Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis

by Howard Schwartz

Book Overview

Reimagining the Bible collects a dozen essays by Howard Schwartz. Together the essays present a coherent theory of the way in which each successive phase of Jewish literature has drawn upon and reimagined the previous ones. The book is organized into four sections: The Ancient Models; The Folk Tradition; Mythic Echoes; and Modern Jewish Literature and the Ancient Models. Within these divisions, each of the essays focuses on a specific genre, ranging...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195115112
• ISBN13: 9780195115116
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Luminous

I read this book in one sitting, snowed in at the Boston Greyhound station. It's a tribute to Schwartz's clean writing and thorough knowledge of Jewish folklore that I remember that night as one of my best. Schwartz traces how Biblical imagery and themes have been expressed through Jewish folklore, religious writings, and literature, and leaves the reader with an appreciation for the spiritual content of children's stories. As a folklore enthusiast, I've also found that this book has provided a better context for understanding the wonderful stories collected in Schwartz's many other collections of stories.