Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14

1 Sam 9:1-10:16 has been the subject of intense literary critical interest as scholars have grappled with the sudden appearance of the prophet Samuel in a folk tale of Saul searching for his lost donkeys. Literary approaches to the text have proposed that Samuel's entry into the story is a lite...

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Main Author: Rachelle Gilmour
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Alberta Library 2009-05-01
Series:Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
Online Access:https://jhsonline.org/index.php/jhs/article/view/6239
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author Rachelle Gilmour
author_facet Rachelle Gilmour
author_sort Rachelle Gilmour
collection DOAJ
description 1 Sam 9:1-10:16 has been the subject of intense literary critical interest as scholars have grappled with the sudden appearance of the prophet Samuel in a folk tale of Saul searching for his lost donkeys. Literary approaches to the text have proposed that Samuel's entry into the story is a literary device designed to surprise the reader. This paper demonstrates that Samuel's entrance into the narrative is not in isolation but is the culmination of suspense and anticipation built up throughout 1 Sam 9:1-14. This suspense is generated through a series of episodes which each consist of a pattern of anticipation, delay and resolution. The recognition of this structure of suspense allows for a reinterpretation of two anomalous verses within the narrative: the list of place names in 9:4 and the editorial insertion of 9:9.
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spelling doaj.art-c4e4d96bcf3643c1a1eb02c432795c1b2023-03-24T20:35:06ZengUniversity of Alberta LibraryJournal of Hebrew Scriptures1203-15422009-05-01910.5508/jhs.2009.v9.a10Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14Rachelle Gilmour1 Sam 9:1-10:16 has been the subject of intense literary critical interest as scholars have grappled with the sudden appearance of the prophet Samuel in a folk tale of Saul searching for his lost donkeys. Literary approaches to the text have proposed that Samuel's entry into the story is a literary device designed to surprise the reader. This paper demonstrates that Samuel's entrance into the narrative is not in isolation but is the culmination of suspense and anticipation built up throughout 1 Sam 9:1-14. This suspense is generated through a series of episodes which each consist of a pattern of anticipation, delay and resolution. The recognition of this structure of suspense allows for a reinterpretation of two anomalous verses within the narrative: the list of place names in 9:4 and the editorial insertion of 9:9.https://jhsonline.org/index.php/jhs/article/view/6239
spellingShingle Rachelle Gilmour
Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14
Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
title Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14
title_full Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14
title_fullStr Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14
title_full_unstemmed Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14
title_short Suspense and Anticipation in 1 Samuel 9:1–14
title_sort suspense and anticipation in 1 samuel 9 1 14
url https://jhsonline.org/index.php/jhs/article/view/6239
work_keys_str_mv AT rachellegilmour suspenseandanticipationin1samuel9114