Jephthah's Daughter as Object of Desire or Feminist Icon

Abstract

AbstractThe narrative of Jephthah and his daughter (Judg. 10:6-12:7) has inspired approximately five hundred artistic treatments throughout history. In this article, I investigate two works of fiction from the twentieth century: Richardt Gandrup's Jeftas Datter (1922) and Naomi Ragen's Jephte's Daughter (1989). My main purpose is to see how these pieces of literature deal with the issue of violence by engaging in dialogue with the biblical tradition. On the basis of a narratological analysis, I discuss these works in terms of their strategies for interpreting the biblical text and of their impact on society.