exegesis

   Exegesis has turned from a conservative art to a radical process. Originally, it was the art of interpreting textual material, and its original source stems from the interpretation of biblical material. That material is always fragmented and therefore requires collation to produce a complete copy, known as a recension. In the twentieth century, exegesis, presented as interpretation, has been applied to cultural icons generally. This has resulted in a challenge to canonical writings and permitted a wide range of alternative writings to be treated with a seriousness otherwise denied them. The overall effect has been to provide so-called ‘fringe’ writing with a ‘voice’. In extreme, the argument has been raised as to whether any writing can be regarded as superior to any other writing: ‘all cultural products are equal’. The moderated contrasting argument is that good argument and quality can always be distinguished: ‘all cultural products are equal but some are more equal than others’.

   See also: literary theory

   Further reading

    ‘Deconstruction’, in P.B.Clarke and A.Linzey (eds) (1996) A Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society, Routledge: London.

   PAUL BARRY CLARKE