Ancient Egyptian Literature ― Theory and Practice

Although the literature of Ancient Egypt is comparatively poorly known compared to its art and architectural achievements, it has been the subject of intense study for almost 200 years, and constitutes one of the earliest literary traditions produced anywhere in the world. This book brings together work from many of the main researchers in the field of Ancient Egyptian literature, and reviews the numerous developments in the theoretical framework of interpretation more recently.

The field of literary studies has witnessed a rapid development. The application of more theoretically informed approaches to the ancient literary corpus, and a more detailed analysis of context, form, and reception, have fundamentally challenged the interpretative paradigms that formerly held sway. These papers enable many of the foremost researchers in the field to examine the overall state of work on the subject. Beginning with contributions from scholars working in the literatures of other ancient cultures (Mesopotamian, Old Testament, Classical), the book covers a wide range of Ancient Egyptian uses of written culture, with contributions covering the Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, and Demotic language stages. There are also contributions touching on genre, performance, intertextuality, biography, monumental context, and reception. The papers demonstrate the broad range of approaches currently used in interpreting Ancient Egyptian texts, and attest to the ongoing vitality of this field of study.

Roland Enmarch read Egyptology with Akkadian at University College, Oxford, before obtaining his D.Phil in Ancient Egyptian Literature at Worcester College, Oxford in 2004. Having been a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Liverpool, he is now a Lecturer in Egyptology there working on questions of genre and intertextuality in Egyptian written culture. His previous books include A World Upturned: Commentary on and Analysis of the Dialogue of Ipuwer and the Lord of All (2008). Dr. Enmarch also serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology.

Verena M. Lepper studied Egyptology, Semitic Philology and Christian Oriental Studies at Bonn, Cologne, Tubingen, Oxford (Christ Church) and Harvard University. She received her doctorate on Ancient Egyptian Literature from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn in 2005. Her postdoctoral fellowships (funded by the German National Science Foundation) she spent at Bonn, Oxford and Harvard University. She was a member of the German Junge Akademie at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina from 2006 to 2011. Since 2008 she has been curator and collection keeper at the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, National Museums Berlin. In addition she teaches at the Freie Universitat Berlin. Her research focus is Ancient Egyptian Literature and Language as well as the history of Egyptology. She has published four books on these topics.