"In Dynamics of Diselection, Christopher Heard brings literary-aesthetic and socio-historical considerations, often practiced in isolation from one another, into a meaningful synergy that illumines both the literary features and the social functions of Genesis 12-36. Heard rigorously scrutinizes and focuses attention upon the ambiguities (some long known, some heretofore unrecognized) in the characterizations of Lot, Ishmael, Esau, and Laban. He charts the range of possible resolutions of these ambiguities, noting the lack of guidance provided by the narrator for readers negotiating these options. Heard argues that the narrator's penchant for leaving these ambiguities unresolved is neither accidental nor a generic feature of language, but is instead a strategy giving robustness to the narratives' ideological function in promoting ethnic exclusivity in post-exilic Judah. Heard's careful examination thus provides a richer understanding of why Genesis 12-36 was written as it was, and thereby gives new depth and vigor to studies of the form and functions of the book of Genesis."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved