This attractive and systematic work has gained a wide readership, and now appears in a reprinted edition. Bar-Efrat offers a comprehensive review of the fundamental literary aspects of biblical narrative, discussing authoritatively the characteristics and points of view of the narrator, the shaping of characters, the structure of the plot, time and space, and finally the style. Many examples are provided to clarify the issues as well as to shed fresh light on the narrative. The book concludes with a detailed literary analysis of the story of the rape of David's daughter Tamar by her half-brother Amnon.