Major Essay: Biblical Retellings

Major Essay—50%
11:59pm Tuesday 10 November
Word Count: 2,500 -3000 words

Please write a final essay based on the topics listed for weeks 2-12. You may wish to make use of these questions as additional frames for your essays. Feel free to modify or combine suggestions in the week-by-week topics.

1. In many domains of traditional story, transformation is represented physically (as metamorphosis; as class mobility; as a revealing of true identity; and so on). Examine the moments of transformation in any pair of stories and consider what ideological effects are being produced and how.

Topic for week 2: Week 2: Biblical and Religious Narrative ‘In the religious and spiritual values of children’s books we begin to see what ultimate values, what sense of purpose and meaning, adult society wishes to pass on to its children.’ Evaluate this claim with reference to one of the following groups, or make your own combination from them. Where you think it relevant, make reference to more ‘conventional’ books of Bible stories for children. Primary Readings: Peter Dickinson and Michael Foreman, The City of Gold and Other Stories from the Old Testament, for ‘The Fall of Man’, ‘Babel’, and ‘The Fall of the City’ (*Primary Sources document) Other retellings of ‘The Fall’ and the story of Babel: Ted Hughes, Tales of the Early World (*Primary Sources document) Tales of Jonah and the Whale Various Jonah stories: Marcia Williams; John Ryan; Jim Forest and Len Munnik; Allison Reed (***you will need to source these from a library)

MUST BE REFERENCED: Secondary Reading: Stephens and McCallum, Retelling Stories, Chapter 2.