Bringing old stories to life

Last month we blogged about the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible in 1611.

In addition to the television programmes and books which have come out in the UK this year, there has been a conference at the University of Sheffield which looked at the impact of this famous text on education today.

Delegates and lecturers expressed the very real concern that students were hampered in their studies because of unfamiliarity with biblical stories and language. And the question was raised: When there is so much to catch up with, where can you start?

Experience it live

If you live near enough to Oxford and can carve out some time THIS WEEK, a lively way of getting to grips with some of the Bible’s contents is to attend a performance of Tales from King James, by Creation Theatre Company (http://www.creationtheatre.co.uk/show-one/tales-from-king-james). Performed, appropriately enough, in St Barnabas’ Church in the Jericho area of the city, the cast use a combination of modern and Jacobean text to portray some of the biblical events in a modern context.

As Oxford’s Daily Info review puts it:

‘In their quirky condensed version of the Bible, Creation treat the audience to a whistle-stop tour of the famous book’s most marvellous stories and breathe new life into such well-known tales as Jonah and the whale, Noah’s Ark and Moses’ parting of the Red Sea.

As well as making the stories accessible to those unversed in the Old Testament, the seamless blend of old and new shows the prevalence of the language of the Bible in modern day secular life. As characters contemplate ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ or ponder ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’ the audience is reminded how the teachings of the Bible live on today in all strands of society.’

Boost your knowledge online

Don’t despair if you can’t get to Oxford. Crossref-it.info has all sorts of easy ways to get familiar with the stuff you need to know from the Bible. Check out the A - Z Glossary tab on the home page for speedy access to:

• Famous stories from the Bible
• Common sayings from the Bible
• A handy list of the key events in each book of the Bible (66 in all).

Of course there’s much more, but don’t let that daunt you – just make a start.

Whatever your personal attitude to the Bible, it has had a profound impact on literature down the centuries. Anyone who is serious about enjoying great writing cannot afford to ignore it.

Melvyn Bragg: The book that changed the world

Until next Saturday (19th March) you can catch this fascinating hour long programme on BBC iPlayer. Melvyn Bragg sets out to persuade us that the King James Bible has driven the making of the English speaking world over the last 400 years, often in the most unanticipated ways.

He travels to historic locations in the UK and USA where the King James Bible has had a deep impact, including Gettysburg and the American Civil War and Washington's Lincoln Memorial, site of Martin Luther King's famous speech.

He argues that while many think our modern world is founded on secular ideals, it is the King James Version which had a greater legacy. The King James Bible not only influenced the English language and its literature more than any other book, it was also the seedbed of western democracy, the activator of radical shifts in society such as the abolition of the slave trade, the debating dynamite for brutal civil wars in Britain and America and a critical spark in the genesis of modern science.

If you are studying English, the opening sections are particularly useful in relating some of Shakespeare’s ideas to their scriptural background.

Crossref-it.info will fill in the other gaps!

The status of girls

Fighting for their rights

Mass demonstrations in Egypt. Our screens are filled with men and women demanding that their democratic rights are actually reflected in the way their country is governed. These are remarkable scenes, but all the more so when you realise that just 60 years ago there would have been no women involved, because before 1956, Egyptian females were not allowed to vote!

Today, girls in the UK have the same rights in law as their male counterparts:

• They can vote once eighteen
• They can get a job in almost any sphere of employment
• They are paid an equal rate as lads for comparable work
• They can have their own bank accounts, get their own mortgages, possess their own property.

But of course!

The long struggle

In fact it has taken a long time to reach this level of equality. A new Crossref-it.info article on Female emancipation gives you the gen.

The novels Crossref-it.info has featured recently demonstrate just how vulnerable young women have been in the past:

• The new guide to Wide Sargasso Sea depicts how Antoinette Cosway can be handed over as part of a financial transaction to marry a man she hardly knows. It demonstrates her anger and fear as she sees him become the possessor of all that had once been hers, while incarcerating his wife in the process.
• In the Jane Eyre guide, we see how an orphan whose relatives reject her is at the mercy of a capricious employer. When she has to escape his attentions, she can only become a vagrant. With no male to protect her or provide references for alternative employment she is powerless to change her situation, other than relying on charity.

How we got there

No girl today would expect to find themselves in the same situation, but that is owing to the long struggle by women to achieve parity with men. But if you think it’s all over, watch out for the forthcoming Crossref-it.info guide on Margaret Attwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale …

Crossref-it.info hits the national media

In an interview published in today's Guardian, Andrew Motion, the poet laureate, makes the point that, without a knowledge of the Bible it will be difficult to understand the very concepts that lie at the centre of English literature.

"Take any of the metaphysical poets, almost any of the Victorian poets," he says. "Even reading the great romantics like Keats requires you to know things about the Fall, who some of the people in the Bible are, ideas of sinfulness and virtue."

The article also mentions that "If Motion is correct, today's newly qualified teachers may themselves have limited knowledge of the Bible, so how can they be expected to integrate this in their teaching? Accessing suitable teaching resources could be problematic. Aside from the Cross Reference Project, which ... provides resources to help students to understand how literature has been shaped by the Bible, there is little out there." (Italics added)

The Cross Reference Project, or Crossref-it.info is a free comprehensive English Literature website that contains interactive A-Level study guides, background material, literary analysis, essay and exam help and more - geared towards helping students succeed in their exams and course work.