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Robinson Crusoe as narrative theologian

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From: Renascence
Date: 19970101
Author:Daniel E Ritchie

DANIEL Defoe's three volumes of Robinson Crusoe (1719-20) appeared at a time of great change in biblical hermeneutics. As described by one of the founders of "narrative theology," Hans Frei, western reading of the Bible up to the eighteenth century was "strongly realistic, i.e., at once literal and historical, not only doctrinal or edifying" (Eclipse 1). Under the pressure of the historical-critical method, however, historical readings of Scripture began to split apart from the "edifying" ones. I hope to show that Defoe's volumes reflect both the earlier, unified reading of Scripture, and the ...

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