The Pre-Biblical Narrative Tradition

The following essays are primarily descriptions and interpretations of features of the Ugaritic poems Krt and Aqht. Since their discovery in the early thirties and publication in the thirties and early forties there have been scores of studies of these two poems and hundreds of studies of various parts of them. Philological investigations in the narrow sense that is investigations of lexical and grammatical matters have appropriately predominated; but there have also been numerous discussions of the larger significance of the poems especially in terms of the history of religions. The poems are here viewed as poems and as narratives. The book progresses from the smallest scale to the largest scale features of the works. What the author hopes to do with these essays is to focus attention on a level of analysis and comparison that he considers neglected and yet fruitful for the understanding and appreciation of the Ugaritic narratives; and at the same time to suggest the value of this kind of study of the Ugaritic narratives for the nicer appreciation of the tradition and artistry of biblical narratives.