Bakhtin's carnival and the Gospel of Luke
Part of a larger project that explores narrative strategy in the Gospel of Luke using Bakhtinian thought, this article explores this text in the light of a possible carnivalesque involvement. A description of Bakhtin’s understanding of carnival and its impact on literature is given, the focus being...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
NTWSA
2006
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| In: |
Neotestamentica
Year: 2006, Volume: 40, Issue: 1, Pages: 35-60 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Part of a larger project that explores narrative strategy in the Gospel of Luke using Bakhtinian thought, this article explores this text in the light of a possible carnivalesque involvement. A description of Bakhtin’s understanding of carnival and its impact on literature is given, the focus being on the Graeco-Roman era in which the Gospel first appeared. The Socratic Dialogue and the Menippea, two genres of that period, feature prominently in Bakhtin’s description of his theory. He places early Christian writing within this orbit. On applying this theory to the Gospel of Luke it was found that the latter is thoroughly carnivalized, making use of the dialogising tool of both syncrisis and anacrisis in the presentation of various scenes as well as in Jesus’ teaching. Furthermore, the plot of the narrative embodies the movement of birth, life, death and rebirth, which is the movement of carnival. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan are shown to be carnivalistic doubles of the world: utopian and parodic alternatives. Jesus, as the Menippean hero, embodies the concept of the coming kingdom of God, his integrity, which withstands all assaults on his person, spelling out a victory for that concept. |
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| ISSN: | 2518-4628 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.10520/EJC83233 |