The Hebrew Bible in American Literature

Dear Colleagues,

The narrative of the ancient Israelites’ journey into Canaan informed the ideologies of early American Puritans like William Bradford and John Winthrop; they viewed their pilgrimage as a modern-day exodus into the Promised Land. The special influence the Hebrew Bible has had on American writings and ideals would continue over the centuries. While regularly informing American religious writings, the Hebrew Bible would also influence American fiction. From Melville’s to Flannery O’Connor’s prophets, the Hebrew Bible has shaped American literature.

Religions (Special Issue: The Hebrew Bible in American Literature) welcomes contributions that highlight Hebrew Bible influences or theological concepts in works of American literature. Special emphasis will be placed on ways in which Old Testament poetry, prose, characters, or concepts inform or foster a deeper understanding of American poetry, prose, and other writings. We also seek scholarship that explores biblical roots in American literary mythologies. Though solid inroads have been made in the study of the Bible and American literature by late 20th and early 21st scholars (Northrop Frye, Frank Kermode, Sacvan Berkovitch, Vincent Wimbush, Robert Alter, Jonathon A. Cook, etc.), the Hebrew Bible in American Literature discussion has room for growth. New scholarship grounded in both biblical and American literary research will effectively develop and enrich the existing literature.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas could include (but are not limited to) the following:

• How have biblical themes or figures shaped works of 19th century American literature and identity?
• How are Hebrew Bible concepts of theodicy represented in 20th or 21st century literature?
• What biblical Hebrew themes or patterns emerge in 19th and 20th century African American texts?
• How do literary treatments of righteous war or violence in novels or poetry challenge (or reinforce) representations of righteous war in the Hebrew Bible?
• How is the tension between politics and religion (for example, balancing adherence to a deity with the practical realities of governing in texts such as 1 and 2 Samuel) represented in American literature?
• In what ways might the Hebrew Bible inform colonial or post-colonial American literature?
• What role do Hebrew Bible themes play in American literature that engages with despair?

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 100–150 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Dr. Fay Ellwood ([email protected]), and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Joyce Xi ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for the purposes of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Fay Ellwood
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• American
• literature
• theology
• Hebrew Bible
• Old Testament
• poetry
• novel
• story
• narrative