Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible
Robert Alter- ISBN: 0691128812, 9780691128818
- Page count: 208
- Published: 2010-02-28
- Format: Hardcover
- Publisher: Princeton University Press
- Language:
- Author: Robert Alter
America was often self-molded as a "new Israel", a fact seen by the Canaanite place-names which dot the Eastern shores. A historically biblically-literate people, the King James Version Bible has woven its way into American literature not only through direct biblical allusions and quotes, but also through its poetic style. Taking the formal quotes of classic American literature and comparing them to quotes and stylistically-similar passages from the 1611 KJV, Robert Atler admits he may be over-reaching in some of his associations; however, it's a fascinating premise that plays out as he examines the unique stylistic rhetoric found within Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner, Seize the Day by Saul Bellow, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. 198 pages, hardcover with dust jacket.
Please Note: While this book deals with the KJV 1611 version in literature, it does not always reflect current conservative opinions on issues such as a literal creation.
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