Study the Bible!

Study the bible! : The Use of Bible Allusions in Literature

Biblical references are a technique used in literature by authors to alter readers perceptions. The readers beliefs are challenged by using biblical references in literature. In “The Gospel According to Mark” by Jorge Luis Borges, Borges uses many biblical references to give readers a different view of the main character. With the biblical references being used in “The Gospel According to Mark”, readers are able to portray the main character, Baltasar Espinosa as a Christ-like person. Borges’ use of biblical references is important because it allows him to challenge the reader’s religious beliefs.

In “The Gospel According to Mark” by Jorge Luis Borges, the main character, Baltasar Espinosa is sent out to the country to teach and live with the Gutre family. Espinosa read them a bible since the Gutre family could not read all. Along the way, Borges starts to describe things about Espinosa’s life and events that happen during his trip, such as a massive flood that overflowed the land. Many of the things that are described by Borges are things that are strongly related to the bible. Borges uses things from the bible to compose his story “The Gospel According to Mark”.

The use of biblical references in literature is to bring out the special meaning that the author is trying to get to his readers. In the article “What is the function of an allusion in literature” by Daniel Liden, Liden states “The use of the Biblical allusions serve not only to communicate lines from the Bible, but also to evoke the many emotions and ideas that people associate with those passages.” Borges tries to get his readers to have an experience that relates to the bible by implementing illusions i...

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...Espinosa both had an effect on the reader that made the story unique. The biblical references were very beneficial in making the story what it is. It gave the stories character’s a whole new importance to the story and the story itself was more significant than it would have been without the references.

Works Cited

Bartel, Roland. Biblical Images in Literature. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1975. Print.

Village, Andrew “Biblical literalism among Anglican clergy: what is the role of psychological type? Mental Health, Religion & Culture. 2012. Web.

Lester, Brooke G. “Inner-Biblical Allusion” Theological Librarianship. 2009. Web

Robinson, Marilynne “The Book of Books: What Literature Owes the Bible” The New York Times. 2011. Web

Liden, Daniel “What Is the Function of Allusion in Literature?” Conjecture Corporation. 2014. Web