Narrative Obtrusion in the Hebrew Bible

Introduction

Introduction Narrative critics of the Hebrew Bible can describe the biblical narrators as “laconic,” “terse,” or “economical.” Although these narrators view their stories from an omniscient perspective that gives them godlike knowledge of the events in the narrative, the narrators generally remain in the background, allowing the story to proceed while relying on characters and dialogue to provide necessary information to readers. On those occasions when the narrators add notes to their stories, scholars characterize such interruptions as asides. A narrative interruption occurs when the narrator steps out of the shadows and remarks on the story, perhaps by providing a historical reference or information about a character. Occasionally, the narrator may intrude in the text to comment on a situation. Jerome T. Walsh states that “sometimes the narrator will, so to speak, step out of the flow of the narrative to address the reader directly; the technical term for this is ‘breaking frame,’ and it changes the narrator’s voice from that of a storyteller to that of a commentator on the story.”1 While most of these omniscient comments aid reader understanding, some of the interruptions reveal the narrator actively attempting to shape the response of the reader. Obtrusions are omniscient comments employed by the narrator to address potential issues in the text that will create problems for the reader, either because of questions the narrator believes the reader may ask or because of the assumptions the narrator fears the reader may have. Though narrative obtrusions are relatively rare, Robert Alter suggests that “special attention” be given to them.2 Those exceptional cases in which biblical narrators exchange the veil of reticence for the mantle of obtrusiveness create issues for readers. Readers may or may not recognize intrusions, but they are affected by them. Exegetical issues also arise. The exegete must determine whether the narrator is truly being obtrusive or is simply acting as an omniscient. Narrative motive must also be considered. If the narrator is usually terse, the reasoning behind a narrative interruption may not be so obvious. Determining how the deletion of an obtrusion affects the narrative reveals the narrator’s impact on the story. This study explores the voice and motivations of the narrator by 1. Jerome T. Walsh, Style & Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2001), 125. 2. Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative (New York: Basic Books, 1981), 184. 1 arguing that some intrusive elements, often characterized as redactions or asides by biblical scholars, are actually narrative obtrusions in which the narrator forcefully enters a narrative to reshape the text and sculpt the response of the reader. Obtrusions serve as a key entry point into the world of the narrator and also highlight a significant intersection between the worlds of the narrator, the text, and the reader. In particular, this study seeks to amplify the narrator’s voice in this discussion. While reader response puts a spotlight on the text and the reader, this study considers the way the narrator responds in advance to the reader by inserting obtrusions to prevent the reader from arriving at an unacceptable conclusion.3 The significance of this project lies in the fact that it builds on a solid foundation of narrative criticism by seeking to understand how the character of the narrator may be glimpsed in obtrusions. For instance, in Mimesis, Erich Auerbach highlights the differences between biblical narrators and Homer, showing how the lack of emotions and adjectives in the biblical text creates feelings of suspense.4 The story of the binding of Isaac displays both the usual laconic style of the narrator and the narrator’s intrusiveness. Auerbach notes the economy of the biblical narrator throughout the text. However, the narrative obtrusion at the beginning of the Aqedah cannot be ignored. By revealing that Abraham’s binding of Isaac will ultimately be a test, the narrator shuts off many potentially unwelcome interpretive avenues. Figuring out why the narrator wanted to foreclose these possibilities at the beginning of the story while leaving others open throughout the narrative gives a sense of the biblical narrator’s role in the text. Meir Sternberg’s The Poetics of Biblical Narrative has provided additional detail about the narrator by exploring the gaps created by the narrator.5 Different types of gaps may occur in narrative. In some cases, the narrator relies on the reader to fill in missing details. In other cases, a gap may be present in a story because the narrator fails to recognize...