Narrative Art In The Bible

by Bar-Efrat, Shimon

• ISBN13: 9780567084958
• ISBN10: 0567084957
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-21
• Publisher: Bloomsbury T & T Clark

Summary

This book offers a systematic and comprehensive review of the fundamental literary aspects of biblical narrative, investigating the characteristics and points of view of the narrator, the shaping of characters, the structure of the plot, time and space, and finally the style. Many examples are provided to clarify the issues discussed as well as to shed fresh light on the narratives.

Author Biography

Shimon Bar-Efrat is Head of Biblical Studies at the Hebrew Secondary School, Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Preface	7	(2)
Introduction	9	(4)
Chapter 1 THE NARRATOR	13	(34)
1. The Narrator's Omniscience	17	(6)
2. The Narrator's Manifestations	23	(24)
A. The Overt Narrator	23	(9)
B. The Covert Narrator	32	(15)
Chapter 2 THE CHARACTERS	47	(46)
1. The Direct Shaping of the Characters	48	(16)
A. Outward Appearance	48	(5)
B. Inner Personality	53	(11)
2. The Indirect Shaping of the Characters	64	(29)
A. Speech	64	(13)
B. Actions	77	(9)
C. Minor Characters	86	(7)
Chapter 3 THE PLOT	93	(48)
1. The Single Narrative	95	(37)
A. The Units of the Plot	95	(16)
B. The Stages of the Plot	111	(21)
2. Collections of Narratives	132	(9)
Chapter 4 TIME AND SPACE	141	(56)
1. The Shaping of Time	143	(41)
A. The Duration of Time	143	(22)
B. The Sequence of Time	165	(19)
2. The Shaping of Space	184	(13)
Chapter 5 STYLE	197	(42)
1. Stylistic Devices	200	(18)
A. Sound and Rhythm	200	(6)
B. The Meaning of Words	206	(5)
C. The Repetition of Words	211	(5)
D. Word Order	216	(2)
2. The Style of Narrative Units	218	(21)
A. The Narrative of Adonijah (1 Kings 1)	218	(5)
B. Hushai's Speech (2 Samuel 17.7-13)	223	(16)
Chapter 6 THE NARRATIVE OF AMNON AND TAMAR	239	(44)
Bibliography	283	(4)
Index of Biblical References	287	(6)
Index of Subjects	293