One thing that struck me as surprising in the reading is the romanticism of the book of Revelation among women. Previously in class, we had discussed that there are only negative portrayals of women in the book of Revelation, so it was surprising to hear that many women read the book of Revelation for spiritual reasons or self-improvement. Despite the horrific images in the book of Revelation, it was interesting to hear that some women still found a romantic element to the text. Scholars have argued that certain motifs such as the damsel-in-distress and the knight in shining armor can be found in the book of Revelation through the lady clothed with the sun and Jesus Christ. From this perspective, if women read the book of Revelation symbolically as opposed to literally, I can see how the book of Revelation has more of an entertaining value.
Kirsch further explains in A History of the End of the World how different people throughout history have used the book of Revelation for their purposes. It was interesting to read about how people pick and choose their interpretations of the passages. While some preferred a “carnal” or literal read of the text, while others like the bishop Augustine preferred a “spiritual” reading of the book of Revelation.
The various interpretations of the text throughout history reminded me of the book I am currently reading. In The Diviners by Libba Bray, there is an endless amount of references to the book of Revelation. The plot revolves around a reincarnated murderer who plans on transforming himself as the Beast and bringing the Apocalypse. The murderer is part of a fictional religious cult who based their beliefs on the book of Revelation. I thought it was a different take for the character to transform into the Beast to initiate the Apocalypse. It is hard not to think about Kirsch’s book when reading this novel, and I am constantly analyzing Bray’s interpretations of the book of Revelations.
I am fascinated by the various interpretations that authors and artists have portrayed the book of Revelation throughout history.
Hi Cialina,
The issue of women’s responses to the Book of Revelation is endlessly fascinating. I think you might enjoy delving into it more fully for your research essay. If so, you could choose one of the historical figures who saw herself as a female messiah or prophet and find out more about her place in history and interpretation of Revelation. This was usually not a case of entertainment (as I gather The Diviners is) but of a serious effort to lead others toward religious conviction. Take a look at Kirsch’s endnotes to see some examples of scholarly sources and also the list of recommendations for our course.
Cialina, I realize this is draws more on your knowledge of Young Adult fiction than anything you’ve written here, but do you think Ms. Bray’s presentation of her source material has anything to do with her audience?
(I remember reading A Great and Terrible Beauty and its sequels years ago and do remember thinking the images it created, although dark, definatly had gender specific appeal and raised a lot of questions about growing up female.)
Besides the way they interpret and/or ignore passages related to their gender, why don’t female prophets and apocalyptic commentators favor similar interpretations of the text? Interpretation of Revelation’s metaphor does seem to vary based off the imagined enemy and the audience.
I don’t think that Bray was specifically targeting the female audience in the Diviners. There is a wide variety of characters in this novel unlike A Great and Terrible Beauty, and more recently, Beauty Queens. The novel does tackle a lot of female issues.
What I did notice in regards to the book of Revelation, is that the main character has to prove her credibility a lot more before anyone takes her interpretations of the text seriously.
Hey Cialina,
Fascinating! Do you think you observe similar behavior among women today? Just from your observation, do you think women currently romanticize the Book of Revelation or the apocalypse in general? Lets talk about this!
I don’t think I really notice if women specifically still tend to romanticize the book of Revelation or the apocalypse today. I think I would have to pay closer attention next time I either watch a movie or read a book directed/authored by a female.