Weeping in Recognition Scenes in Genesis and the "Odyssey"

Scenes involving weeping in biblical and Homeric literature can be correlated with each other and with modern scientific studies of weeping. Seen through the lens of attachment theory, weeping expresses a need for relationship and caregiving arising from pain or sorrow. But so-called tears of joy sh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Catholic Biblical quarterly 2015-10, Vol.77 (4), p.619-639
Main Author: BOSWORTH, DAVID A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bible
Biblical studies
Comparative literature
Emotions
Epic literature
Literary criticism
Old Testament
Recognition
Text analysis
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Summary:Scenes involving weeping in biblical and Homeric literature can be correlated with each other and with modern scientific studies of weeping. Seen through the lens of attachment theory, weeping expresses a need for relationship and caregiving arising from pain or sorrow. But so-called tears of joy shed at moments of emotional reunion appear at first not to fit with this understanding. On closer examination, however, moments of reunion involve emotional memories of loss, grief, and helplessness. Consequently, tears shed at reunions appear consistent with an attachmenttheoretical perspective on weeping. The present article applies this modern scientific understanding of tears of reunion to an analysis of the motif of weeping as deployed in recognition scenes in Genesis and the Odyssey. The two literatures show striking correspondences in their use of the motif of weeping in scenes of recognition that tend to confirm an attachment-theoretical perspective on weeping and its utility in textual analysis. Indeed, the Homeric literature often explicitly identifies the emotional pain present in recognition scenes. The two corpora also evince significant and illuminating differences, particularly in the level of narrative detail and emotional language.
ISSN:0008-7912
2163-2529