BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUSTRATED
SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1) What is the story told in Genesis? What is Genesis about? Does Genesis have one over-arching theme? If so, what is it?
2) What analysis might you offer to some of the most important individual stories within Genesis?
i) What is most interesting and significant about God's Creation of the universe and of mankind? Are there two separate versions of Creation within Genesis?
ii) Where would you start in interpreting the Temptation story?
iii) What meanings would you attach to the story of Cain and Abel?
How would you compare and contrast the story of Cain and Abel to the story of Isaac and Ishmael, or of Jacob and Esau? What other examples do you notice of repetitions of particular motifs in the story line of Genesis and what significance would you attach to these?
iv) What is most interesting about the story of Noah's Ark? How would you compare and contrast Noah with Abraham and Moses? Who are Ham and Canaan and how are they connected to the Noah story?
How would compare and contrast the pre-Flood and post-diluvian age?
v) What does a re-reading of Genesis add to your understanding of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael and Isaac? What sense do you make of the story of the binding of Isaac? How would you compare and contrast the pre-Abraham and the post-Abraham sections of Genesis?
vi) What thoughts do you have about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?
vii) What do you find interesting about the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah? How would you compare and contrast Jacob with the other patriarchs and what is most interesting about his story?
viii) What is interesting about the story of Joseph?
3) What, if anything, most surprised you about Genesis? What did you find most puzzling?
4) Is God the lead character of Genesis? How would you describe the God of Genesis? Is this an all-powerful and all-knowing God? A God of mercy? A God of justice? A God of vengeance? How does he interact with humans? To what extent is this God the writer of human history? How, if at all, does He change over the course of the book?
5) How did you respond to this particular edition of Genesis? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Crumb's approach?
6) How would you begin to assess gender relations as portrayed in Genesis?
7) What are the values that seem to be stressed in Genesis? Is there an underlying code of ethics highlighted?
8) How would you analyze the concluding chapter of Genesis? How would you compare and contrast the focus here with the opening chapters of the book? How does Genesis fit together with Exodus? How would you compare and contrast the Egypt of Abraham, the Egypt of Joseph and the Egypt of the Exodus? Where would you place Genesis within the context of the Hebrew Bible as a whole? The Christian Bible?
Some Extra Resources About Crumb's Book Of Genesis Illustrated
"'Genesis': R. Crumb Illustrates The Bible," Talk Of The Nation, NPR, June 17, 2013.
Brian Gable, "Keep On Believin' . . . ," Globe And Mail, August 23, 2012.
Harold Bloom, "Yahweh Meets R. Crumb," Javous Arcades Project, May 17, 2011.
"R. Crumb, The Art Of Comics, No. 1: Interviewed By Ted Widmer," Paris Review (Summer 2010).
"R. Crumb In Conversation With Francoise Mouly," Fora.TV (2009).
Michel Faber, "The Book Of Genesis Illustrated By R. Crumb," Guardian, November 21, 2009.
Reed Johnson, "The
Creation Of R. Crumb's 'Genesis,'"
L.A. Times, October 29, 2009.
Eric Spitznagel, "Robert Crumb Thinks God Might Actually Be Crazy," Vanity Fair (October 22, 2009).
David Hadju, "God
Gets Graphic," New
York Times, October 22, 2009.
Robert Alter, "Scripture
Picture," New
Republic (October 19, 2009).
"R.
Crumb's Awesome, Affecting Take On 'Genesis,'"
All Things Considered, NPR, October 19, 2009.
"Crumb's
'Genesis,' A Sexy Breasts-And-Knuckles Affair,"
Morning Edition, NPR, October 19, 2009.
"R. Crumb On Genesis: Slide Show," New York Times, October 18, 2009.
Ben Leach, "Biblical Sex Row Over Explicit Illustrated Book Of Genesis," Telegraph, October 17, 2009.
Allen Salkin, "Sketching
His Way Through Genesis,"
New York Times, October 16, 2009.
Bill Moyers's "Genesis -- A Living
Conversation"
Bible Illuminated -- R. Crumb's Book Of Genesis:
A web-site associated with an exhibit at UCLA's Hammer Museum.
"Genesis: The First Murder," BillMoyers.com, 2012: This episode from the Genesis series focuses on the story of Cain and Abel.
Video Clip from "In God's Image," Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, October 22, 1996.
Video Clip from "Temptation," Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, January 1, 1996.
"God's Character," BillMoyers.com, 2015.
Video Clip from "Apocalypse," Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, November 3, 1996.
Video Clip from "Call And Promise," Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, November 10, 1996.
Video Clip from "A Family Affair," Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, November 17, 1996.
Video Clip from "The Test," Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, November 24, 1996.
"Blessed Deception: Chosen By God," BillMoyers.com, 2015.
Video Clip from "God Wrestling," Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, December 8, 1996.
Video Clip from "Exile,"
Genesis -- A Living Conversation, Bill Moyers, December 15, 1996.