Goliath as Gentle Giant: Sympathetic Portrayals in Popular Culture

by Jonathan L. Friedmann

In the Hebrew Bible and stories loyal to it, Goliath is the stereotypical giant of big, brash, violent, and dimwitted. Goliath as Gentle Giant sets out to rehabilitate the giant’s image by exploring the origins of the biblical behemoth, the limitations of the “underdog” metaphor, and the few sympathetic treatments of Goliath in popular media. What insights emerge when we imagine things from Goliath’s point of view? How might this affect our reading of the biblical account or its many retellings and interpretations? What sort of man was Goliath really? The nuanced portraits analyzed in this book serve as a catalyst to challenge readers to question stereotypes, reexamine old assumptions, and humanize the “other.”

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2022

Reviews

[Richard Wolff · Rating 2 out of 5]

More scattered than cohesive. Frustratingly, each of the three central chapters that promises a particular discussion of a work provides vastly more broad context than focused analysis; the result is a book that does not live up to its potential. Does provide some interesting insights, but in a haphazard discussion that is overall not well-balanced.