Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Religion & Culture / Religious Studies

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Peter Erb

Advisor Role

Thesis Supervisor

Abstract

Northrop Frye’s book, The Great Code, published in 1981, drew attention to his interest in applying his own brand of literary criticism to the Bible. However, he did not comment in detail on any portion of the Bible in this book, choosing rather to make general statements about his approach and theories. The present thesis applies Frye’s theories to a single biblical book, namely the Apocalypse, after a brief review of Frye’s seminal works, Anatomy of Criticism and The Great Code. Two issues in understanding the Apocalypse are raised. They concern the structure, which is discussed in Frye’s category of mythos, and the symbolism, which is considered under Frye’s category of metaphor. Frye’s approach is then compared with that of four other commentators on the Apocalypse (R.H. Charles, A.M. Farrer, N.W. Lund, and V. Eller), who represent different literary- and historical-critical approaches.

Convocation Year

1984

Convocation Season

Spring

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