Seriously Funny: Violence and Humor in the Narrative Traditions of Esther Restricted; Files Only
Kandathil, Rosy (Spring 2024)
Published
Abstract
Throughout the book of Esther readers encounter surprising, even unsettling, juxtapositions of violence and humor. The story ends with the slaughter of thousands of enemies, yet it has also been called the Bible’s funniest book. This dissertation examines the shifting dynamics of humor and violence in the three earliest forms of the book, the Hebrew Masoretic text of Esther (MT Esther), along with the two Greek texts of Esther, the Alpha-Text (AT Esther) and the Septuagint (LXX Esther). The analysis traces the modulations of humor and violence within five parallel scenes, which together illuminate a cluster of concerns among Second Temple Jews: (1) an anxiety about changing conceptions of gender; (2) an uncertainty about the nature of kingship and imperial rule; (3) a questioning of the marks of true Jewish identity; and, (4) a crisis of confidence in the ability of Jewish communities to muster a defense in diaspora. Attending to the dynamics of humor and violence in these earliest versions of Esther reveals overlapping processes of redaction, translation, and reception among Second Temple Jewish communities.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction. 1
1. Introduction to the Problem.. 1
2. Methodological and Theoretical Considerations: Translating Violence, Humor, and Gender 3
2.1. The Work of Translation. 3
2.2. Violence in Esther 11
2.3. Humor 20
2.4. Constructions of Gender in Esther 33
3. Methodology and Chapter Outline. 46
Chapter 2. Observations on Violence and Humor: Comparing Greek AT and LXX Addition A.. 53
1. Introduction. 53
2. A Brief Description of the Greek Additions to Esther 55
3. Recruiting Readers. 59
4. A Violent Opening: Narrative Settings in Greek AT and LXX Addition A.. 60
4.1. Situating Readers: Orienting to Time, Persons, and Space. 61
5. Mordecai’s Dream: Drawing on Jewish Apocalyptic Imagination. 74
6. The Plot Against the King: Aligning Jewish Security with Cooperation. 81
7. Conclusion. 88
Chapter 3. Theorizing Kingship: Violence, Humor, and Competing Constructions of Masculinity. 92
1. Introduction. 92
2. Gender Anxiety: Diaspora and the Construction of Migrant Masculinities. 94
3. Everyday Violence: Kingship and Jewish Diasporas. 98
4. The Aesthetics of Empire: Power and Masculinity in Esther 1. 103
4.1. A Grand First Impression of the Persian Empire. 104
4.2. Depictions of Imperial Excess and Extravagance. 110
4.3. Blame it on the Alcohol? Descriptions of the King’s Drinking. 116
4.4. The Angry King: A Comic and Dreadful Figure. 119
5. Constructing A New Jewish Hero: Negotiating Masculinities in Diaspora. 123
6. Conclusion. 131
Chapter 4. Violence and Humor in the Deposition of Queen Vashti 134
1. Introduction. 134
2. Seeing Through Vashti 137
3. Humor and Violence: The Presentation of Gender Conflict in Esther 1:9-22. 139
3.1. A Clash of Wills: Vashti’s Refusal 144
3.2. The Critical Effects of Humor: Memucan’s speech. 150
3.3. The Law in League with Imperial Masculinity. 155
4. Conclusion. 161
Chapter 5. Setting up Haman: The Tandem Literary Dynamics of Humor and Violence. 166
1. Introduction. 166
2. Haman’s Fall: Humor and Violence in the Depiction of an Enemy. 167
3. Structure of the Narrative. 169
4. Humor Devices in Esther 6. 173
4.1. Esther’s Theme of Reversals. 173
4.2. A Pattern of Coincidences. 174
4.3. The Art of Omission. 175
4.4. The Rhetoric of Humor in Esther 176
5. Underlying Violence. 178
5.1. Exaggerating Haman’s Vices. 180
5.2. Dramatizing Haman’s Fall 188
5.3. The King’s (False) Accusation against Haman. 193
6. A Cosmic Battle: Amplifying Violence in the Greek Esthers. 197
6.1. An Overnight Sensation. 197
6.2. Dramatic Irony: Dynamics of Derision. 202
6.3. Mordecai’s Presentation as a Savior 206
7. Conclusion. 207
Chapter 6. Tandem Dynamics of Violence and Humor in The Final Battles of Esther. 210
1. Introduction. 210
2. A More Palatable Violence: From Bloodthirst to Self-Defense. 213
2.1. Amplifying the Threat to the Jewish People. 215
2.2. Drawing Down Images of Jewish Violence. 219
2.3. Haman the Usurper 228
3. Growing Power, Growing Fear 230
3.1. Imagining Haman’s Death. 230
3.2. “Fear of the Jews”. 234
3.3. “Fearful, No One Could Resist Them”. 239
3.4. Esther: A Warrior Queen. 241
3.5. Fear of Mordecai 244
4. Imagining Jewish Self-Rule in the Diaspora. 247
5. Conclusion. 251
Chapter 7. Concluding Thoughts on Humor and Violence in the Narrative Traditions of Esther. 254
1. Violence and Humor in the AT. 261
1.1. Gender 262
1.2. Kingship and Imperial Rule. 263
1.3. Jewish Identity. 263
1.4. Mustering a Defense. 265
2. Violence and Humor in the MT. 265
2.1. Gender 266
2.2. Kingship and Imperial Rule. 267
2.3. Jewish Identity. 268
2.4. Mustering a Defense. 268
3. Violence and Humor in the LXX.. 269
3.1. Gender 270
3.2. Kingship and Imperial Rule. 271
3.3. Jewish Identity. 271
3.4. Mustering a Defense. 272
4. Future Implications. 273
Bibliography. 279
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