The prime and "unique" contribution of this study is the meta-theoretical approach according to which a popular method of analysis and interpretation regarding the books of Samuel is discussed an evaluated critically. This is an important

Greger Andersson is Assistant Professor and Lecturer in Comparative Literature at Orebro University in Sweden and Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Orebro Theological Seminary.

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Poetics and Interpretation	p. 8
A Literary Study of the Biblical Narratives	p. 11
A Literary and Synchronic Approach	p. 12
Biblical Literary Criticism and the Historical Method	p. 13
A Literary Approach and the "Character" of the Biblical Narratives	p. 16
Poetics and Interpretation	p. 18
Specific and General Poetics	p. 20
A Close Reading of Three Interpretations	p. 22
The Story about Hannah	p. 23
Robert Polzin's Interpretation of 1 Samuel 1	p. 28
Polzin's Method	p. 33
A Narrative about the Birth of Kingship	p. 35
Polzin's Reading: A Non-literary Suggestion	p. 38
Walter Brueggemann's Interpretation of 2 Samuel 21	p. 39
2 Samuel 21: An Ironic Text	p. 41
Brueggemann's Reasons for an Ironic Reading of 2 Samuel 21	p. 42
A Suspicious Reading of 2 Samuel 21	p. 44
Brueggemann's Reading: A Non-literary Suggestion	p. 45
J. P. Fokkelman's Interpretation of 2 Kings 4	p. 46
Fokkelman's Method	p. 49
A Story about a Heroic Mother	p. 50
A Literary and Narrative Reading of 2 Kings 4	p. 52
"New" Readings of Ancient Texts	p. 54
Poetics, Narratology, Criticism, and Interpretation	p. 58
Narratology	p. 59
Classical Narratology and Postclassical Narratologies: Object, Methods, and Aims	p. 62
Discourse Narratology	p. 65
Gerard Genette's Analysis of Proust	p. 69
The Sense-Governing Intent of Biblical Narratives	p. 72
The Character of a Narrative-A Salient Issue	p. 78
An Outline of the Present Chapter	p. 80
The Books of Samuel and the "Succession History of David"	p. 81
The Composition of the Books of Samuel	p. 82
The Present Form of the Books of Samuel	p. 83
The "Succession History of David"	p. 86
David and Bathsheba	p. 91
History, Apologetics, Ideology, or Literature	p. 99
2 Samuel 5	p. 103
The Distinction between Different Kinds of Narratives	p. 109
2 Samuel 1 and 12	p. 110
The Amalekite Messenger's Narrative	p. 111
Nathan's Narrative	p. 113
The Extradiegetical Narratives about the Amalekite and about Nathan	p. 115
Story and History	p. 116
Narratology and the Distinction between History and Fiction	p. 118
History and Literature in the Old Testament	p. 123
Summary	p. 128
Storytelling: Sense and Reference	p. 129
Three Notions of the Reading of Narratives	p. 129
The Narratives of the Books of Samuel: "Windows" or "Paintings"?	p. 131
A Window to a World	p. 132
A Painting	p. 135
Disquieting Interpretations	p. 137
Joel Rosenberg's Literary Guide to the Books of Samuel	p. 138
Rosenberg's Method: Saul and David	p. 140
A Literary Interpretation According to Rosenberg	p. 144
Gap-Filling and the Drawing of Implications	p. 148
Disquieting Interpretations and Silly Questions	p. 151
Gapping: Fiction and Nonfiction	p. 152
Bar-Efrat on Time Gaps in the Story of David and Absalom	p. 157
Literary or Historical Interpretations: A Series of Examples	p. 160
To Take the Internal Perspective	p. 161
Gap-Filling, the Drawing of Implications, and the Reading Process	p. 165
Adele Berlin on Genesis 37	p. 166
Yairah Amit on David and Nabal	p. 169
J. P. Fokkelman on Gideon	p. 170
Gap-Filling, Theories about Reading, and Suggested Reinterpretations	p. 172
Yairah Amit on David	p. 172
Yairah Amit on 1 Samuel 13	p. 174
J. P. Fokkelman on 1 Samuel 8-10	p. 175
The Amalekite Messenger: 2 Samuel 1	p. 179
Is the Amalekite Lying?	p. 179
Arguments Supporting the Suggestion that the Amalekite Lies	p. 181
A Reconstruction of the Events on Mount Gilboa	p. 184
What Was David Thinking?	p. 189
Robert Polzin on 2 Samuel 1: A Deeper Understanding or a Reinterpretation	p. 191
Some Concluding Remarks	p. 196
Two Nodes: Narrators and Perspective	p. 199
The Teller of die Biblical Narratives	p. 201
Anonymity, Omniscience, and Historiography	p. 203
Authors, Implied Authors, and Narrators	p. 205
The Author and the Narrator	p. 205
The Narrator and the Implied Author	p. 206
The Implied Author and the Narrator in Biblical Literary Criticism	p. 208
The Narrator and the Ideological Perspective of the Text	p. 210
Narrative Techniques or Unintended Features?	p. 212
An Ironic Text	p. 216
A Dialogic Narrative	p. 219
An Unreliable Narrator	p. 222
Storytelling, the Implied Author, and the Narrator	p. 225
Storytelling and the Teller	p. 227
Perspective, Point of View, Focalization	p. 230
Focalization and Restriction of Field	p. 231
An Unavoidable Bias	p. 233
Perspective on the Micro Level	p. 234
Perspective and Knowledge	p. 237
Perspective: An Elusive Concept	p. 239
Leaders and Fathers: 1 Samuel 4 and 2 Samuel 18	p. 239
Perspective and Irony	p. 243
The Sympathetic Imagination	p. 244
Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom	p. 246
Interpreters, Theories, and Texts	p. 252
A Literary Study of Old Testament Narratives	p. 252
Narratology and a Non-Literary Reading: A Paradoxical Result	p. 256
Storytelling and the Web of Life	p. 261
The Critics	p. 264
Bibliography	p. 266
Index of References	p. 275
Index of Authors	p. 278
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