[Milton-L] another version of Adam and Eve

[Hannibal Hamlin]

I caught Crumb's bit in *The New Yorker* too, and am interested to see the
whole. One thing that puzzled me about his drawing of Gen. 1-3 is how
relatively uninterpreted it is, especially surprising from this icon of the
counter-culture. There are a few interpreted things one can point to -- it
seems Adam and Eve do have sex in Eden (or at least wrestle), the serpent
has arms and legs, and the cherubim are definitely non-humanoid (to borrow a
term from sci-fi) -- but Crumb seems to be offering a fairly straightforward
illustrated Bible rather than anything along the lines of *Paradise Lost*.
Crumb also seems to be using the translation of Robert Alter (slightly
altered), though there is no credit given, which seemed odd. As my wife
pointed out, the representation of the cherubim obviously derives from
Alter's scholarly note, which makes the lack of credit especially
troublesome. Maybe the error is the *New Yorker*'s.

Hannibal




On Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 2:02 PM, <gilliaca at jmu.edu> wrote:

> I come again with something aslant our topic.
>
> When I taught the undergraduate Milton course, I would, early in our
> reading of PL, bring to class paintings and other illustrations of the fall,
> to show how artists have interpreted the narrative.  If I were still
> teaching, I would be making copies of something quite interesting in the
> lastest [June 8 and 15] New Yorker.
>
> In the midst of its annual fiction issue is an illustrated version of the
> two creation stories from Genesis - by the cartoonist B. Crumb.
>
> His muscular and solid Adam and Eve certainly fit the narrative.  He will
> publish an illustrated Genesis in the fall, and I hope to get a copy.
>
> Meanwhile, enjoy this unexpected treat. I hope all of you are enjoying a
> summer of resortation!
>
> C
> Cynthia A. Gilliatt
> English Department, JMU, ret.
> JMU Safe Zones supporter
> "You have made God in your own image when God hates the same people you
> hate." Fr. John Weston
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-- 
Hannibal Hamlin
Associate Professor of English
The Ohio State University
Burkhardt Fellow,
The Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
hamlin.22 at osu.edu/
hamlin.hannibal at gmail.com
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