Learning objectives week 4

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Shanon Henry
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1 Delilah

2 Learning objectives week 4 1. Know what Judges 16 tells us about Delilah and what gaps exist in the text about her. 2. Become familiar with a number of her afterlives (explicit and implicit) found in cultural texts. a. Samson and Delilah (1949) b. Samson and Delilah (1994) c. TSCC, Samson and Delilah (2009). d. Florence and the Machine, Delilah (2015) 3. Explore how these cultural texts fill the gaps in Judges 16: worlds in the text, behind the text, in front of the text.

3 Evan Almighty dir. Tom Shadyac (2007) Contemporary retelling of Genesis 6-9. Noah is a reluctant ark-builder.

4 Evan Almighty: World in the Text Fills in gaps in biblical text using contemporary themes and events: Evan s family and community question his sanity. The ark becomes ARK acts of random kindness. (NB world in front of the text: some audiences thought it undermined the story s seriousness). The violence of the flood is far less extreme sanitized Bible for family entertainment? Cultural significance - offering an interpretation of Genesis 6-9 that is more palatable for a contemporary (secular) audience? A morality tale about human hubris, the exclusion of those who are different, the suffering of those who serve a higher cause (divine or otherwise).

5 2012 Dir. Roland Emmerich (2009) Implicit use of Bible in pop culture bringing Noah story into a contemporary context. End of the world theme, with the promise of life for the fortunate few on a big boat. Raises some of the same questions about humanity s treatment of the Earth and each other.

Delilah Samson Saga Judges 13-16 Samson is an Israelite warrior and Israel s leader. Israel is at war with the Philistines. He is a Nazirite.

6 Delilah Samson Saga Judges Samson is an Israelite warrior and Israel s leader. Israel is at war with the Philistines. He is a Nazirite. Samson s superhuman strength lies in his long hair. Delilah appears in Judges 16. Samson falls in love with her but she betrays him to the Philistines.

7 Approaching Delilah Text-based world in the text: How is Delilah presented in cultural texts, compared with her portrayal in Judges 16? What meaning and function do these cultural texts have? Author-based - world behind the text: What do Delilah s afterlives tell us about their creators cultural contexts, especially their attitudes about issues of gender? Audience-based world in front of the text: How does the audience interpret and respond to Delilah within her cultural afterlives?

8 The world in the biblical text What does Judges 16 tell us about Delilah? Not much! From Valley of Soreq: soreq = vine in Hebrew. Ominous sign for Samson the (teetotal) Nazirite? On border of Israelite and Philistine territory we don t know if Delilah is an Israelite like Samson or a Philistine (enemy of Israel). No mention of family or tribal affiliations. We don t know what her name means (unusual in biblical Hebrew texts). A woman of mystery She is persuasive, determined, brave, has a way with words gets her way and brings down a mighty warrior.

9 Delilah Few female characters in all of biblical literature are deemed more scandalous than Delilah. She is variously considered to be a harlot, a temptress, and a deceiver. But what are the bases for these assumptions? Dan W. Clanton, Daring, Disreputable, and Devout: Interpreting the Bible s Women in the Arts and Music, p.65.

10 This negative image of Delilah is found and perpetuated in cultural renderings of Judges 16, as interpreted in literature, film, and...music. These renderings have a unique power in their ability to alter and adapt biblical narrative for different times in ways with which people can identify. Dan Clanton, p.65

Looking for gaps in the text The gaps in Delilah s biblical portrayal is filled in or coloured in to make it more interesting and believable for her new cultural audience creation of

11 Looking for gaps in the text The gaps in Delilah s biblical portrayal is filled in or coloured in to make it more interesting and believable for her new cultural audience creation of her afterlives. Within art, music, and film, widespread assumptions [are] imposed on the text that turn and twist the character of Delilah into something she is not. Dan Clanton, p.66

12 World in the biblical text Does Delilah love Samson? After this, [Samson] loved a woman in the valley of Soreq, whose name was Delilah. Judges 16.4 Yet, the biblical story does not tell us how Delilah felt about Samson it is a gap in the text.

13 Delilah s sexuality In popular culture, certain assumptions are made: She is invariably heterosexual (heteronormative readings of her character). She is sleeping with Samson but is not married to him. She may be portrayed as a prostitute. She may be in love with Samson, but betrays him nonetheless. None of these ideas are made explicit in the biblical text.

14 Cecil B DeMille, Samson and Delilah Paramount Pictures, 1949 Explicit use of Judges 16 in popular culture

15 World in the text Delilah is a Philistine courtesan who falls in love with Samson. She suspects he will leave her for another woman ( good Hebrew woman Miriam), so gets her revenge by betraying him to the Philistines. Does Delilah s love for Samson make her a less desirable character? Betraying the man she loves?

16 Nick Roeg, Samson and Delilah (1996) Delilah is a cool-headed Philistine, who betrays Samson for financial gain. But does she begin to fall in love with Samson? How does this affect our evaluation of her character?

17 Discussion Think about the world in the two cultural texts and compare them to the biblical story. How is the cultural author filling in gaps? What impression are we offered of Delilah? What do you think of these two Delilahs? What is the cultural function of such depictions? Are they making a point about women in general?

18 To summarize: did Delilah love Samson? Biblical text: does not tell us. Popular culture: fills in this gap, shaping Delilah s character and presenting her in new ways (lover, betrayer, etc.) that affect our opinion of her. Perhaps she never loved him...

19 Why does Delilah betray Samson? Cecil B. DeMille s Delilah vengeance for the death of her sister, which she blames Samson for, and, primarily, sexual jealousy. This is not in the biblical story. Nic Roeg s Delilah she demands financial gain. Biblical text only confirms Delilah accepts a generous reward by the Philistines. Camille Saint-Saëns, Samson and Delilah (1877) - Delilah gets her revenge on Samson, her former lover, for leaving her (see Clanton, pp ). Again, not mentioned in the biblical story

20 Literally, a fatal woman The femme fatale Dangerous beauty, seductive, irresistible, sexually independent (and immoral), often foreign. She lures men towards destruction or even death. Timeless figure but became a cultural icon during the 19 th Century Fin de siècle period ( end of the century ) in Europe, then later in Hollywood film noir.

21 Delilah as femme fatale In pop culture, Delilah is often a typical femme fatale: Beautiful, exotic, irresistible (for Samson) and therefore deadly. Her deadliness is blamed on her exotic sexual allure. Sexually immoral a prostitute? Not a wife or mother. A foreign female an added source of her deadliness. How much of this is in the biblical text, and how much is filling the gaps in the text?

22 Delilah as femme fatale Solomon Joseph Solomon Samson and Delilah (1887)

23 Oscar Pereira da Silva, Samson and Delilah (1893)

24 Hedy Lamarr s Delilah Exotic Austrian actor, hint of an accent the ethnic other. Notorious for being notorious married and divorced 6 times; previous role in controversial movie Ecstasy. Costumes designed to show off her exotic sexuality. Stark contrast to Miriam

25 Olive Deering plays Miriam a foil to Delilah.

26 What does the biblical text say? Delilah s motives are never revealed. Alternative ideas: Fear of Samson? Poverty/financial security? Patriotism? Fear of reprisals - could she really disobey the Philistine elders?

27 The world in the text Temptress Vengeful Foreign Femme Fatale Lover Dangerous Jealous Prostitute

28 Dialogical relationship between Bible and pop culture Knowledge of Judges 16 brings meaning to this cultural text and the cultural text invites us to consider the biblical story in new ways. It is not simply a matter of the Bible influencing culture; the influence takes place in both directions. What many people know or think they know about the Bible comes from more familiar representations of biblical texts and themes in the popular culture than from the study of the ancient text itself. J. Cheryl Exum, Plotted, Shot, and Painted: Cultural Representations of Biblical Women, pp.7-8.

29 The world in front of the text How do you think these afterlives of Delilah function in their contemporary cultures? What do they suggest about the ideologies about gender and female sexuality that were prevalent in these cultures? Could afterlives of Delilah as femme fatale be harmful to gender relations in contemporary culture? I.e. What impact do such afterlives have on real life?

30 Extra resources See Exum, Why, why, why, Delilah?, in Plotted, Shot and Painted, pp Also Auckland Theology and Religion blog: Delilah: Biblical Femmes Fatales

31 Florence and the Machine, Delilah World behind the text From the album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015), written by Florence Welch and Isabella Summers. Delilah as a positive force in Florence s life. Video director Vincent Haycock: biblical allusions in the song and video tap into Welsh s own personal journey towards redemption and self-forgiveness: The cutting of the hair became about letting go of the past, killing of the bad shit men and drugs and battling through the last layer of hell so to speak.

32 World in the text How is Delilah depicted in this song and video? What references to the Judges 16 story can you see? How do these references make sense of the biblical story and characters? How is the story being retold? Can you see any other religious images in this video? What might they mean? How do Florence and the Machine make the story of Samson and Delilah relevant to contemporary issues?

33 World in front of the text What did you think about the song and video? How do you think it retells the Judges 16 story? And what kind of afterlife does it offer Delilah? How does this compare with the other afterlives we ve seen this week? What do you like/not like about it?

34 Essay 1. Choose a character from the Bible and compare their biblical portrayal with one or more of their afterlives in popular culture. You can use one or more of our different approaches in your essay (world in/in front of/behind the text)

35 Essay plan 1: World in the text focus Introduction Point 1: Similarities between Noah s character in Genesis 6-9 and the Noah movie (e.g. loyal to God s command to build the ark) Point 2: Gaps in the text: how does Noah understand God s command to build the ark? How is this presented in Noah? Point 3: Gaps in the text: what do Noah s family think about God s plan to destroy the earth? How is this presented in Noah? Conclusion

36 Essay plan 2: Worlds in/behind/in front of the text (text, author, and audience approaches) Introduction. Point 1: world in the text what gaps in the biblical text does Aronofsky fill in Noah? How does it retell this story in a contemporary secular age? (choose one or two to focus on) Point 2: World in front of the text audience reactions to Noah. What these tell us about public attitudes towards religion in pop culture. Point 3: World behind the text Aronofsky s response to critique of Noah, his reasons for making it. Conclusion

37 Essay plan: World in the text focus Comparing your biblical character to a contemporary figure in pop culture: Introduction gaps in biblical text how do cultural texts fill them? Point 1: Did Delilah love Samson? Compare Cecil B.DeMille s Delilah with Judges 16. Point 2: What motivated Delilah to betray Samson? Again, compare cultural text and biblical text (either the same cultural text or another one). Point 3: How does DeMille s choice of Hedy Lamarr to play Delilah influence her portrayal? What does she add to this portrayal that is absent from the biblical text? (e.g. ethnicity, looks, social status, etc) Conclusion

Florence and the Machine, Delilah (2015)

Florence and the Machine, Delilah (2015) The video starts in a motel foyer - Florence lies on a sofa while a man talks to her about faith: Love yourself. Forgive yourself. You can t love and forgive other