"For centuries, the book of Jonah has stimulated the religious imagination across Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Diverse insights and interpretations have arisen from the study of Jonah, ranging from traditional religious allegory to more historically oriented research to thematic literary symbolism, and ever sparking psychoanalytical readings. Such a range of readings illustrates the complexity and versatility of the text." "In Inner Worlds Albert Kamp grounds his approach in examining the dynamic communication between authors, texts, and readers that transpires during the reading process. In experiencing a text, readers create complex inner representations of the textual reality. The meaning of the text depends both on the way in which the text presents its reality and on the specific input of the reader. This approach does not see the text as the locus for fixed meanings or definitive theological content; rather, the text-reader-author interplay with the book of Jonah calls to mind a conceptual structure."--BOOK JACKET.