Disorienting Readers in Joshua 1.1-5.12

Although the poetics of narrative in the Old Testament have been widely studied in recent years, Joshua has largely been marginalized, appearing only rarely in discussions of narrative. The reasons for this are uncertain, but it means that issues in interpretation remain unclear. Because of this, co...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Main Author: Firth, David G. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Sage [2017]
In: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Josua 2 / Narrative technique
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B Joshua poetics anachrony focalization Gérard Genette
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Although the poetics of narrative in the Old Testament have been widely studied in recent years, Joshua has largely been marginalized, appearing only rarely in discussions of narrative. The reasons for this are uncertain, but it means that issues in interpretation remain unclear. Because of this, conflicting readings of parts of the book have emerged. This article notes three variant readings of Joshua 2 that in various ways contradict each other. But rather than arguing for one against the others, or rejecting them all, it argues each is plausible depending on the level at which the text is read. This emerges through the application of the concepts of anachrony and focalization as developed by Gérard Genette. From this, it emerges that these chapters deliberately create an unstable narrative world that readers cannot fully resolve until subsequent information is provided.
ISSN:1476-6728
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0309089216670544