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A review by leswag97
The Bible and the Comic Vision by J. William Whedbee
4.0
In this book, J. William Whedbee re-examines familiar biblical texts through the lens of the comic vision—specifically, the books of Genesis (chs. 1 and 2), Exodus and Esther (ch. 3), Jonah (ch. 4), Job, (ch. 5), and the Song of Songs (ch. 6). According to Whedbee, comedy is characterized by a "U-shaped" plot-line; includes conventional comedic characters (like the trickster or the fool); utilizes wordplay, hyperbole, parody, etc.; and functions to either subvert or celebrate (6-11).
Whedbee does a fine job of looking afresh at biblical narratives and poems in light of comedy, and many of his points and insights are surprisingly convincing. His section on the Book of Job as comedy is undoubtedly the strongest chapter in the book—and likely because such an argument is, on the face of it, an uphill battle. The comic readings of Esther and Jonah are the easiest to accept, and I appreciated his unified treatment of Exodus and Esther together as "comedies of deliverance." I am less convinced by his argument for reading Genesis 1-11 as comedy. While the "drive to life" can indeed be found throughout these chapters, in my opinion, Genesis 1-11 does not have as much of a "U-shaped" plot-line as Whedbee thinks it does. On the other hand, Genesis 12-50 is riddled with comedy and comic figures, and ends on a high note.
I found Whedbee's treatment of this topic to be much more convincing and thought-provoking than both Conrad Hyers' [b:And God Created Laughter: The Bible as Divine Comedy|484278|And God Created Laughter The Bible as Divine Comedy|Conrad Hyers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348548928l/484278._SY75_.jpg|472598] and Radday and Brenner's edited volume [b:On Humour and the Comic in the Hebrew Bible|15493119|On Humour and the Comic in the Hebrew Bible|Athalya Brenner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677805146l/15493119._SY75_.jpg|3390589]. I would recommend reading Whedbee's book over (or at least before) the other two (though Hyers' book is probably the most approachable and accessible of the three). All in all, Whedbee makes an excellent case for reading the Hebrew Bible as a comedy. Many readers might be tempted to label the Bible (or at least large portions of it) a tragedy, and Whedbee frequently draws attention to the interrelatedness of tragedy and comedy; the tragic and the comic are two sides of the same coin, but Whedbee ultimately finds that in the Hebrew Bible comedy has the last word.
Whedbee does a fine job of looking afresh at biblical narratives and poems in light of comedy, and many of his points and insights are surprisingly convincing. His section on the Book of Job as comedy is undoubtedly the strongest chapter in the book—and likely because such an argument is, on the face of it, an uphill battle. The comic readings of Esther and Jonah are the easiest to accept, and I appreciated his unified treatment of Exodus and Esther together as "comedies of deliverance." I am less convinced by his argument for reading Genesis 1-11 as comedy. While the "drive to life" can indeed be found throughout these chapters, in my opinion, Genesis 1-11 does not have as much of a "U-shaped" plot-line as Whedbee thinks it does. On the other hand, Genesis 12-50 is riddled with comedy and comic figures, and ends on a high note.
I found Whedbee's treatment of this topic to be much more convincing and thought-provoking than both Conrad Hyers' [b:And God Created Laughter: The Bible as Divine Comedy|484278|And God Created Laughter The Bible as Divine Comedy|Conrad Hyers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348548928l/484278._SY75_.jpg|472598] and Radday and Brenner's edited volume [b:On Humour and the Comic in the Hebrew Bible|15493119|On Humour and the Comic in the Hebrew Bible|Athalya Brenner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677805146l/15493119._SY75_.jpg|3390589]. I would recommend reading Whedbee's book over (or at least before) the other two (though Hyers' book is probably the most approachable and accessible of the three). All in all, Whedbee makes an excellent case for reading the Hebrew Bible as a comedy. Many readers might be tempted to label the Bible (or at least large portions of it) a tragedy, and Whedbee frequently draws attention to the interrelatedness of tragedy and comedy; the tragic and the comic are two sides of the same coin, but Whedbee ultimately finds that in the Hebrew Bible comedy has the last word.