Chapter 6: …Or The Bible
Who would've thought that even the Bible would have any influence on some of the literature that was and still is being produced today. Before reading this chapter I was automatically intrigued by the title”…Or The Bible.” I was thinking to myself why would Foster name this chapter that so I immediately starting reading the chapter to feed my curiosity. Before reading the chapter I didn't realize how much the Bible was so important to literature. Throughout chapter six of How To Read Literature Like A Professor Foster explains how important the bible is to literature. For example Foster uses Beloved written by Toni Morrison as an representation of a piece of literature that has Biblical influence. Foster explains that when “the four horseman” arrive to Sethe’s house in Ohio it was a representation of Judgement day or the Apocalypse causing Sethe to act the way she does. Foster doesn't just use the book Beloved to show Biblical connections with literature he also uses many more books to get the point across of how the Bible is important to literature.
After reading this chapter it made me realize that most of the books that I have read in the past have some type of Biblical tie to it. I never really realize this until after I fully analyzed the book that I was reading. Once I finished reading this chapter one book came to mind instantly, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This book is a great representation of how the Bible can have an influence on literature. In this book Edmund struggles with the sin of gluttony. He struggles with consuming so much of the Turkish Delight even after the witch has left. This idea of Edmund eating the Turkish Delight could also connect with Adam and Eve when they were in the Garden of Eden. They began eating the forbidden fruit causing God to punish them. Another connection to the Bible would be the lion Aslan. Aslan is a great representation of Christ. In the book Aslan died to save Edmund’s life and then was later resurrected. As a believer I made the connection with Aslan and God instantly. Just as Aslan died to save Edmund’s life so did Christ to save our lives and wash us of our sins, and in the end they both resurrected. Towards the end of the book there was a war between the White Witch and Aslan. This war that took place between these two opponents can represent a spiritual warfare. Before the war even started Aslan breathes over them to prepare them for the battle that was about to take place. With Aslan breathing over this warriors it can represent God speaking over his disciples. There are so many biblical representations throughout this story and even through other of C.S. Lewis’s books.
This book is only one of many representations of literature that have biblical connections to them. Biblical connections are something very common in literature and it allows the reader to understand the literature on a deeper level.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/books/review/the-book-of-books-what-literature-owes-the-bible.html?_r=0
