The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve

Bolder,even,thantheambitiousbooksforwhichStephenGreenblattisalreadyrenowned,TheRiseandFallofAdamandEveexplorestheenduringstoryofhumanity’sfirstparents.Comprisingonlyafewancientverses,thestoryofAdamandEvehasservedasamirrorinwhichweseemtoglimpsethewhole,longhistoryofourfearsanddesires,asbothahymntohumanresponsibilityandadarkfableabouthumanwretchedness.Trackingthetaleintothedeeppast,Greenblattuncoversthetremendoustheological,artistic,andculturalinvestmentovercenturiesthatmadethesefictionalfiguressoprofoundlyresonantintheJewish,Christian,andMuslimworldsand,finally,sovery“real”tomillionsofpeopleeveninthepresent.WiththeuncannybrilliancehepreviouslybroughttohisdepictionsofWilliamShakespeareandPoggioBracciolini(thehumanistmonkwhoistheprotagonistofTheSwerve),GreenblattexplorestheintenselypersonalengagementofAugustine,Dürer,andMiltoninthismammothprojectofcollectivecreation,whilehealsolimnsthediversityofthestory’soffspring:richallegory,viciousmisogyny,deepmoralinsight,andsomeofthegreatesttriumphsofartandliterature.Thebiblicaloriginstory,Greenblattargues,isamodelforwhatthehumanitiesstillhavetooffer:notthescientificnatureofthings,butratheradeepencounterwithproblemsthathavegrippedourspeciesforaslongaswecanrecallandthatcontinuetofascinateandtroubleustoday.16pagescolorillustrations