Melville's wisdom religion, skepticism, and literature in nineteenth-century America Schlarb, Damien creator author. text bibliography History. nyu 2021 monographic eng print xi, 252 pages ; 25 cm. "This book explores the manner in which Herman Melville responds to the spiritual crisis of modernity by using the language of the biblical Old Testament wisdom books to moderate contemporary discourses on religion, skepticism, and literature. Melville's work is an example of how romantic literature fills the interpretive lacuna left by contemporary theology. Damien Schlarb argues that attending to Melville's engagement with the wisdom books (Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes) can help us understand a paradox at the heart of American modernity: the simultaneous displacement and affirmation of biblical language and religious culture. In wisdom, which addresses questions of theology, radical skepticism, and the nature of evil, Melville finds an ethos of critical inquiry that allows him to embrace the acumen of modern analytical techniques such as higher biblical criticism, while salvaging simultaneously the spiritual authority of biblical language. Wisdom for Melville constitutes both object and analytical framework in this balancing act. Melville's Wisdom joins other works of postsecular literary studies in challenging its own discipline's constitutive secularization narrative by rethinking modern, putatively secular cultural formations in terms of their reciprocity with religious concepts and texts. Schlarb foregrounds Melville's sustained, career-spanning concern with biblical wisdom, its formal properties, and its knowledge-creating potential. By excavating this project from Melville's oeuvre, Melville's Wisdom shows how he seeks to avoid the spiritually corrosive effects of suspicious reading while celebrating truth-seeking over subversive iniquity"-- Introduction -- Divine justice and sublime suffering : The Book of Job -- Dread, foolishness, wisdom : The Book of Proverbs -- Moderation, self-reflection, and evil : The Book of Ecclesiastes -- Conclusion : Melville's wisdom. by Damien B. Schlarb. Includes bibliographical references (pages [227]-238) and index. n-us--- Melville, Herman 1819-1891 Religion Bible Old Testament In literature Religion and literature United States History 19th century Religion in literature Bible and literature Melville, Herman 1819-1891 Bible Old Testament Bible and literature Literature Religion Religion and literature Religion in literature United States 1800-1899 fast PS2388.R4 S35 2021 813/.3 Melville's wisdom Schlarb, Damien. New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2021 (DLC) 2021008107 American Academy of Religion academy series 9780197585566 0197585566 9780197585580 9780197585597 2021008106 DLC 210402 20220217225007.0 in00004552920 eng