Publisher's Synopsis
This study challenges the conventional understanding of romance by exploring a lesser-known genealogy-scriptural romance-rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Unlike its classical counterpart, scriptural romance subverts idealization, exposing the failure of the heroic ideal to encapsulate the complexities of ordinary life. It unveils the entanglement of traditional power with magical meanings and portrays protagonists as simultaneous saints and sinners. The narrative emphasizes the provisional nature of human knowledge, the contingent quality of human experience, and the inherent distortion of cognition by desire.
