Even when we do encounter these ancient forms of storytelling (see the Greek Myths, which have had an immense influence on western society, or even in a more modern sense the popular Ghibli films, which employ a circular structure) there is a tendency to filter them through our modern, western paradigms. Unfortunately, particularly here in the West, we have become conditioned to reading and seeing story in linear ways that demand a particular, singular progression of thought.
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It wasn’t until I came across a podcast episode by the Bible Project called Literature For a Lifetime, part of their current series on paradigms through which to understand the Bible as ancient literature, that I was able to find the words to express what I was feeling, a way to make sense of why I found the story powerful, why I think some resist it, and why I think the story structure is so important for communicating what this story desires to say.Ĭontinuing with the different paradigms, hosts Tim, Jon and Carissa have been walking through the past month, the episode Literature For a Lifetime deals with the Bible as "meditation literature", suggesting that this ancient form of storytelling is "designed not to give up all of its meaning on the first or even the fiftieth reading." Taking this further they suggest that, "Biblical literature constantly challenges our assumptions about what is", and that the word "meditation" contains the idea of necessarily making the space to dwell on words, visuals, and ideas so that the truths contained within the story can emerge. In particular, ancient Jewish Literature is "artistically designed to interpret itself and encourage a lifetime of re-reading and reflection." This had me thinking about this critique as I tried to reconcile why the film landed for me in such a powerful way. It feels unfortunate then to note that many of these think pieces have been obligated to document the films failed performance at the box office, for which there is no shortage of opinions as to why, including specific critiques surrounding Scott’s choice of narrative structure, with some wondering about his decision to frame the story around these three perspectives and to give the two men in the story equal attention. This probably sounds like a lofty claim, but I think this just might be one of Scott's best works, and for me definitely one of the films of the year. Where the book offers a broad scale look at the real world historical context, the film, which brings the period setting to life through wonderful set design and an understated, muted cinematography, functions more as an interpretive exercise, using the three main and competing perspectives that inform the story’s unfolding and persisting conflict as a way into the larger world that these three individuals occupy. Having recently read Eric Jager’s non-fiction book by the same name, and having seen the adaptation, I found both to be riveting and highly engaging works in their own way. There is no shortage of think pieces weighing in over the past couple of weeks on Ridley Scott's much anticipated and recently released Medieval epic, The Last Duel.
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