A Novel Approach to Reading Esther

Abstract

This thesis on the Book of Esther demonstrates how this biblical story can be read as a female success narrative, with Esther as a resourceful and resilient heroine, who relies on her own intelligence rather than on her beauty and her compliance. This is done through an original methodology which uses Victorian novels as intertexts. These novels are Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton, Charles Dickens’ Bleak House and George Eliot’s Felix Holt, the Radical, all of which contain characters and situations which are close to the Book of Esther; there are older women who are put aside by the patriarchy, like Vashti; single male carers who both protect and own young women, as Mordecai does, and most importantly, each novel has a young woman whose narrative trajectory is remarkably similar to that of Queen Esther in that they have low origins, are tested by the narrative to prove their worth, and ultimately succeed. The first chapter explains the methodology in detail, including its theoretical underpinnings in reader-response theory and intertextuality, the relationship between the biblical text and the novels, and how a novel-informed reading of the Book of Esther can lead to a fuller interpretation of character than has been formerly achieved. The subsequent chapters argue that Vashti’s contribution to the story is best understood together with that of Esther, rather than in contrast to her; that Mordecai’s adoption of Esther is marked and marred by its self-interest; that Esther shows resilience in surviving her grooming in the harem; that Ahasuerus is essentially impotent, that Esther knows this and makes use of this knowledge. Finally it is shown how Esther is able to insert herself into the power structures of the palace, both saving her people while also looking after her own interests. I thus establish and celebrate Esther as the central character in the book that bears her name.

Date of Award	31 Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Holly Morse (Supervisor) & Alexander Samely (Supervisor)