CLGS

In various ways the narrator in the Book of Samuel withholds data from the reader until late in the narrative process. Upon receiving these data readers and other interpreters usually continue on into the next plot direction without retracing steps to see what the implications of this "withheld data" do to reshaping the previous plots and characterizations. In particular there are homoerotic implications of the narrative in 1 Samuel 19 which, when "taken backwards" reshapes readings of the text. In addition it will be argued that missing these cues in the text is facilitated by translators who use the technique of "cover up translation" to reinforce the heteronormative rules of reading. “Reading backwards" also creates a comic/playful element in the reading process.