Narrative Art and Act in the Fourth Gospel

This book analyses the Fourth Gospel's narrative and explores the variations in the narrator's relationship to the story being told. F.K. Stanzel's theory of narrative situations and the application of speech-act theory illuminate the way in which the implied author modulates the narrator's stance. Tovey sketches the movement from an omniscient, authorial perspective to one that merges with those of certain characters, in particular Jesus and the beloved disciple. The implied author thereby claims a close personal connection with the Gospel's story world, yet maintains a tension between pre- and post-resurrection perspectives. Issues of genre, historical reference and the natures of 'historical' discourse are taken up under a discussion of the Gospel as a theological 'display text'.