Analyzing Structures of Narrative Distance from the Narration in Qur’anic Stories Based on Shlomith Rimmon Kenan's Theory

Although we expect the narration to be of the subsequent type, that is, the narration of an event after its occurrence, an examination of the narrative structures of some stories, relying on the narrative distance theory of Shlomith Raymond Kennan, proves that this is not always the case. The present descriptive-analytical study examined the Qur’anic stories using the aforementioned theory. The results show the existence of significant similarities and differences in the method of narrating Qur’anic stories with that of Rimmon Kenan's theory. Contrary to this theory, a noteworthy point in the stories that have narrated future events is that most of their events are expressed in the past tense, which indicates their certainty, and in the case of direct signs based on the distance of subsequent narrative, it is important to note that, although a long time has passed since the occurrence of some stories, they have been narrated in an artistic language. In indirect signs too, there are two main similarities between the narration of Qur’anic stories and the aforementioned theory. One is that sometimes the narrator, more or less, distances himself from the events, but, when necessary, enters the heart of the story, as in the stories of Prophet Yusuf (AS) and Prophet Musa (AS). Another point is that in the narration of some past events, present tense verbs have been used and the narrator intends to reduce the distance of the narration to immortalize the events and to create a sense of being present for the audience.