English 282
The Bible in Literature
Spring, 2000

Class Presentation

Assignment in brief: Make a short (10 to 12 min.) presentation to the class on a biblical figure important in art and or literature.

Suggested figures: I have in mind biblical figures who enter art and / or literature in some form richer or more complex than their bare biblical selves, around whom some later accretions of popular, artistic, or learned traditions have grown. Some possibilities include Noah, Satan, Eve, Moses, Jonah, Joseph (either the husband of Mary or Jacob's 11th son, he of the coat of many colors), David, Solomon, Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea (for the Arthurians), the Magi. These are only some suggestions; clearly there are many more pos- sibilities. I would prefer that you avoid Christ Himself as too rich and complex to be presented in so short a span.

Format: Prepare a hand-out which gives the following information:

  1. The biblical loci which serve as the source of the figure.
  2. A list of some prominent appearances of the figure in literature and/or art (pictures are always nice for class presentations).
  3. If possible, a list of some formative commentary on the figure.
  4. If you know how to prepart html text, I will post any material you choose on the English 282 WWW site.