Content area
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold: (1) to investigate the narratological aspects of MT Esther, in particular the narrator's tasks and qualities; and (2) to study how these aspects, tasks, and qualities reveal meaning.
The initial four chapters provide background for the Book of Esther, review the literature, and introduce the narrative participants.
The tasks of the narrator are presented in chap. five: (a) beginnings and endings; (b) instances of focusing and defocusing; (c) situations of internal cohesiveness and points of transition; (d) showing and telling styles of communication; and (e) temporal and spatial relations. Each of these functions is applied to the work of the MT Esther narrator in an effort to determine his message.
Narrators, besides working with literary functions, also exhibit certain qualities. Each narrator shows varying degrees of: (a) visibility; (b) knowledge; (c) privilege; (d) distance; (e) judgment or objectivity; and (f) reliability. These narrator qualities are discussed and applied to MT Esther in chap. six. The narrator's purpose is also explored in this chapter.
The concluding chapter summarizes these selected narratological aspects. Additionally, it discusses the following messages conveyed by MT Esther: oppression and abuse as realities in this world; liberation as a basic human goal and fundamental biblical theme; living well in the Diaspora; the tenuous nature of leadership; the subtlety of life and the need to search for true meaning; and God's presence even in absence.
