The Strange Gospel

by James L. Resseguie

"In this literary analysis of the Gospel of John, Resseguie examines rhetoric, setting, character, and plot to uncover the Gospel's unique point of view. He shows the usefulness of the concepts of defamiliarization and point of view for understanding how the narrator makes the familiar seem strange. A material, familiar point of view that is voiced by the dominant culture is compared with a defamiliarized, strange point of view that is expressed by Jesus and the disenfranchised. The author develops and elaborates the theological perspective of John, which emerges in the clash of differing points of view. The introduction defines "objective" and "subjective" point of view, and shows the value of the works of Boris Uspensky and Susan Sniader Lanser for understanding the Gospel of John. In chapter one, irony, misunderstandings, and double entendres are shown to be important rhetorical tools in the Gospel's attempt to make the familiar seem strange. Chapter two discusses point of view as i