Fifth gospel (genre)

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Fifth gospel is a literary genre focusing on fictional transfigurations of Jesus. The term has been coined by Theodore Ziolkowski.[1]

According to Ziolkowski, in "fictional transfigurations of Jesus" "the characters and the action, irrespective of meaning or theme, are prefigured to a noticeable extent by figures and events popularly associated with the life of Jesus as it is known from the Gospels."[2]

Books in this genre include Lars Görling [sv]'s 491, Gunter Grass's Cat and Mouse, John Barth's Giles Goat-Boy and Gore Vidal's Messiah and Live from Golgotha.[1]

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