Andrew Judd. <i>Modern Genre Theory: An Introduction for Biblical Studies</i>

In this ambitious book, Andrew Judd (Lecturer in Old Testament at Ridley College in Melbourne) claims that most biblical scholars are stuck in outmoded and unproductive ways of thinking about genre. Trained in “classical genre theory” and accustomed to its insistence on classification, we biblical scholars lag behind the literary theorists; Judd would like to introduce us to “modern genre theory” with its increased focus on social and historical contexts. He believes that this approach can serve as no less than a “game changer for biblical studies” (p. xxiii). Judd employs the genre of upper-level textbook—complete with discussion questions and annotated bibliographies for each chapter—as a means of both persuading biblical scholars to update their thinking and providing them with a ready tool to train their students in the ways of modern genre theory.For Judd, genre is no mere synonym for “category.” Rather, genre forms “part of how language works” and hence proves essential for understanding language, including biblical language (p. 251). The importance of genre means that we have to get it right, and Judd is convinced we biblical scholars have gone astray. His polemical chapter 1 is subtitled “Form Criticism and Why It Needs to Die.” Judd criticizes Gunkel’s essentialism and his outdated assumptions about cultural and religious evolution, while also pointing out how slow biblical scholars—with a few notable exceptions—have been to incorporate the insights of modern genre theory.Chapter 2 introduces a historical perspective on genre and explains Judd’s first six tenets of modern genre theory, starting with a provocative blow to the notion of genre-as-category. According to Judd’s first tenet, “texts are promiscuous” (p. 19); he draws on Derrida’s notion of textual “participation” in genre, rather than “belonging” to a genre (p. 20). He also notes that genres do change over time, even though they remain “relatively stable” (p. 19). Ultimately, drawing on cognitive linguistics, Judd concludes that genres are not categories but rather “conventions organized in our heads around prototypes” (p. 32). Thus, the boundaries around genres are blurred, not sharp. The remaining tenets focus not on what genres are, but on what genres do.Chapter 3 moves on from the historical approach, paying increased attention to social context and the contributions of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and rhetorical genre studies (RGS), two fields that have contributed powerfully to modern genre theory. For Judd, these fields recognize the character of genres as “recurring responses to recurring situations” (p. 54). While classical genre theory emphasizes the common characteristics shared by similar texts, SFL and RGS inquire after the purpose of a text: “What is it for?” (p. 55). While an author may have had an intended purpose, Judd affirms that readers may have a different response or uptake.According to chapter 4, readers who seek to understand a given text’s genre should look not for a predetermined correct answer, but for an interpretive payoff. Judd proposes a “boomerang test.” Guess at the text’s genre, “give it a throw, see what comes back” (p. 69). There may well be more than one boomerang that makes a fruitful return.Part 2 consists of a series of case studies. Chapter 5 explores the difference between reading Hagar’s story in Gen 16 as (proslavery) “exemplum” and reading it as a more open (and abolitionist-friendly) “narrative” (p. 100). Chapter 6 proposes a “tactical” reading of Judg 19 as horror film, suggesting that this intentional anachronism yields a payoff that passes the boomerang test. Chapter 7 examines what biblical poetry can do, and chapter 8 compares Gen 1 with poetry, again emphasizing the purpose of a text over its classification—Judd brilliantly illustrates his point with a reflection on the Apollo 8 mission. Chapter 9 pushes biblical scholars away from attempts to define apocalyptic literature, highlighting how apocalyptic texts participate in more than one genre. Chapter 10 dives into thorny questions around wisdom literature, proposing that wisdom literature may well constitute “an ecosystem of genres that work within a similar context of situation” (p. 192). Chapter 11 offers a helpful intervention in the dispute over whether gospels are biographies or something else, showing how the tenets of modern genre theory can help New Testament scholars ask better questions about these texts. And chapter 12 explores the epistolary genre, examining both prototypes of the genre and the social functions of letter-writing. Finally, a brief epilogue neatly summarizes Judd’s major points.Judd is unabashedly confessional in this text, and his intended audience overlaps neatly with the readership of this journal. Readers may find themselves looking for ways to work this book into their courses—it is accessible, clear, and exciting. The Old Testament–focused chapters may be slightly stronger, given Judd’s training in that area, but this New Testament scholar found the whole book to be stimulating and insightful. I only wish I could have read this book when I was a graduate student.