The Bible and English Literature

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

In Western cultures, no single volume has inspired as much creative work - and as wide a range of creative responses - as the Bible. The study of the Bible in turn deeply influenced the discipline of literary studies, as ways of reading and interpreting the Bible gave rise to practices of literary interpretation. In this course, you'll have the opportunity to participate in centuries-old traditions of discussing, interpreting, and responding creatively to biblical texts. We will read key narratives from the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament alongside literary adaptations and interpretations by authors including William Shakespeare, Robert Southwell, Mary Sidney, George Herbert, John Milton, Emily Dickinson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, A.E. Housman, T.S. Eliot, Martin Luther King, George Oppen, Marilynne Robinson, Dawn Karima Pettigrew, and Lucille Clifton, among others. Written assessments will include responses to our readings and analytical essays. There will also be a creative option for the course's final written project.