Novelists As Interpreters Of Genesis

Abstract

Novelists as interpreters of Genesis-of course the author of the Railway Epic never claims to interpret Genesis: the connection is an indirect one, and it is Sjoberg who declares that she has found a key to the interpretation of Genesis 16 and 21 in this modern epic. But there are other novelists who relate directly to biblical characters, using them as protagonists in their own narratives in a creative and imaginative response to the stories and figures in Genesis. In The Genesis of Fiction Wright tries to reveal the extent to which authors he considers succeed in shedding new light on some aspects of the biblical text, a purpose which seems perhaps not entirely different from Sjoberg's ambitions. The retelling of biblical stories may have very little to do with the original narrative and its message: what we have is instead a vehicle for modern author's own ideas and concerns. Keywords: biblical stories; Genesis; interpreters; Lina Sjoberg; novelists; Terry R. Wright; The Genesis of Fiction