Review of:

John Petersen, Reading Women's Stories: Female Characters in the Hebrew Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004. 226 pp. ISBN 0800636198.

John Petersen is professor of Religion at Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Washington). He uses a literary approach in analyzing the role of certain Israelite women "seeking to unpack the literary construction of their lives and better, appreciate their roles in society" (2004:3). He focuses on the women in 1 Samuel 1, Judges 5, and Genesis 38. Petersen identifies and discusses three building blocks of story composition, namely characterization, plot and point of view. As he argues, the three building blocks "offer a means of interpretation, and their dynamics reveal the groundbreaking artistry of ancient Hebrew storytellers" (2004:5). Petersen believes that a literary analysis of each story composition helps in the task of recovering the life of each woman under discussion, and also reveals the "brilliance of the Israelite narrative tradition, offering worthy models and subjects for modern reading" (2004:5).

This book's approach is based on three main assumptions. The first assumption is that there is meaning in narrative. It assumes that biblical stories seek to construct sense and significance, even when that meaning is hard to discern. Second, the book assumes that Israelite storytellers and bards, writers and editors, used all the artistic devices at their disposal to recite their history and transmit their traditions. And, finally, the book assumes that biblical stories call on readers to engage them as stories and tune in to their manner (content and form) of telling (2004:5ff).

The book is made up of four chapters. Chapter 1, entitled "Reading a Biblical Story", deals with the following four issues. First, it begins with the basic features of narrative: understanding story as story, and the temporal shapes of story and reading. Second, the chapter discusses the approach of this book, poetics, a distinctive school that responds to the shape of literary works and uncovers the ways in which they construct meaning. Third, the book comments on the unique challenge biblical stories pose for the modern reader. The final section discusses the three building blocks of story, namely character, point of view and plot (2004:14).

Chapter 2 is entitled "The Struggle for Voice: Character in the Story of Hannah". This chapter presents the ways through which a literary reading responds to the character of a story (2004:10). Petersen uses the story of family conflict in 1 Samuel 1 to illustrate the techniques of character development (2004:11). Petersen in this chapter poses the following three questions: 1) How does a biblical story unfold through its character? 2) Can its central figure be a marginalized person—such as an abused and childless woman? 3) And how can a modern reader recover the original sense and significance of an ancient tale? (2004:30). Petersen argues that "applied to the first chapter of 1 Samuel, these questions can lead us through the interplay of narrator and character, action and reaction, text and context, tradition and interpretation, and the inner dynamics of a subtle narrative" (2004:30).

In chapter 3, entitled "Women at the Crossroads: Point of View in the Song of Deborah", the focus is on Judges 5. First, the chapter focuses on the levels of poetic rhetoric in the Song of Deborah, beginning with parallel constructions in verses and poetic lines. Second, discussion then turns to other major types of point of view: ideological, spatiotemporal, and psychological. Finally, a dramatic embedded point of view in the penultimate strophe (vv. 28-30) gives intimate insight into the lives of women tangentially related to the battle (2004:72).

Chapter 4, which focuses on Genesis 38, is entitled "Redeeming a Patriarch: Plotting in the Tale of Judah and Tamar". Petersen believes that the "plotting dynamics in Genesis 38 complicate the polarizing actions of its protagonists and construct tensions that confound both character and reader" (2004:11). Thus he maintains that by studying these stories' masterful composition, we can better appreciate the efforts of the ancient Israelite storytelling tradition (2004:11).

And, the final section of the book is a conclusion titled "Women's Stories Speak". Petersen argues that the three women discussed in this book transcend their traditional roles. "Although they begin within the narrow boundaries assigned them, they work through broken relationships and social problems to transform the roles of wife, mother, and daughter. Facing heavy obstacles in turbulent times they act decisively to change the course of events for their families and their people, building hopes for a meaningful future" (2004:165).

Petersen, then highlights several challenges posed by these stories. First, is to read them as stories. Second, the texts pose the problems of unpacking the concepts of character, point of view, and plot—building blocks of the narrative craft. Third, each of these texts poses questions of coherence. "Do we read them individually or in a context?" (2004:166).

This is an excellent piece of work which approaches biblical stories through a literary analysis. All chapters have been clearly and well presented. However, due to the technical nature of its approach chapter 3 is little bit difficult to follow.

Reviewed 2006-08-17 by Elelwani Bethuel Farisani, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. E-mail: farisanie@ukzn.ac.za