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Many object to typology because it seems to lack control, but one obvious control is historical context. Consider this piece of poetry:
Jack-booted waves march down a silent street,
Cross the thresholds of besieged homes,
Batter doors, and smother all in brown.
Think about how the imagery works if the title of the poem is "Lament for New Orleans."
Then think about how the imagery works if the title of the poem is "Warsaw Ghetto, 1943."
In the first instance, the military references are figurative and the water references are literal, but these tropes are reversed in the second instance. (With the first title, it might just be possible to conclude that it was written by some lefty who blames the "Nazi" George W. for the devastation of New Orleans.) In either setting, the lines forge a metaphorical connection between a flood and an army, natural and human destroyers, a connection that draws in all sorts of passages from the Bible and, through the Bible, Western literature. If the lines bear the second title, one might recall the waters of Gentiles that overflow into the land of Israel in the early chapters of Isaiah, and suspect that the writer is a Jew who wants to connect the Nazi oppression with the biblical history of tyranny and liberation.
So, the lines are allusive and expansive, yet the historical context sets the direction of expansion.
Or consider this line: "To proclaim liberty to captives." Read that in Isaiah, and the captivity is literal, though it brings up reminiscences of Egyptian exile, Midian oppression, Philistine invasion. Read that in Luke 4, and it draws in not only Isaiah 61, but suggests that Jesus is proclaiming the final end of exile. Put that on an American monument, and it sets off a different set of historical and literary echoes.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 at 07:31 AM
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Brazos Theological Commentary
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From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
