Tovi Bibring – författare

This volume offers an instructive comparative perspective on the Judaic, Christian, Greek and Roman myths about the creation of humans in relation to each other, as well as a broad overview of their enduring relevance in the modern Western world and its conceptions of gender and identity. Taking the idea that the way in which a society regards humanity, and especially the roots of humanity, is crucial to an understanding of that society, it presents the different models for the creation and nature of mankind, and their changing receptions over a range of periods and places. It thereby demonstrates that the myths reflect fundamental continuities, evolutions and developments across cultures and societies: in no context are these more apparent than with regard to gender. Chapters explore the role of gender in Graeco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian creation myths and their reception traditions, demonstrating how perceptions of 'male' and 'female' dating back to antiquity have become embedded in, and significantly influenced, subsequent perceptions of gender roles. Focusing on the figures of Prometheus, Pandora, Adam and Eve and their instantiations in a broad range of narratives and media from antiquity to the present day, they examine how variations on these myths reflect the concerns of the societies producing them and the malleability of the stories as they are recast to fit different contexts and different audiences.

This volume offers an instructive comparative perspective on the Judaic, Christian, Greek and Roman myths about the creation of humans in relation to each other, as well as a broad overview of their enduring relevance in the modern Western world and its conceptions of gender and identity. Taking the idea that the way in which a society regards humanity, and especially the roots of humanity, is crucial to an understanding of that society, it presents the different models for the creation and nature of mankind, and their changing receptions over a range of periods and places. It thereby demonstrates that the myths reflect fundamental continuities, evolutions and developments across cultures and societies: in no context are these more apparent than with regard to gender. Chapters explore the role of gender in Graeco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian creation myths and their reception traditions, demonstrating how perceptions of 'male' and 'female' dating back to antiquity have become embedded in, and significantly influenced, subsequent perceptions of gender roles. Focusing on the figures of Prometheus, Pandora, Adam and Eve and their instantiations in a broad range of narratives and media from antiquity to the present day, they examine how variations on these myths reflect the concerns of the societies producing them and the malleability of the stories as they are recast to fit different contexts and different audiences.

Recent scholarship has begun to view human-made cultural products, such as literature and works of art, not only as reflective of contemporary ideas, norms and social or theological conceptions, but as active agents in shaping these notions. This collection investigates how various forms of cultural expression, including romances, philosophical treatises, chronicles, murals, decorative objects and illustrations, contributed to the construction of cognitive, emotional and sensual human experiences in the medieval and early modern periods.Delving into multiple case studies of literary texts and works of art created around the globe for different communities and individuals, the chapters unravel the influence of cultural products on learning emotional norms in each setting, and explores the role of emotional rhetoric in the educational process of those individuals and communities. Not only do these cultural artifacts offer insights into the significance of particular emotions, or reveal the underlying systems of feeling prevalent in the community, they demonstrate how the texts and images themselves reinforced, challenged and reshaped what that society perceived to be valuable or detrimental.Bringing reception studies and the history of emotions together, this collection makes an important contribution to the history of emotions in premodern contexts, and in relation to literary studies, material culture and art history.

In Pilosity, Prejudice, and Passion in The Tale of Old Bearded Achbor by Yaakov ben El’azar of Toledo, Tovi Bibring argues that behind the restless parody and the sour tone of the tale, lies a fierce discourse of hate toward the Other, incarnated as a black woman, as well as an insistent alarm regarding the threat of assimilation. Following an enticing fully annotated translation of an overwhelming medieval Hebrew composition featuring a pathetic sermon, a hedonist feast, a love liaison, violent shaming, and murder, Bibring artfully explores their significances through a variety of chapters. From highlighting how hair symbolism and color symbolism construe dangerous prejudices, to suggesting that Achbor is a symbolic incarnation of a new Balaam, the author, through close-readings of selected excerpts, draws connections to the broader medieval and classical context. By highlighting possible literary correspondences, she sheds insightful light on this mysterious tale. This book stands as a testament to the richness of medieval European Hebrew culture, making it a must-read for scholars and enthusiasts alike.