The Book of Job is composed of several different genres and worldviews. The present thesis argues that Bakhtin's dialogism and chronotope are useful tools for reading the book of Job, in particular here, Job 1-11, by hearing each different voice as a unique and equally weighted voice. In the prologue, almost all readers may read the narrator's voice as an authoritative and determinative voice. However, Bakhtin's dialogic idea advocates reading other characters' voices-Job's, God's, hassatan's, the four messengers' and Job's wife's voices-in the same position as the narrator's voice. The narrator's voice and the other characters' voices play their roles in inviting readers to expect more different voices to satisfy their readings on Job in the book of Job rather than to provide a clear definition of Job as a perfectly pious man. In the dialogue, Job's voice provides its own understanding of Job as a wise and perfect man by interacting dialogically with the voices in the prologue and his three friends' voices. Job's voice clarifies Job's effort to reestablish his time and space, which have been shattered, in his new and estranged chronotope. Also, by clearly defining his relationship with his body, God and his three friends, Job's voice demonstrates Job as both a man who possesses a keen knowledge and wisdom and as a perfect man. In the dialogue, Job's three friends' voices also provide their own understanding of Job as an unrighteous and sinful man by interacting dialogically with Job's voices. In the first cycle of the dialogue, Eliphaz encourages Job to be patient because he is bound to be restored because of his integrity. Bildad doubts Job's righteousness and recommends that he should accept Eliphaz' and the former generations' teachings about the retributive order of the world, so that he may return to righteousness and be restored. Zophar is certain that Job is a sinner and warns that Job needs to repent his sins in order to earn a bright future. Finally. all the voices in the prologue and in the dialogue work together rather than quarrelling with each other. As the pieces of a puzzle make the whole picture when they come together, even though all the voices in Job 1-11 have different ideologies, when they come together, they can also provide a whole picture of Job. This picture of Job offers readers a different way to read the book: reading the book of Job to find better questions rather than answers. V III.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:557949 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Hyun, Seong Whan Timothy |
| Publisher | University of Sheffield |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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