Fingierte Welten in der agyptischen Literatur des 2. Jahrtausends v. Chr.: Grenzuberschreitung, Reisemotiv und Fiktionalitat.

• Author: Troy, Lana
• Position: Reviews of Books - Book Review

Fingierte Welten in der agyptischen Literatur des 2. Jahrtausends v. Chr.: Grenzuberschreitung, Reisemotiv und Fiktionalitat. By GERALD MOERS. Probleme der Agyptologie, vol. 19. Leiden: BRILL, 2001. Pp. viii + 338. $75.

This work was presented as a dissertation in 1996, the same year that saw the landmark publication of the collection of papers entitled Ancient Egyptian Literature (Probleme der Agyptologie, vol. 10; Leiden: Brill). The introductory article by the volume's editor, Antonio Loprieno, set up a number of criteria for the identification of specifically "literary" texts in the Egyptian corpus. These criteria serve as the backbone for Moers' treatment of his subject.

The opening chapter, "Prehistory" (pp. 1-17), traces Egyptological views of literature. Noting the lack of analytic tools with which to develop a "science" of Egyptian literature, Moers turns to recent approaches, such as Parkinson's genre poetics and the methodical use of metrics. Moers concludes that the three criteria presented by Lorprieno stand out as providing the most viable approach: fictionality, intertextuality, and reception. Moers further advocates the examination of narrative fiction as a distinct subtype of literary text.

The second chapter, "Theoretical Modeling" (pp. 19-165), discusses these criteria in detail, with the first section dealing with fictionality. Humankind, we are told, has an inherent need for fiction, primarily because it allows us to transcend the limits of our existence. An extensive discussion emphasizes the difference between "fictional" and "fictive" (and their German equivalents), while introducing the term fingiert, used in this context as a correlate for "imaginary," stressing the relationship between the "real" and its fictional counterpart, thus emphasizing fiction as an imagined reality. This is particularly apparent in the Egyptian use of the historical past as the scene for fictional events.

The author then turns to "signals" of fictionality. The "paratext" is represented by, for example, genre designations and colophon. Inconsistency, another signal of fictionality, is found in the peculiar "Egyptianness" of Sinuhe's Asiatic host Amunneshi. After discussing "emblematic names and irony," the "contract" between author and audience, and the expectations thus created, are treated. The journey narrative as a defined type is asserted, while it is noted that these texts might formally be assigned to different genres.

The section...