Women in Drag

Gender and Performance in the Hebrew Bible and Early Jewish Literature

From Jael’s tent peg to Judith’s sword, biblical interpreters have long recognized the power of the "lethal women" stories of the Hebrew Bible and related literature. The tales of Jael and Judith, female characters who assassinate enemy commanders, have fascinated artists, writers, and scholars for centuries, no doubt partly because of the gender of the characters doing the killing. Tamber-Rosenau presents the first systematic study, both text-centered and deeply engaged with a variety of queer-theoretical frameworks, of the motif of the woman-turned-warrior in ancient Jewish literature. Through analysis from queer-theoretical perspectives and comparison with Ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman literature, Women in Drag shines new light on three strong female characters from the Hebrew Bible and the early days of Jewish literature.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC

SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-0716-8

Formats

Publication Status: In Print

Series: Biblical Intersections 16

Publication Date: Nov 2,2018

Interior Color: Black

Trim Size: 6 x 9

Page Count: 294

Language: English

ISBN: 978-1-4632-0716-8

Price: $114.95

Your price: $68.97

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From Jael’s tent peg to Judith’s sword, biblical interpreters have long recognized the power of the "lethal women" stories of the Hebrew Bible and related literature. The tales of Jael and Judith, female characters who assassinate enemy commanders, have fascinated artists, writers, and scholars for centuries, no doubt partly because of the gender of the characters doing the killing. Tamber-Rosenau presents the first systematic study, both text-centered and deeply engaged with a variety of queer-theoretical frameworks, of the motif of the woman-turned-warrior in ancient Jewish literature. Through analysis from queer-theoretical perspectives and comparison with Ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman literature, Women in Drag shines new light on three strong female characters from the Hebrew Bible and the early days of Jewish literature.

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From Jael’s tent peg to Judith’s sword, biblical interpreters have long recognized the power of the "lethal women" stories of the Hebrew Bible and related literature. The tales of Jael and Judith, female characters who assassinate enemy commanders, have fascinated artists, writers, and scholars for centuries, no doubt partly because of the gender of the characters doing the killing. Tamber-Rosenau presents the first systematic study, both text-centered and deeply engaged with a variety of queer-theoretical frameworks, of the motif of the woman-turned-warrior in ancient Jewish literature. Through analysis from queer-theoretical perspectives and comparison with Ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman literature, Women in Drag shines new light on three strong female characters from the Hebrew Bible and the early days of Jewish literature.

"Tamber-Rosenau does not shy away from discussing major methodological issues in queer and biblical studies.Whereas some writers might have allowed such issues to go unmentioned or—at the opposite extreme—to cannibalize the work, Tamber-Rosenau treats them in admirably precise yet responsible fashion. The notes in question illustrate the extent to which she adopts a refined and thoughtful approach to her topic. The prose is fluid and animated by pop culture references, and the textual discussions are highly accessible. One need not hesitate in recommending this volume to readers beyond the fields of biblical and Jewish studies. Women in Drag is a strong and welcome contribution to queer theoretical studies on the Hebrew Bible and early Jewish literature. It is full of encouraging signs that such approaches to these corpora will continue to grow and develop, and it establishes Tamber-Rosenau’s position as an exemplary voice in the field."

- Madadh Richey, RBL, 2020

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	Contributor	Biography
	Caryn Tamber-Rosenau	Caryn Tamber-Rosenau is Instructional Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at University of Houston. She holds a Ph.D. in Religion (Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel) from Vanderbilt University.

Table of Contents (v)
Acknowledgments (vii)
Chapter One. Introduction (1)
Scope (5)
Methodology (9)
Liminality (23)
Conclusion and Prospect (27)
Chapter Two. Striking Women in Ancient Mediterranean Literature (29)
Making Cross-cultural Literary Comparisons (29)
Scope and Content of Comparisons (35)
Goddess Comparisons (38)
Anat (42)
Paghit (53)
Shaushka (56)
Amazons (59)
Athena (66)
Artemis (73)
Clytemnestra (77)
Conclusion (87)
Chapter Three. Penetrating Looks: Gender and the Tent-Peg Assassin (Judges 4–5) (91)
The Preparation (97)
The Act (106)
The Aftermath (112)
Jael through the Lens of Queer Theory (118)
Chapter Four. A Cut Above: The Exemplary Jewess and Her Feminine Performance (The Book of Judith) (131)
The Preparation (135)
The Act (163)
The Aftermath (169)
Judith through the Lens of Queer Theory (178)
Chapter Five. Hammering It Home: The Refigured Tent-Dweller and Her Deadly Performance (Biblical Antiquities 31) (197)
The Preparation (204)
The Act (215)
The Aftermath (218)
Pseudo-Philo’s Jael through the Lens of Queer Theory (221)
Chapter Six. Conclusion (227)
Future Directions (230)
Women in Drag (231)
Jael in the Book of Judges: Mother, Seductress, Killer (231)
Judith: How to Get a Head Using High-Femme Drag (233)
The Second Jael: Motherhood and Sex, Made Explicit (236)
Bibliography (239)
Index (263)

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