With an expertise that includes biblical studies, medieval Italian masters, the modern novel, and twentieth-century poets, Herbert Marks inspires his students to deepen their understanding of prose, poetry, and scriptural writing. In nearly 20 years at IU, Professor Marks has created many courses and taught not only in the comparative literature department but also in English, Near Eastern languages and cultures, religious studies, and Jewish studies. His popular course Who Wrote the Bible? explores the diversity of biblical writing while introducing students to literary analysis and testing the role of the reader in the "construction" of literary meaning.
Currently, Marks is working on a new edition of the Hebrew Bible in English, with full commentary, to be published by W. W. Norton in 2004. The work is expected to have a major impact on the teaching of the Bible in college classrooms throughout the English-speaking world.
Education
- Ph.D. at Yale University, 1985
Background
- 2004 Indiana University President's Award
Research Interests
- Comparative Literature
- Medieval Italian Masters
- The Modern Novel
- Twentieth Century Poets
Courses Recently Taught
- The Lyric Poem
- Who Wrote the Bible?
- Genesis and Myth
- Literature and Psychoanalysis
- Blake and the Bible
- Modern Elegy
- Dante and Medieval Theories and Language
