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Introduction
9
thenaturalphenomenaandtheambivalenceofthegentle(in)audibility.“Anyat-
temptatCexplaining’thecontrastbetweenthefireandtheCvoiceofthinsilence’
isindangeroflosingthatsenseofanimmediatebutunstatedconnectionbe-
tweenthetwothatisemphasizedevenbytheveryactofdissociation”(Prickett
1986:12).Tus,ontheonehand,contrarytowhatElijahmusthaveexpected
toexperienceatHoreb(whichisanothernameforSinai,theplaceofMoses’s
encounterwithGodintheburningbush),Goddoesnotactuallyshowhimself
throughtheimagesofstrengthanddomination,butresidesinwhatcouldbe
describedastheresoundingsilence.Yet,ontheotherhand,thethunderandfire
retainadistinctdivineconnotationinsofarastheyareunleashedatGod’scom-
mandandinsofarastheyarepartofhishistoricalrepertoireofepiphanies.“Te
storyseemstoinsist”,Prickettpointsout,“thatateachlevelthesetwomodesare
bothcompletelydiscontinuousandyetinseparable”(1986:12).“Testillsmall
voice”characterizesGod’scurrent,moreadequatemanifestation,andputsthe
clamorousrevelationstypicalofhispastepiphaniessousrature.
Tebiblical“stillsmallvoice”anditsfraughtrelationshipwiththemore
thunderous,imperiousandviolentepiphanycanbeseenasametaphorformy
argumentabouttheBibleincontemporaryBritishculture.Firstofall(andquite
generally),thestillsmallvoiceisametaphorforthecurrentculturalconditionof
theBible.Secondly(andmorespecifically),itsymbolizesthewaycontemporary
rewritingsofbiblicaltextscombinecriticismoftheBiblewithadesireforelicit-
ingadiferentvoicefromit.Tus,ontheonehand,Iclaimthatlikethevoice
ofthinsilence-discontinuousyetinseparablefromthethunderandfireafer
whichitcomes-theBibletodayshowsitselfasaweakculturalpresence,whose
formergloryanddominance,thoughnotexactlyforgotten,areseenasnolonger
representativeofwhattheBibleisforthecontemporaryBritishsociety.Notun-
likeGodin1Kings19:8-12,bothevokingandabsentinghimselffromtheonce
characteristicmannersofrevelationandassumingafeebleform,theBibleno
longerfunctionsinitsformerlytypicalwaysofthevociferous,dominantand
all-determiningtext,butbecomesaweakandbarelynoticeableculturalpres-
ence,whosestrengthandauthorityisacknowledgedonlyasahistoricalrecord.
TeBibletodayspeaksonlyin“thestillsmallvoice”,whoseweaknessstandsin
contrastwiththestillrememberedbutnolongerdeterminativeculturalstrength
ofthepast.
Ontheotherhand,Iarguethat“thestillsmallvoice”iswhatcanbeheard
incontemporaryBritishnovelswhichrewritevariousbiblicalnarratives.Itis
avoiceoftransformed,weakened,self-reflexiveversionsofbiblicalnarrative,
athinvoiceproducedbywhatremainsofthebiblicalmythwhenitsgriponthe
contemporaryBritishsocietyisloosenedbutnotreleasedaltogether.Tisvoice
iscalledhere“theechoingmyth”,anditisseenasrelatedbothtothecharacter-
istic,echoingstrategiesofcontemporaryliteraryadaptations,andtotherecent
attemptstodescribethestateinwhichmythfindsitselfinthelatetwentiethcen-
