Wisdom Literature and the Structure of Proverbs

Perry, Theodore A.

ISBN 10: 0271009292 / ISBN 13: 9780271009292

Published by Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993

About this Item

Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Seller Inventory # 15526264-6

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Wisdom Literature and the Structure of Proverbs
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
• Publication Date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0271009292
• ISBN 13: 9780271009292
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 0.5 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

Wisdom is one of the oldest and continuous genres of our literary tradition, dating back to the Hebrew Bible and the literatures of the Ancient Near East and extending into modern times through such notable points of transmission as medieval Spain. Despite its length and multicultural complexity, wisdom can be characterized, beyond its well-known emphasis on guidance in practical living, by its use of literary structures such as proverbs and maxims. A close study of these forms reveals a remarkable continuity of purpose, an interest in underlying logical structures that were crucial to both the analysis and the production of meaning.

This study focuses less on "popular" proverbs than on the critical stance through which the sages approached such popular perceptions of truth. Perry argues that wisdom was a reaction to dangerous tendencies in the normal use of proverbs: their authoritarian presumption, the assumption that they somehow represent absolute truths. By way of reactive defense, sages responded through the creation of wisdom sayings, here viewed as specific tools of critical thinking and value analysis. Perry approaches the Bible from a literary point of view and draws interesting parallels with the work of such scholars as Greimas and other structuralists. He then offers a formula derived from the sages' own exegetical practices for unlocking the secrets of wisdom sayings.

About the Author

T. A. Perry is Professor of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, and author of several books including Dialogues with Kohelet (Penn State, 1993) and The Moral Proverbs of Santob de Carri�n (1987).