Literary Devices – Bereshit 29/0
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Literary Devices – Bereshit 29
Structure
Type Scenes
Robert Alter has identified a convention of Biblical narrative in which a basic narrative sequence appears multiple times in Tanakh, each time with modifications that serve the needs of the specific unit. Paying attention to the deviations from the expected template often reveals the hidden messages of the individual story.
Meeting at a Well
- Narratives of meeting one’s spouse at a well comprise one of the most significant Biblical type-scenes. The servant, Yaakov, and Moshe all find spouses at a well.
Articles
- For a full analysis of this type-scene, see Robert Alter’s Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention.
