Story, Text, and Scripture: Literary Interests in Biblical Narrative

The author examines the case for revising the conception of biblical scripture in light of the new advances in narrative theory and the theory of textuality. The author's argument is fashioned with tact and understanding, and displays his firm command of a broad literature of critical theory and biblical research. The book summarizes and extends what has come to be called "the literary study of the Bible." This book is basically a study of four dominant literary methods which have been applied to biblical narratives by their practitioners. Each method is demonstrated through an analysis of a particular biblical narrative.

This is the only study that treats the variety of recent literary analyses of biblical narrative, and it accounts for the variety by relating the various approaches to the elements of narrative, arguing that each approach is predetermined to favor one of the elements above the others. It argues that each literary approach, when applied to the narrative element most appropriate to it, reveals the vulnerability of the narrative form to religious meaning.

Wesley A. Kort has taught Religion at Princeton University and Duke University.