Bakhtin Reads the Song of Songs

Abstract

If Mikhail Bakhtin were to read the Hebrew text of the Song of Songs, he would likely propose three claims in regard to it, namely: (1) the Song of Songs is an Event of Events; (2) the Song of Songs represents a Genre of Genres; and (3) the Song of Songs is an Utterance of Utterances. In this article, the Song as an ‘Event of Events’ will be explored within the context of the Song’s variegated but quite cleanly polarized history of interpretation; the Song as representative of a ‘Genre of Genres’ will be treated in light of the components and attributes of its Hebrew text and structure; and the Song as an ‘Utterance of Utterances’ will be pursued in relation to the Song’s relevance and resonance within other parts of Hebrew Scripture.