Reconstructing Literature in an Ideological Age: A Biblical Poetics and Literary Studies from Milton to BurkeWhile many literary scholars consider feminism, deconstruction, and multiculturalism new avenues to truth, other readers find that such prior ideological commitments distort literature. In Reconstructing Literature in an Ideological Age, Daniel E. Ritchie offers a "biblical poetics" as an alternative approach to ideological criticism, exploring how the Bible's own negotiations with language affect our view of literature, specifically with respect to older texts, gender issues, ethnic diversity, and the apparent arbitrariness of language itself. Focusing here on Restoration and eighteenth-century literature, Ritchie examines how a biblical poetics provides a basis for literary study in the texts of Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson, John Milton, Edmund Burke, and Alexander Pope, and he contrasts it to recent ideological approaches to these texts. Ritchie's biblical treatment of particular literary issues provides the basis for original historical research or literary interpretation often sharply at odds with current critical theories. |
Contents
Why Cant Gulliver Learn? | 21 |
Johnson Reading Literature | 71 |
Blessing and Naming in Genesis and Paradise Lost | 119 |
Copyright | |
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acceptance Adam Adam's Alexander Pope allegorical allusions ancients and moderns apocalyptic authority autonomy Battle believe Bible biblical poetics book of Revelation Brobdingnag Burke Burke's C. S. Lewis Calvin canon canon-makers chapter Christ Christian church Cibber common reader contemporary contrast creation critique culture deconstruction Derrida Dulness dunces Dunciad Edmund Burke essay Eve's evil faith feminism feminist Froula Genesis Gospel Gulliver Gulliver's Gulliver's Travels Hebrew hegemony Houyhnhnms human ideological criticism ideological multiculturalism India instance interpretation Jesus John Johnson's criticism Jonathan Swift knowledge learning literary study literature marriage meaning Milton moral multiculturalism multiculturalist nature Old Testament oppression Paradise Lost parallel Pentecost pleasure poem poetry poets political Pope Pope's Psalmanazar questions rational religion religious Revelation Samuel Johnson says scholars Scripture secular sermons significance structure suggests Swift sympathy Tale texts theory tradition true truth understanding University Press Viswanathan wisdom words writings