Reduced laughter : : seriocomic features and their functions in the Book of Kings / / by Helen Paynter.

• Superior document: Biblical Interpretation Series, Volume 142
• VerfasserIn: Paynter, Helen,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, Netherlands ;, Boston, [Massachusetts] : : Brill,, 2016.; ©2016
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Language: English
• Series: Biblical interpretation series ; Volume 142.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (256 pages)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In this book Helen Paynter offers a radical re-evalution of the central section of Kings. Reading with attention to the literary devices of carnivalization and mirroring, she demonstrates that it contains a florid satire on kings, prophets and nations. Building on the work of humorists, literary critics and biblical scholars, the author constructs diagnostic criteria for carnivalization (seriocomedy), and identifies an abundance of these features within the Elijah/Elisha and Aram narratives, showing how literary mirroring further enhances their satirical effect. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars concerned with the Hebrew Bible as literature but will be valued by those who favour more historical approaches for its insights into the Hebrew text.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Some Unanswered Questions in the Book of Kings -- 3 Seriocomic Readings and the Mise-en-abyme: Useful Heuristics for Biblical Criticism? -- 4 An Investigation into the Seriocomic Elements at the Heart of Kings -- 5 Anti-prophetic Rhetoric -- 6 The Command-Prophecy Formula -- 7 Satire against Kings and Nations -- 8 Conclusion -- Appendix 1: The χ-squared Test Applied to Rendsburg’s Findings of Variant Linguistic Features in the Northern Narratives of Kings -- Appendix 2: Seriocomic Events of the Central Part of Kings, Itemised by Chapter -- Bibliography -- Index of Authorities -- Index of Biblical References -- Index of Subjects.