Narrative Desire and the Book of Ruth

215 Pages·2018·2.907 MB·English

by  Stephanie Day Powell

LIBRARY OF HEBREW BIBLE/
OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES
662
Formerly Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series
Editors
Claudia V. Camp, Texas Christian University
Andrew Mein, University of Durham
Founding Editors
David J. A. Clines, Philip R. Davies and David M. Gunn
Editorial Board
Alan Cooper, John Goldingay,
Norman K. Gottwald, James E. Harding, John Jarick, Carol Meyers,
Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Daniel L. Smith- Christopher, James W. Watts,
Susan Gillingham
PLAYING THE TEXTS
Edited by
Jennifer Koosed, Albright College

NARRATIVE DESIRE AND
THE BOOK OF RUTH
Stephanie Day Powell
T&T CLARK
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK
1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA
BLOOMSBURY, T&T CLARK and the T&T Clark logo are
trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published 2018
Paperback edition fi rst published 2019
Copyright © Stephanie Day Powell, 2018
Stephanie Day Powell has asserted her right under the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as Author of this work.
For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on p. x constitute
an extension of this copyright page.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval
system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for,
any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given
in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and
publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites
have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Powell, Stephanie Day, author.
Title: Narrative desire and the Book of Ruth / by Stephanie Day Powell.
Description: 1 [edition]. | New York : Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2018. |
Series: Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies; volume 662 |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2017036499 (print) | LCCN 2017052112 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780567678768 (ePDF) | ISBN 9780567678751 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Ruth—Criticism, interpretation, etc. |
Bible. Ruth—Feminist criticism.
Classifi cation: LCC BS1315.52 (ebook) | LCC BS1315.52 .P69 2018 (print) |
DDC 222/.3506—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017036499
ISBN: HB: 978-0-5676-7875-1
PB: 978-0-5676-9000-5
ePDF: 978-0-5676-7876-8
eBook: 978-0-5676-8223-9
Series: Library of Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament Studies, volume 662
Typeset by Newgen KnowledgeWorks Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, India
To fi nd out more about our authors and books visit
www.bloomsbury.com and sign up for our newsletters.
For Kensley

CONTENTS
List of Figures ix
Acknowledgments x
List of Abbreviations xii
Chapter 1
NARRATIVE DESIRE AND THE BOOK OF RUTH 1
Introduction: “Do Not Press Me to Leave You” 1
Finding Our Past 3
Reading Desire 7
Woman- Identifi ed Hermeneutics 9
Ruth and Its Interpretation 16
Narrative Desire: Reading Ruth with Freud, Lacan, and Kristeva 31
From Resistance to Re-engagement 44
Chapter 2
RESISTANCE: AMBIGUITY AND ARTISTRY IN THE BOOK OF RUTH 4 7
Th e Queer Traces of Ruth 49
Queer Beginnings 52
Th e Perversities of the Middle 64
A Queer Future? 69
Ambiguity and Desire 77
Chapter 3
RUPTURE: RUTH AND FRIED GREEN TOMATOES 8 1
Fried Green Appropriations 81
Ambiguating Strategies 84
Th e Power of “Friends” 88
Intersecting Ambiguities 92
Th e Heroine Disappears 96
Historical Gleanings: A Diverse Community 98
Chapter 4
RECLAMATION: RUTH AND ORANGES ARE NOT THE ONLY FRUIT 103
You Say Tomato, I Say Orange: Reconfi guring Ruth 105
From Origins to Exile 107
From Exile to Return 109
viii Contents
Not the Only Fruit: Ruth as Woman- Identifi ed Daughter 111
Th e Mother’s House 114
Of Mothers, Demons, and Daughterhood 119
H istorical Gleanings: Finding Autonomy 1 27
Chapter 5
RE-E NGAGEMENT: RUTH AND GOLEM, THE SPIRIT OF EXILE 135
Golem, the Spirit of Exile 136
Love in Exile 141
L osses Denied 144
Heterosexual Melancholia, Redux 146
Loss upon Loss 151
Historical Gleanings: A History of Loss 155
Chapter 6
CONCLUSION: (UN)FINAL GLEANINGS 1 63
Returning to the Mother Text 170
Bibliography 175
Author Index 189
Scripture Index 194
Subject Index 198
FIGURES
1.1 William Blake, Naomi Entreating Ruth and Orpah to Return to the
Land of Moab , 1795, watercolor, Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 26
1.2 Emile Levy, Ruth and Naomi, 1859, oil, Musee des Beaux Arts, Rouen. 27
1.3 Philip Hermogenes Calderon, Ruth and Naomi, c. 1890, oil, Walker
Art Gallery, Liverpool. 28
3.1 A scantily- clad swimming scene. Still from Fried Green Tomatoes
(directed by John Avnet, 1990). 86
3.2 Big George at the barbeque pit. Still from Fried Green Tomatoes
(directed by John Avnet, 1990). 95
5.1 A nude Naomi and Ruth bathe one another. Still from Golem, Th e
Spirit of Exile ( Golem, l’esprit de exil) (Amos Gitaї . 1991). 1 42
5.2 Ruth and Boaz. Still from Golem, Th e Spirit of Exile ( Golem, l’esprit
de exil ) (Amos Gita ї . 1991). 143
5.3 Naomi cutting her hair. Still from Golem, Th e Spirit of Exile
( Golem, l’esprit de exil) (Amos Gitaї . 1991). 1 44
5.4 Naomi and Ruth lie listlessly on pile of grain. Still from Golem, Th e
Spirit of Exile ( Golem, l’esprit de exil) (Amos Gitaї . 1991). 1 48