The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve. A Story about Humanity's Fears, Desires, and Responsibilities

The tale of Adam and Eve modestly occupies about fifty lines in Scripture, yet it harbors astonishing paradoxes: a man and a woman, born as adults and unashamed of their nakedness, a talking serpent-tempter, a tree whose fruits grant knowledge of good and evil. This story, filled with unimaginable scenes and events, has troubled philosophers and thinkers for centuries — analyzed, discussed, and interpreted — both literally and allegorically.
In this book, Stephen Greenblatt — a PhD and professor of humanities — takes the reader from the earliest ancient stories of human creation to the well-known Darwinian theory of evolution. This journey traverses the thoughts of Saint Augustine, who decided to interpret every line of Scripture literally, and the workshops of talented artists — from the painter Albrecht Dürer, who created the famous engraving "Adam and Eve", to John Milton, who wrote "Paradise Lost".