Table of Contents

* A Literary Approach to the Bible * Sacred History and the Beginnings of Prose Fiction * Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention * Between Narration and Dialogue * The Techniques of Repetition * Characterization and the Art of Reticence * Composite Artistry * Narration and Knowledge * Conclusion

About the Author

Robert Alter is professor of hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of, most recently, the highly praised biography of Stendhal, A Lion for Love (Basic Books, 1979).