AN-372.60
ANN-312.21, ZB-J11, ZAN-KS02.04, AN-312.21, AKN-312.21, ANN-372.60, AKN-372.60
The Bible and Literature: Northrop Frye's Theory (Az irodalom és a Biblia: N. Frye elmélete) in autumn 2004
Kenyeres János, Wed 13:30–15:00, ADS 341, host: DES (R338)
description & set texts
The aim of this course is to investigate ways of the continuing cultural influence of the Bible upon the imaginative tradition of Western art and literature. The seminars are intended to explore Northrop Frye's theory of language, myth, metaphor and typology. Frye summarised briefly what he thought was a particular feature of his criticism: “In a sense all my critical work, beginning with a study of William Blake published in 1947, and formulated later in Anatomy of Criticism, has revolved around the Bible.” Frye, who was ordained in the United Church of Canada in 1936, never detached his interest and scope of study from aspects in connection with the Bible and always seemed to be magnetised to Biblical themes and methods throughout his life, whether he studied Milton, Blake, Shakespeare or T.S. Eliot. Before his death in 1991, Frye claimed jokingly that he was an undercover agent for the United Church of Canada and, near the end of his life, with the publication of his books on the Bible, he “blows his cover purposely.” However, it is clear that he always remained an unbiased scholar. Northrop Frye, The Great Code: The Bible and Literature (San Diego: 1983); Northrop Frye, Myth and Metaphor: Selected Essays 1974-1988, ed. Robert Denham (Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1990); David Cayley, ed. Northrop Frye in Conversation (Anansi, 1992)
requirements & assessment