Crossings: Swarthmore Undergraduate Feminist Research Journal
Abstract
In my poetic analysis, I tease out the differences between Biblical and modern conceptions of rape. Many of my ‘episodes’ feature rape narratives between a husband and wife or concubine/slave; in the Biblical narrative, these relations were not considered rape, because rape only constituted relationships outside of legal bounds. In this way, I attempt to diversify preexisting stories in the Biblical narrative, making monsters out of praised patriarchs; even God is not safe from becoming the villain. In this way, I paint the patriarchal system in the Bible as a gothic house disguised in tradition and spirituality that women must escape. In stories that originally assumed female perspectives, such as Leah’s and Bathsheba’s, I decided to re-envision their stories—because why should we assume consent when we never hear their thoughts or words?
Recommended Citation
Raffetto, Gabriella (2023) "Sex in the Bible: A Poetic Female Retelling," Crossings: Swarthmore Undergraduate Feminist Research Journal: 1 (1), 150-156. https://works.swarthmore.edu/crossings/vol1/iss1/12
Included in
Biblical Studies Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Poetry Commons, Yiddish Language and Literature Commons