After the Fact: Genre and Genesis

Episode Summary:

Karen Swallow Prior and Kyle Worley answer how genre shapes the meaning of a text.

Questions Covered in This Episode:

  • Why is genre crucial to understanding the meaning of a given text?

  • What are some distinctions between prose and poetry?

  • Is Genesis historical prose?

  • Is Genesis a unique origin story or does it have similarities with other origin stories?

Helpful Definitions:

  • Genre: A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.

  • Genesis: Origin.

  • Prose: Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.

  • Poetry: Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.

Guest Bio:

Karen Swallow Prior, Ph. D., is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is the author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me, Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist, and On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books. She is co-editor of Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues and has contributed to numerous other books. Her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox, Relevant, Think Christian, The Gospel Coalition, Religion News Service, Books and Culture and other places.

Follow Us on Social Media:

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Support Knowing Faith and Become a Patron:

patreon.com/knowingfaith

Previous
Previous

Episode #85 – Formless and Void with Nancy Guthrie

Next
Next

Episode #84 – Deep Discipleship