Mapping Myths of Biblical Interpretation (Playing the Texts, 4)

Richard Walsh sees myth as an empowering, structuring story used either for good or ill and either consciously or unconsciously controlling our world-views. He looks for both the empowerment and the marginalization effected by myth as he follows the word through its myriad meanings ('Grasping Proteus'), examines its use in various disciplines ('Procrustean Mythographers'), focuses on its distinctive uses in biblical interpretation ('Mything the Bible'), and, finally, exposes the mythic character of interpretation itself ('The Myth of Interpretation'). His concluding chapter, 'Behind the Mythic Curve', muses on the difficulty of knowing the myths by which we live and reflects hopefully on the possibility of play among the myriad myths in a postmodern, pluralist world.