Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN: | 9780884143833 088414383X 9781628372472 (pbk. : alk. paper)
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Notes: | Includes bibliographical references and index. Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
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Summary: | The Song of Songs contains some of the most exquisite yet enigmatic poetry in the Hebrew Bible. One of the chief difficulties in interpreting the Song's lyrics is the unusual imagery used to depict the lovers' bodies. Why is the maiden's hair compared to a flock of goats (4:1), the man's cheeks likened to garden beds of spice (5:13), and the eyes of both lovers described as doves (4:1, 5:12)? While scholars speculate on the significance of these symbols, a systematic inquiry into the Song's body metaphors is curiously absent. Based on insights from cognitive linguistics, this study incorporates biblical and comparative data to uncover the meaning of these metaphors, surveying literature in the eastern Mediterranean (and beyond) that shares a similar form (poetry) and theme (love). Gault examines the extent of universal themes and culturally specific variations within these literary works, thus shedding light on the perception of beauty in Israel and its relationship to surrounding cultures.
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Other form: | Print version: Gault, Brian P., author. Body as landscape, love as intoxication Atlanta : SBL Press, 2019 9781628372472
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