of the fascinating interpretive problems specific to the Biblical texts. (We will not be reading the entire Bible.) No background required.