Better Understanding Western Literature and Culture

Introduction

It has been said that if you speak English, you are probably quoting either Shakespeare or the Bible much of the time—and if you read English, you will encounter allusions to and quotes from both with tremendous frequency. If you check out my "Words and Reason" entries on Wattpad, you'll find many popular Shakespearean allusions, as well as some from the Bible. Of the two sources, however, the Bible has had a far greater influence. There arefew books in Western tradition that don't allude to some theme or idea from theBible, and allusions and quotes appear in numerous short stories, songs, and movies, aswell. Plus a stunning number of our ideas about law, justice, integrity, work ethic, and fair play originate in this one source.

Understanding the tremendous impact of the Bible on most of the Western world is key to understanding the culture and the majority of the literature of the West. But you need not take my word for it. Here is what some contemporary literary critics and cultural experts have to say.

Contemporary poet and essayist Alfred Corn notes that "Biblical texts are the cornerstone of our customs, our laws, our literature and arts, our family structure, our notions of romantic love...The Bible...has been the foundation of most of the literature in the West since the early medieval period; and that influence continues."

E. D. Hirsch, author of the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, asserted, "No one in the English-speaking world can be considered literate without a basic knowledge of the Bible."

Northrop Frye, professor and author of literary theory and criticism wrote: "the student of English literature who does not know the Bible does not understand a good deal of what is going on in what he reads. The Bible is clearly a major element in our own imaginative tradition, whatever we may think or believe about it."

Marie Wachlin, writing in the English Journal, relates that, "The Bible is the world's all-time best seller. [It is] the one piece of literature that has affected American lives more than any other, a tome that permeates Western literature with archetypes and allusions."

I will not even pretend that I'm covering everything, as that would make this impossibly long. Entire books have been written on the biblical influence of individual writers, works of art, lines of thought, or areas of science. (Despite what people think, science was, in fact, hugely freed by the biblical idea that anyone could pursue knowledge and the immutability of God meant experiments were possible and results were reproducible; the world was not random and unknowable.) Also, this is limited to English-language works, but, as noted above, most of the literature of the West since the Middle Ages was influenced. So while there is no way to cover it all, I shall, in the ensuing sections, attempt to at least hint at the depth and breadth of biblical influence on Western literature, language, laws, thought, and culture, to help you understand more and perhaps get you started on your own research.

In the next section, we'll look at some of the phrases and ideas that have entered everyday language.