Are We Amused? - (Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) by Athalya Brenner-Idan (Paperback)

About the Book

Essays on women, men, gender roles and humor as social critique.

Book Synopsis

Biblical humor about women and gender remains elusive for many readers, for its recognition may imply the realization that it's a cruel and disrespectful humor, ridicule rather than good-natured fun. But viewing humor as social critique, as is largely done in the essays in this volume, with respect to both the texts read and their actual or implied author, may be fun as well as significant for understanding the biblical worlds. As most of the essays show, writing about women is writing about men as well. In other words, it is writing about gender roles. The critique of women, womanhood and femaleness implied by biblical and related texts serves, in equal measure, as a critique of men, manhood and maleness in the texts, of the texts authors, and of the texts' commentators and readers.

Contributors include Scott Spencer, Mary Shields, Kathleen O'Connor, Toni Craven, Kathy Williams, Athalya Brenner, Gale Yee, Amy-Jill Levine, and Esther Fuchs.

Review Quotes

""This volume deals with humor about women. The author asks: Is this humor really funny, or is it demeaning? Might we have missed humor by reading some stories too seriously?... This fine book will be of interest to a wide audience."- The Bible Today, January/ February 2006" --Bible Today, The

About the Author

Athalya Brenner is Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Amsterdam, and Rosalyn and Manny Rosenthal Distinguished Professor-in-Residence of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, Texas.