Temporal Drag in Esther, from Persia to Purim

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This chapter discusses the historical and logical problems with Esther and proposes to read them with theories of queer temporality, particularly temporal drag. The chapter argues that the author of Esther took a basically plausible outline of the Persian period and embroidered it with both fictions and references to many other time periods to create a pastiche that felt affectively true. The reasons for Esther’s temporal oddities are twofold. First, the author wanted to create an affective “history” that resonated with the way Jews likely saw their post-exilic existence. Second, the story was written as a post facto explanation for the holiday of Purim. This popular holiday also presents an opportunity to examine historical and modern Jewish approaches to time. This chapter discusses the celebration of Purim and the yearly reading of Esther as a case study in creative Jewish approaches to history, memory, and temporality.</jats:p>