Thomas manns joseph and his brothers and anita diamants the red tent. An awardwinning journalist whose work has appeared regularly in the boston globe magazine and parenting, she is the author of six nonfiction guides to contemporary jewish life. The red tent is a novel of biblical times and of the customs of those times, detailing the imagined lives of rachel and leah, two wives of jacob both true biblical figures and, subsequently, the imagined story of dinah, the daughter of leah, also a true biblical figure. In 1997, the author anita diamant published a fictional account of dinahs story, called the red tent. In many ways the red tent is a very female very feminist novel, the red tent itself being the place the women retreated to from the general family camp whilst they bled at the new moon.
In a male patriarchal narrative, all we know of dinah is that she is raped and her brothers decide to welcome in her rapists family into their own tribe, circumcise them and then kill them. Stepping into the red tent the lifetime adaptation of anita diamants novel about dinah departs radically from the bible and that may be a good thing. Told in dinahs voice, the red tent reveals the traditions of ancient womanhood and family honour. The red tent, a twopart adaptation of anita diamants novel about a biblical story, is being broadcast on sunday and monday on lifetime. We really dont get to see the red tent in the second half of the book, because dinah is no longer with her mothers. So about four chapters into it i thought, wait this is. The red tent has regaled readers for 17 years, and it remains. This is a beautifully told story centering around the four wives of jacob, the biblical son of isaac and rebecca. I read the red tent 1997 as a first year in high school and i didnt understand any of it. First and foremost, the red tent 1997 is a novel by anita diamant that retells the biblical rape story of dinah. The red tent is a tv miniseries about dinah the daughter of jacob and halfsister to joseph he of the technicoloured dreamcoat fame. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The novel has sold millions of copies around the world and was adapted into a 2014 lifetime miniseries starring. In theory, the red tent is a noble project, an attempt to give women a.
The red tent was novel by anita diamant, published in 1997 that gave us a story of women who come together in a menstrual hut, known as the red tent. The red tent is a fictional yet thoroughly researched firstperson account of the life of dinah, the only daughter of biblical patriarch jacob who is more famous for having twelve sons. Its a right feminist criticism for a fictionalized biblical woman to make, but. The story says that dinah was raped by an egyptian prince. The novel in question is the red tent, and its modest but highly delighted author is anita diamant, an experienced american journalist who has also written several nonfiction guides to. Simon and levi, two of her brothers, avenge dinah by killing all the.
And itll help you get a handle on the red tent anyway, the red tent is all about a little lady called dinah. The first twohour episode premiered on lifetime on december 7, 2014. She is a minor character in the bible, but the author has broadened her story. The books title refers to the tent in which women of jacobs tribe must, according to the ancient law, take. The red tent is a novel by anita diamant that was first published in 1997. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the red tent study guide and get instant access to. Geared to what todays students need to know, sparknotes. In the red tent, where days pass like a gentle stream, as the gift of innana courses through us, cleansing the body of last months death, preparing the body to receive the new months life, women give thanks for repose and restoration, for the knowledge that life comes from between our legs, and. The book was called the red tent, and it has since achieved iconic status. The novel by anita diamant is a feminist biblical retelling of the story of dinah, the daughter of jacob. Martins press, the red tent hailed no fanfare upon its release and only started to enjoy success and publicity when book clubs and reading groups around. The red tent by anita diamant 1997 her name is dinah.
The red tent gives a version of the story that isnt given freely within a book written and i will stand by this by men. The red tent is a reimagining of the story of dinah, the only daughter of jacob, the man who, according to the bible wrestled an angel and won. Dont call the red tent christian fiction book riot. While they have it, its the one place where they can be safe. In the bible, dinahs story is only briefly mentioned. In the bible her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the book of genesis that deal with jacob and his dozen sons. The red tent by anita diamant is a novel which caught my eye in a bookshop many moons ago, listed in the back of my mind as a to read and never actually came to read it until roughly 12 years later, as a result of it slipping in and out of recall.
Told from a womans point of view unusual for tvmovie biblical stories it revisits old testament family goingson. Even in diamants book women are not treated equally. How the red tent invented a new kind of fiction the. The red tent by anita diamant meet your next favorite book. But hey, check out our guide to the bible if youre into that. In the bible her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the book of genesis that recount the life of jacob and his infamous dozen sons. There is a huge focus on sexual awakening, menstruation, womanhood. The second half of the book, which takes place in egypt, is somewhat more convincing and less oppressiveperhaps because there is no more red tent. It is a vast and stirring work described as what the bible might have been had it been written by gods daughters instead of sons. Bunk, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, but when it comes to biblical adaptations, the best policy always is, buyer beware. One critic called it the bible if it had been written by. I believe that she is just trying to give a different point of view. Most women have heard of the red tent because they read the book. While i am a fan of diamants other work, i dont actually like the red tent much, though i appreciate conversations it opens.
The novel in question is the red tent, and its modest but highly delighted author is anita diamant, an experienced american journalist who has also written several nonfiction guides to contemporary jewish life. Red clocks imagines a world where abortion is outlawed. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. The author does succeed in giving the reader some feel for life in an ancient culture, and for the experiences that are the same for all women at all times. There is even a good man, the only one in the book. Both authors note the presence of implicit pagan tendencies among the women of jacobs clan gen 31. Marrying biblical heft with the particular bonds between mothers and daughters as well as moms noble sacrifices, anita diamants bestseller the red tent is a perfect fit for lifetime.
The red tent by anita diamant tells the story of the biblical character dinah, jacobs daughter and josephs sister. It is a firstperson narrative that tells the story of dinah, daughter of jacob and sister of joseph. The red tent is a novel of biblical times and of the customs of those times, detailing the imagined lives of rachel and leah, two wives of jacob both true. The red tent is the one place where these women have their own world and their own power. It is a firstperson narrative that tells the story of dinah, daughter of jacob and leah, sister of joseph. The book also looks at the secrets of women, their private conversations, feelings, superstitions and rituals, kept sacred from the men in the privacy of the red tent, and childbirth itself too, a private process of pain, fear and delight dealt with only by women. The red tent by anita diamant in chm, djvu, epub download ebook. Dinah tells us of the world of the red tent, the place where women were sequestered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and illness. In 1997, diamant published the red tent, a fictional novel which took the bare bones story of dinah from scripture and expanded it into a sprawling tale of intergenerational female camaraderie. The red tent of the title is the separate tent set aside for the women where they go while menstruating to keep apart from the men. Men got the whole bible, and all women got was this red tent.
The rape of dinah genesis, chapter 34 was recounted not by dinah, but by her brothers. The red tent imagines the life of dinah the new york times. With dinahs help, womens histories are traced matrilineally. Through dinahs eyes we see women come of age, begin menstruating, fall in. Benia, dinahs second husband, a carpenter reminiscent of saint joseph. The novel in question is the red tent, and its modest but highly delighted author is anita diamant, an experienced american journalist who. While his critique starts out with the suggestion that diamants book undermines messaging about consent in sexual relationships, however, it. Their stories were like offerings of hope and strength poured out before the queen of heaven, only these gifts were not for any god or goddess. Anita diamants novel of the same name is adapted into a twonight miniseries that follows the life of. Both models successfully bridge jewish tradition and modern. In the red tent dinahs story reaches out from a remarkable period of. In the red tent dinahs story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history to create an intimate, immediate connection.
Nevertheless, the memory of the red tent lingers throughout the book. The book it is important to define what the red tent is. With red clocks, zumas has written a novel thats political without being doctrinaire, that expands the dimensions of our most pressing social debate. And it is with this spirit that the red tent movement has flourished as a global phenomenon. Anita diamant is the bestselling author of the novels the red tent, good harbor, and the last days of dogtown, as well as the collection of essays, pitching my tent. In the ruddy shade of the red tent, the menstrual tent, they ran their fingers through my curls, repeating the escapades of their youths, the sagas of their childbirths. You have to read it and tell me what you think my book club is reading it. The red tent then is a very appropriate title as the book focused almost exclusively on feminine concerns.
The red tent is a novel by anita diamant, published in 1997 by wyatt books for st. The red tent is an american television miniseries produced by paula weinstein and directed by roger young. In theory, the red tent is a noble project, an attempt to give women a voice in the narratives of history from which they have historically been omitted. Et, lifetime premieres a twopart adaptation, concluding monday, of bostonbased jewish writer anita diamants 1997 novel, the red tent, very loosely based on the story of dinah, from genesis 34. The red tent is very loosely based on the story of dinah in genesis, and it is a book that is very easy to read. In the red tent anita diamant brings the fascinating biblical character of dinah to vivid life. Karen j flagg this thesis puts forth the argument that two contrasting models of modern feminist midrash evolved in the late nineteenth century. Anita diamant literature guides created by harvard students for students everywhere, sparknotes is a new breed of study guide. The red tent of the title refers to the tent the women of the tribe remain in while experiencing their time of the. Diamant, the books author, has faced accusations of blasphemy for her imaginative departure from the events of genesis 34.
302 420 1039 1326 237 1175 1588 266 1063 196 824 1264 169 920 826 878 925 558 281 1519 277 389 1481 1184 464 1426 1343 982 732 92 1574 841 1329 1033 793 1347 521 607 1060 462 1131 848 338 408 629 447