What is “exegesis”?

Assignment due October 5 Religion 3333: Chinese Religions 中 國 宗 教 史  Essay 2 Exegetical Essay on the Book of Zhuangzi In an essay of 4-6 pages (approximately 7500 words), write a close analysis (exegesis) of a specific passage from the Book of Zhuangzi. Your essay should include the text in full (this is not to be included in your final word count, and is to be indented right and left and set in 10-point font), an analysis of the text in itself (what you think is “happening” in the passage), and an exegesis of the text in relation to the whole of the seven Inner Chapters.

1. Introduction 2. Obstacles to Exegesis 3. Exegetical Guidelines 4. Exegetical Writing

I. Introduction 1. Greek exegeomai: the interpretation and analysis of meaning 2. a basic activity of everyday life a) oral communication b) textual communication c) the role of acculturation

II. Obstacles to Exegesis (esp. applied to religious texts) 1. the third-party perspective 2. the language barrier 3. the cultural gap 4. the historical gap 5. collective and historical growth

III. Exegetical Guidelines 1. interpret in the light of context 2. interpret in the light of structure 3. interpret in the light of incorporated sources 4. interpret in the light of rhetorical devices 5. interpret in the light of figurative language (elaborated in following five slides)

1. interpret in the light of context a. external context b. internal context Questions to ask yourself: how does the passage conform to cultural patterns/facts already known to you? how might contemporary readers have interpreted it? how does the passage function with respect to its immediate and larger context (transitional, climactic, illustrative, paradoxical, central, peripheral...)? how does it jive with other passages in the same text or a related text?

2. interpret in the light of structure a given passage fits somewhere within the general structure of the text as a whole Questions to ask yourself: what is the general structure of the whole text? what contribution does the passage make to the general structure?

3. interpret in the light of incorporated sources texts frequently allude to other texts, incorporating pre-existing materials in the work (sometimes without explicit attribution) Things to look for: direct attribution changes in literary style or vocabulary breaks in continuity of thought or presentation repetition inconsistency

4. interpret in the light of rhetorical devices texts differ in the rhetorical devices they employ Questions to ask yourself: is the text argumentative? satirical? entertaining? didactic? illustrative?

5. interpret in the light of figurative language many religious texts are not written in straightforward language, but incorporate analogy, irony, myth, personification, allegory, metaphor, hyperbole, suggestion Questions to ask yourself: should the passage be interpreted "literally" or "figuratively"? what other passages can give clues as to the mood or intention of the author?

IV. Exegetical Writing 1. let the text set the agenda 2. adopt your own perspective; do not report exegetical research done by others 3. avoid a verse-by-verse/word-by-word series of mini- essays 4. conclude your exegesis with a synthesis of its various parts; suggest broader implications, further questions for research, or a summary of remaining puzzles (end)