Modern Genre Theory is a first-of-its-kind introduction for students in biblical studies, drawing on the best approaches from literary studies to show how understanding genre leads to better interpretation. Genre theory has experienced a renaissance in the last thirty years, but biblical studies has been left in the dark ages of rigid taxonomies and stubborn essentialism. The Bible deserves better.

This book offers students in biblical studies an accessible but comprehensive introduction to modern genre theory, providing access to literary tools for understanding how writers and readers use genre to make meaning. In one convenient package, this book first describes the current state of biblical genre theory, what form criticism is, and why it needs to die. It then presents a better alternative based on the best developments in secular literary theory, linguistics, and rhetorical studies.

Drawing on modern genre theory, Andrew Judd proposes a working definition of genre for biblical studies as relatively stable conventions that writers and readers use to make meaning in certain contexts but not others. He identifies twelve tenets of modern genre theory that follow from seeing genres in their historical and social context.