Narrative Technique Within Song of Songs

Abstract

The thesis presents one approach to reading the Song of Songs as a unified composition. The first chapter examines the various arguments for unity and disunity that have been put forth in the history of the Song's interpretation. Although no definitive structure based on patterns of repetition seems possible in the Song, the chapter argues that the complex web of repetition in the text points to a unified composition. The second chapter explores the possibility of a regulating structure based on the interaction of voices in the Song. After outlining the various genres evident in the Song, as well as the speaker-addressee relationships within these genres, the chapter argues that such a regulating structure is to be found in the Song's unified discourse setting. This discourse setting consists of two lovers who interact with the Daughters of Jerusalem. The third chapter examines some of the implications of such a unified discourse setting for the interpretation of the Song. The chapter suggests that while the discourse setting is consistent throughout the work, two distinct fictive realms are apparent within the text: one fictive realm deals with the escapades of two lovers; a second fictive realm presents the endeavors of Solomon. The chapter argues for an explanatory relationship between the block of material pertaining to Solomon and the discourse setting of the work. The block of material pertaining to Solomon, because it features the Daughters of Jerusalem as characters, has particular relevance for the Daughters as they reside in the discourse setting of the work. The chapter also argues for a thematic relationship between the stories about Solomon and the narratives and lyrics which deal with the two lovers. The love poetry serves to mold the reader's evaluation of particular images which recur within the Solomonic material. The discourse setting and the two distinct fictive realms work together to convey a negative evaluation of Solomon's treatment of the Israelites, represented metaphorically as the Daughters of Jerusalem within the Song.