Plots and Rhetorical Patterns in Religious Narratives

This volume addressess three theoretical questions that the contributions integrate into a unified subject of investigation. The first question pertains to narratology. Do religious narratives follow models of emplotment that are identical to the ones found in novels or historical accounts, do they rather tend to privilege some modes of emplotment over others, or do they craft specific plots that defy current categorizations? The second question pertains to structural rhetoric. Do these narratives preferentially follow rhetorical patterns such as the one of ring composition? How do modes of emplotment and rhetorical patterns interact in the crafting of narratives loaded with religious content? Do specific traditions privilege some patterns over others, or are rhetorical patterns evenly distributed among the various religious traditions? The third question pertains to the nature and channels of religious narratives: can rituals, architectural designs, or exhibits obey the same compositional models as the ones followed in the production of written or oral religious narratives? This reprint thus endeavors to elucidate the rules governing the composition of religious narratives in their dynamics, organization, and ornamentation, while applying a consistent set of rules to texts, oral accounts, and artefacts.