Reinterpretation Of Biblical Archetypes In Jeanette Winterson’s Three Novels

Jeanette Winterson(1959-), a contemporary English writer, has written over 20 works covering a wide range of topics. In her works, especially those published in the early phase of her writing career, such as Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit(1985), Sexing the Cherry(1989) and Written on the Body(1992), there are abundant references to classics, especially to the Bible. They represent a period when Winterson feels the urge to resist Christianity as a whole but then realizes the significance of the Bible. This thesis explores how Winterson, with her unyielding disposition, demonstrates her own interpretation of the Bible by such means of reshaping the Biblical elements in her works.With Winterson’s three early novels mentioned above as the subject, this thesis is structured on the basis of Carl Jung’s categorizations of archetypes while holding onto the three layers of meaning of “reinterpretation” in the title: firstly, the thesis discusses Winterson’s subversion of traditional interpretations of the Biblical characters, highlighting the mismatch between the image of Winterson’s Anointed Ones and that of the traditional ones. Then it proceeds to explore how Winterson develops a different way of understanding the Biblical symbols or associations, offering a positive view towards the traditional archetypes so as to show her respect for diversity. Further, it examines Winterson’s rewriting of Biblical situations relating to the structure and the themes, so as to find out how she has endowed new meanings to the archetypes to celebrate freedom of love and individuality.Overall, the thesis aims to prove that Winterson’s appropriation of the Bible should not simply be seen as a form of rejection. Rather, what Winterson attempts to present is her reinterpretation of the Bible, which enforces the good will contained in the Holy Bible in her literary creations while challenging the corrupted religious doctrine.