Summary
Harold Bloom, accompanying David Rosenberg's translation, argues that the biblical author known as J, traditionally dated to the tenth century BCE, was a literary genius on par with Homer, Shakespeare, and Tolstoy. Bloom's central, revolutionary idea is that J was likely a woman, and this book reclaims her as the Bible's first and greatest author, showcasing the grandeur of her creation.
The Book of J highlights J's unmatched powers of irony and characterization, evident in her deeply human portraits of biblical figures like Abram, Sarai, Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel, Joseph, Tamar, and Moses. Bloom emphasizes J's complex and unforgettable portrayal of God, or Yahweh, as a key element of her genius and a central aspect of the biblical narrative's power.
Key concepts
- J (biblical author) — The tenth-century BCE author of the first strand of Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers, whose literary stature Bloom compares to Homer, Shakespeare, and Tolstoy.
- Yahweh (portrayal by J) — God as depicted by the author J, characterized by complex and unforgettable human qualities, a central element of J's genius.
- Irony and Characterization (by J) — Unmatched powers attributed to J, demonstrated in her creation of vivid and human portraits of biblical figures.
- Abram and Sarai — Biblical figures whose portraits are cited as examples of J's genius in characterization.
- Rebecca — A biblical figure whose portrait exemplifies J's powers of irony and characterization.
From the book
Description: Scholars agree that the first strand in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers was written by an author whom they call J, who lived in the tenth century before Christ. In The Book of J, accompanying David Rosenberg's startling new translation, America's greatest literary critic, Harold Bloom, asserts that J was a writer of the stature of Homer, Shakespeare, and Tolstoy and puts forth the revolutionary idea that J was very likely a woman. J was a genius with unmatched powers of irony and characterization, as shown in her unforgettable and very human portraits of Abram and Sarai, Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel, Joseph, Tamar, and Moses -- and, above all, God, or Yahweh. The Book of F reclaims the Bible's first and greatest author and presents us with the full grandeur of her creation. "From…
Snippet: The Book of F reclaims the Bible's first and greatest author and presents us with the full grandeur of her creation. "From the Trade Paperback edition.