Having been a long time Crumb fan, and I will admit that in many ways, he is an acquired taste, I have wanted to read/own this particular work for some time now. A good Amazon friend, knowing my desire for this thing and knowing my almost legendary tightness with a dollar, and knowing I was having difficulties acquiring this through our local library service, had pity on me and gave me his copy. For that I am truly grateful. This friend most certainly knows what love of books and literature is all about...it is the sharing. My thanks!
Well, after I got my hands on this work and got over the shock of it not being what I expected, I have to say that I am absolutely delighted; delighted cover to cover and through four readings in the short time I have had the book in my hands. This work is rather amazing.
Well, after I got my hands on this work and got over the shock of it not being what I expected, I have to say that I am absolutely delighted; delighted cover to cover and through four readings in the short time I have had the book in my hands. This work is rather amazing.
As has been noted, Crumb has fully illustrated the entire book of Genesis. From chapter 1 through 50, the man has not missed a word, nor might I add, has done any fiddling around with the text. I understand that it took the author, Crumb, over five years of very steady work to produce the book and the reader will merely have to glance through it to understand why. Each frame is meticulously drawn, each frame flows flawlessly into the next. I am not sure how many characters have been reproduced via drawing here, but each and every one of them is unique. This fact alone is rather astonishing.
Now before we go farther, it must be noted that the author has placed a tag on the front of the dust jacket which specifically states "Adult Supervision Recommended for Minors." This may or may not be advisable, depending upon your view, beliefs and attitude. I will say that the few scenes depicting nudity and "love making" are pretty mild by today's standards. I can well remember reading these "juicy" parts when I was a "minor," and I can assure you that my imagination was far, far more x-rated than anything Crumb came up with here. I also feel that of the many books in the Bible, this book, Genesis, should be first read with the young child, with or without adult supervision. There are just too many issues of violence, rape, murder, sex, incest, etc. to be dealt with and many of our young need some explanation; guidance to put everything into prospective.
I have had the pleasure of teaching bible classes over the last 40 years or so in the various churches we have attended over the years, all the way through teaching this subject at the university level. My specialty has been the Old Testament. I would not have hesitated for a minute using this work as a supplemental text. As a matter of fact, looking back, I wish I had had access to it years ago.
There is something in this work for everyone. For those that that consider Genesis as a part of our Christian Mythology, and every major and minor religion in the world has one, then this work will fit right in. (I myself fall into this category). For those who are literalist, I find nothing in this work that should offend in the least. For die-hard Crumb fans, the work is (from an artistic view), pure Crumb.
On the other hand....
There will be readers who will be disappointed. Some will fall into the camp of wanting Crumbs biting sarcasm to be present and not finding it. Those folks will indeed be disappointed. Some will be looking for a through trashing of the Bible. They will be disappointed. I can see, due to the "imagery" belief, where some Jewish folks may quite well be offended, not by the words certainly, but by the fact that God is indeed depicted.
Another aspect of this work which certainly should not be overlooked is the fact that it makes the reading or rereading of Genesis a true pleasure. As many times (and it has been many) that I have read this chapter, I was delighted in the new take and prospective this work gave to the old, old story.
Now before we go farther, it must be noted that the author has placed a tag on the front of the dust jacket which specifically states "Adult Supervision Recommended for Minors." This may or may not be advisable, depending upon your view, beliefs and attitude. I will say that the few scenes depicting nudity and "love making" are pretty mild by today's standards. I can well remember reading these "juicy" parts when I was a "minor," and I can assure you that my imagination was far, far more x-rated than anything Crumb came up with here. I also feel that of the many books in the Bible, this book, Genesis, should be first read with the young child, with or without adult supervision. There are just too many issues of violence, rape, murder, sex, incest, etc. to be dealt with and many of our young need some explanation; guidance to put everything into prospective.
I have had the pleasure of teaching bible classes over the last 40 years or so in the various churches we have attended over the years, all the way through teaching this subject at the university level. My specialty has been the Old Testament. I would not have hesitated for a minute using this work as a supplemental text. As a matter of fact, looking back, I wish I had had access to it years ago.
There is something in this work for everyone. For those that that consider Genesis as a part of our Christian Mythology, and every major and minor religion in the world has one, then this work will fit right in. (I myself fall into this category). For those who are literalist, I find nothing in this work that should offend in the least. For die-hard Crumb fans, the work is (from an artistic view), pure Crumb.
On the other hand....
There will be readers who will be disappointed. Some will fall into the camp of wanting Crumbs biting sarcasm to be present and not finding it. Those folks will indeed be disappointed. Some will be looking for a through trashing of the Bible. They will be disappointed. I can see, due to the "imagery" belief, where some Jewish folks may quite well be offended, not by the words certainly, but by the fact that God is indeed depicted.
Another aspect of this work which certainly should not be overlooked is the fact that it makes the reading or rereading of Genesis a true pleasure. As many times (and it has been many) that I have read this chapter, I was delighted in the new take and prospective this work gave to the old, old story.
The Ozarks
Tech Stuff:
(We found a reference that said the King James version of the Bible is at the 7th Grade level.)
(We found a reference that said the King James version of the Bible is at the 7th Grade level.)
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