Before and After The Art of Biblical Narrative

What has become of the so-called literary approach to the Bible since Robert Alter published The Art of Biblical Narrative in 1981? What gave rise to this approach in the first place? How has it been influenced by recent trends in biblical studies and literary scholarship? And what is its future, both in general and as part of the particular project that Prooftexts represents? The essay addresses these questions as a way of introducing what is at stake in the present volume.