English 354—Bible as Literature and in Literature and the Arts

Creative Project Assignment

Paper #5 is not a paper but a creative project based on your reading and response to something in the Bible. In oral presentations and the papers based on them, everyone has explored the way later artists elaborate and interpret biblical works. This assignment asks you now to undertake such an artistic work yourself.

To be presented on the last day of class, December 3, the project should have a non-expository format but should express or imply some critical insight into a Biblical text. Added to the creative work itself should be a one page explanation of these two elements—the way the biblical text inspired your work and the way your work illuminates some aspect or implication of the text.

Either email or hand in a hard copy of the information requested below no later than Friday November 19. Not doing this on time will lower your grade on the creative project by one half grade

Some sample ideas:

  1. A rhymed narrative poem, like Stephen Vincent Benet’s "King David" that narrates an exciting story, long or short, e.g. the story of Jacob, Rachel and Laban, in Genesis.

  2. A playscript or screenplay doing the same thing, e.g. the story of Amnon an d Tamar in 2 Samuel

  3. A comic book version of a story of grand spectacle, switching distance and point of view—e.g. Noah and the Flood

  4. A set of proverbs in your own words, based on those of the book of Proverbs or on Jesus’ sayings.

  5. An illuminated map of the travels of the wandering of the Israelites or of Jesus or of Paul

  6. A musical setting for voice of a psalm or a passage from the prophets.

  7. A prophetic jeremiad addressed to the citizens of the USA.

  8. An architectural model of Ark, Tabernacle, Temple or the New Jerusalem described in the book of Revelation.

  9. A set of passionate devotional love poems.

  10. A diorama of the crucifixion story.

  11. A website displaying the relation between one or more artworks and a passage from the Bible—e.g. http://cla.calpoly.edu/~smarx/courses/331/DurerApoc/shehane-revelation.htm

  12. A videotaped dramatization of a scene—e.g. Christ before Pilate

 

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Name:

Title of project:

Description of the project, including the passage from the Bible it is based on:

Stages of composition of the work and schedule of their completion: