The Bible and Literature: The Basics provides an interpretive framework for understanding the significance of biblical allusions in literature-even for readers who have little prior knowledge of the Bible. In doing so, it surveys the Bible's influence on a broad range of English, American, and other Anglophone literatures from a variety of historical periods. It also: * offers a "greatest hits" tour of the Bible * focuses as much on 20th- and 21st-century literatures as on earlier periods * addresses the Bible's relevance to contemporary issues in literary criticism such as poststructuralist, postcolonial, feminist, queer, and narrative theories * includes discussion questions for each chapter and annotated suggestions for further reading This book explains why readers need a basic knowledge of the Bible in order to understand and appreciate key aspects of Anglophone literary traditions.