Are bible stories literature?

[mal4mac]

Do a search for "bible stories" on amazon and you get back 58 000 results. Are any of these collections good enough to be called literature?

[El Viejo]

There are various ways to critique Bible Stories. Are you interested in conveying the content of the Bible to children--a rewrite in simpler language, or are you interested in conveying a particular interpretation of the Bible to children--a Catechism approach, or are you interested in entertainment based on the Bible that doesn't necessarily stick to the script (a Disney-ish retelling, as it were), or something else? Not that I could direct you anywhere with the information, but if you know what you want to accomplish with the stories it'll be easier to winnow what you want out of the 58,000 choices before you.

You'll still end up having to read them yourself first.

EV

[JCamilo]

You have already a similar thread and it was dealt, they are literature (Being good is not definition of literature) of various form.
The question is almost too silly, how come a BOOK is not literature, mostly one of the most influential books of all time (and not because of the religious content).

[gbrekken]

read them and get back to us.

[Virgil]

Originally Posted by gbrekken

read them and get back to us.

Very good!!

[glover7]

Originally Posted by mal4mac

Do a search for "bible stories" on amazon and you get back 58 000 results. Are any of these collections good enough to be called literature?

It's interesting that you pose this question, since I've noticed from some posts that you're an avid proponent of Bloom and his canon. I'm not.

But I can tell you that Kermode, a highly regarded literary critic, took the work considered most canonical in English literature, the book of Mark, and used it for analysis. So, by common opinion, biblical stories are certainly "canonical literature."

[mal4mac]

Originally Posted by glover7

It's interesting that you pose this question, since I've noticed from some posts that you're an avid proponent of Bloom and his canon. I'm not.

But I can tell you that Kermode, a highly regarded literary critic, took the work considered most canonical in English literature, the book of Mark, and used it for analysis. So, by common opinion, biblical stories are certainly "canonical literature."

"Everything he says ... is worth reading" Frank Kermode on Harold Bloom.

Kermode's analysis of Mark sounds interesting, do you have a reference?

Not all of the Bible is judged to be canonical by all critics. For instance, Bloom says that a light abridgment ("Testament") contains everything of literary worth. He kind of implies it (still!) contains a lot that isn't much worth reading, though, which is also my experience. So I guess I'm looking for a better abridgement (or re-telling). I'm not prepared to read 58 000 books to find it though

[Drkshadow03]

Originally Posted by mal4mac

"Everything he says ... is worth reading" Frank Kermode on Harold Bloom.

Kermode's analysis of Mark sounds interesting, do you have a reference?

Not all of the Bible is judged to be canonical by all critics. For instance, Bloom says that a light abridgment ("Testament") contains everything of literary worth. He kind of implies it (still!) contains a lot that isn't much worth reading, though, which is also my experience. So I guess I'm looking for a better abridgement (or re-telling). I'm not prepared to read 58 000 books to find it though

You should just grit your teeth and read the whole thing. There is no substitute for doing that. You never know what obscure bit from the Bible a literary/art work will make reference to.

But seriously, just enjoy it. You'd perhaps be better off purchasing a book that can give you guidelines on how to read the Bible.

[glover7]

Originally Posted by mal4mac

"Everything he says ... is worth reading" Frank Kermode on Harold Bloom.

Kermode's analysis of Mark sounds interesting, do you have a reference?

Not all of the Bible is judged to be canonical by all critics. For instance, Bloom says that a light abridgment ("Testament") contains everything of literary worth. He kind of implies it (still!) contains a lot that isn't much worth reading, though, which is also my experience. So I guess I'm looking for a better abridgement (or re-telling). I'm not prepared to read 58 000 books to find it though

Just because I reference Kermode doesn't mean I necessarily agree with all of his politics

For the analysis, check out A Genesis of Secrecy. It's a series of lectures transcribed by his students, I believe.