What Is Not, but Might Be: Disnarration as Narrative Device in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract:This article investigates the use of disnarration in the biblical text as a narrative device to create cooperation between text and reader. Conceptualized by Gerard Prince in the late 1980s, disnarration refers to the technique of narratively explicating plot outcomes that are not realized in the actual flow of the story. This mechanism leads to several consequences that stimulate the reader's inference by producing a mimetic effect and contributing mainly to two functions. The first is to contribute to the creation of a narrative world that simulates the contingency of the real world; the second is to provide the reader with elements essential to the characterization of the characters involved in the disnarration process. Through some examples, it will be seen how biblical authors use disnarration and how this device contributes to creating a more complex and deeper narrative.