The Art of Biblical Narrative
Basic Books · Paperback · April 26, 2011
From celebrated translator of the Hebrew Bible Robert Alter, the "groundbreaking" (Los Angeles Times) book that explores the Bible as literature, a winner of the National Jewish Book Award.
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- Who it’s for
- A literary lens on biblical storytelling, with enough density to reward slow reading.
- Genres
- Old Testament Interpretation, Religion in Literature, Exegesis & Hermeneutics
- Published
- Basic Books, April 26, 2011
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For younger readers: With a Mighty Hand, Treasury of Bible Stories, The World of the Bible
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From celebrated translator of the Hebrew Bible Robert Alter, the "groundbreaking" (Los Angeles Times) book that explores the Bible as literature, a winner of the National Jewish Book Award. Renowned critic and translator Robert Alter's The Art of Biblical Narrative has radically expanded our view of the Bible by recasting it as a work of literary art deserving studied criticism.
Continue reading
In this seminal work, Alter describes how the Hebrew Bible's many authors used innovative literary styles and devices such as parallelism, contrastive dialogue, and narrative tempo to tell one of the most revolutionary stories of all time: the revelation of a single God. In so doing, Alter shows, these writers reshaped not only history, but also the art of storytelling itself.
Reading Closely
A literary lens on biblical storytelling, with enough density to reward slow reading.
Come here for
- biblical narrative, read as literature
- close, serious attention to style and structure
Expect
- layered interpretation
- something to return to in short or sustained sessions
Where it sits
| Exegesis & Hermeneutics | 48% |
|---|---|
| Old Testament Interpretation | 46% |
| Religion in Literature | 45% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Religion in Literature
- Old Testament Interpretation
- Exegesis & Hermeneutics
- Wisdom Literature (Bible)
- Authors
- Robert Alter
- Publisher
- Basic Books
- Published
- April 26, 2011
- Format
- Paperback
- Reading lane
- Religion in Literature