Nate Briggs's Blog - Posts Tagged "old-testament"
Sunday Literary Life: April 2
This month’s featured short novel is “Alfie” – subtitled “A Born Again Romance” because much of it discusses the tribal norms of Bible people inside a Bible church: referred to as “born again” because they are not considered to be "saved" until after full immersion baptism as children or young adults.
The easy inspiration for "Alfie" was the story of Rachel and Jacob in Genesis 29. A story which is the natural response of any Bible kid to the objection that the Old Testament is just bunches of people murdering each other.
These are verses of affection and fascination, and – in case you don’t have the Scriptures at hand – some of it goes like this (King James version of course...the only Bible I heard while I was growing up):
“And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house...And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
"And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
"And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
"And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
"And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
"And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.”
As we well know, the essence of Romance is obstacles: either before, during, or after. If absolutely nothing gets in the way of Unity and Reconciliation it is difficult to make any kind of argument for Romance. In this case, Jacob – an epic trickster himself – meets his match in his sly Uncle Laban: the victim of the first “bait and switch” in Bible history. Along with the first recorded example of a man crying before sex, instead of after.
Jacob was upset, getting stuck with the "tender-eyed" one. But it should be noted that he stayed on the job another seven years after getting Rachel – so he couldn’t have been too upset.
My Sunday School teachers offered little insight into what the phrase “tender eyed” might mean: some of them insisting it was the same as saying that Leah had a good personality. She was certainly a solid choice for a man promised descendants without number. She reeled off ten healthy sons in a row, and what is often lost the glow of Jacob'n’Rachel is news that the Almighty didn't like Rachel that much. He favored Leah: stepping in to balance the books in favor of the ill-favored.
Likewise, “Alfie” is a narrative about a love long delayed and blessings (whatever their source) being offered in a form which is very hard to recognize, at first. I picked an ill-starred Old Testament name for the hero of my story – Jonah – since almost nothing is expected of him, at first, bearing such a burden of innocence and misinformation.
Like Leah, he understands that the Romantic deck is stacked against him. Like Jacob, he sees no other option than the woman he is meant to have – and, of course, technically speaking this is a “comedy” since its final resolution – after years and years of discouragement and misdirection – is a marriage.
More literary notes on "Alfie" this month. I hope you stay tuned.
The easy inspiration for "Alfie" was the story of Rachel and Jacob in Genesis 29. A story which is the natural response of any Bible kid to the objection that the Old Testament is just bunches of people murdering each other.
These are verses of affection and fascination, and – in case you don’t have the Scriptures at hand – some of it goes like this (King James version of course...the only Bible I heard while I was growing up):
“And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house...And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
"And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.
"And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
"And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
"And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
"And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.”
As we well know, the essence of Romance is obstacles: either before, during, or after. If absolutely nothing gets in the way of Unity and Reconciliation it is difficult to make any kind of argument for Romance. In this case, Jacob – an epic trickster himself – meets his match in his sly Uncle Laban: the victim of the first “bait and switch” in Bible history. Along with the first recorded example of a man crying before sex, instead of after.
Jacob was upset, getting stuck with the "tender-eyed" one. But it should be noted that he stayed on the job another seven years after getting Rachel – so he couldn’t have been too upset.
My Sunday School teachers offered little insight into what the phrase “tender eyed” might mean: some of them insisting it was the same as saying that Leah had a good personality. She was certainly a solid choice for a man promised descendants without number. She reeled off ten healthy sons in a row, and what is often lost the glow of Jacob'n’Rachel is news that the Almighty didn't like Rachel that much. He favored Leah: stepping in to balance the books in favor of the ill-favored.
Likewise, “Alfie” is a narrative about a love long delayed and blessings (whatever their source) being offered in a form which is very hard to recognize, at first. I picked an ill-starred Old Testament name for the hero of my story – Jonah – since almost nothing is expected of him, at first, bearing such a burden of innocence and misinformation.
Like Leah, he understands that the Romantic deck is stacked against him. Like Jacob, he sees no other option than the woman he is meant to have – and, of course, technically speaking this is a “comedy” since its final resolution – after years and years of discouragement and misdirection – is a marriage.
More literary notes on "Alfie" this month. I hope you stay tuned.
