Table Of Content

TheCraftofaGoodScribe Harvard Egyptological Studies Editor PeterDerManuelian(HarvardUniversity) HarvardEgyptologicalStudies Thismonographseries(“hes”)wasestablishedin2015topresentscholarlypublicationsin thefieldofEgyptology.Ithighlights,butisbynomeanslimitedto,sitesandselected aspectsoftheHarvardUniversity-BostonMuseumofFineArtsExpedition(1905–1947). InvitedtopicsincluderecentPhDdissertations;reportsfromexcavations;specialized studiesinancientEgyptianlanguage,history,andculture;conferenceproceedings; publicationsofscholarlyarchives;andhistoriographicalworkscoveringthefieldof Egyptology.HarvardEgyptologicalStudiesispublishedbytheDepartmentofNearEastern LanguagesandCivilizations,andtheDepartmentofAnthropology,bothofwhicharein theFacultyofArtsandSciencesatHarvardUniversity. volume3 Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/hes Setne’sfirstviewofTabubueandherentourage.IllustrationbyM.Lalau,fromRosny1932,p.83. The Craft of a Good Scribe History,NarrativeandMeaningintheFirstTale of Setne Khaemwas By SteveVinson leiden | boston Coverillustration:TheLouvreScribe(LouvreE3023).Photo©MuséeduLouvre,dist.rmn–GrandPalais/ChristianDécamps;“Maskof Khaemwas”(Louvren2291).Photo©MuséeduLouvre,dist.rmn-GrandPalais/ChristianLarrieu. TheLibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailableonlineathttp://catalog.loc.gov LCrecordavailableathttp://lccn.loc.gov/2017034006 TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill-typeface. issn2352-7501 isbn978-90-04-35309-1(hardback) isbn978-90-04-35310-7(e-book) Copyright2018byKoninklijkeBrillnv,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillnvincorporatestheimprintsBrill,BrillHes&DeGraaf,BrillNijhoff,BrillRodopiand HoteiPublishing. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedinaretrievalsystem, ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise, withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher. AuthorizationtophotocopyitemsforinternalorpersonaluseisgrantedbyKoninklijkeBrillnvprovided thattheappropriatefeesarepaiddirectlytoTheCopyrightClearanceCenter,222RosewoodDrive, Suite910,Danvers,ma01923,usa.Feesaresubjecttochange. Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperandproducedinasustainablemanner. ToProfessorsJanetH.Johnson, RobertK.RitnerandKarl-TheodorZauzich, withgratitudeandadmiration ∵ “ThemanwhoholdstheBookofThoth,”saidDr.Cairn, breakingthesilence,“holdsapowerwhichshouldonly belongtoGod.” Fromsax rohmer’sBroodoftheWitch-Queen(1918) ∵ Contents Listof MapsandIllustrations ix Abbreviations xi part 1 History 1 AWorkof UnexpectedQuality IntroductiontoThisBook,ItsGoals,Methodology,andScope 3 2 TheMaskof Khaemwas Khaemwas:HisLife,HisLegend,andHisLegacy 22 3 AnUnfathomableSnareof theEvilOne DiscoveryandEarlyScholarlyReception(1867–1937) 41 4 AnExcellentlyWeirdandRomanticStory EarlierPopularReception(1868–1932) 56 5 FromDaffodilstoDerrida LaterPopularReception(1931–1972) 89 part 2 NarrativeandMeaning 6 TheFirstTaleof SetneKhaemwas Transliteration,Translation,andCommentary 111 7 Repetition,Mirroringandmiseenabyme FundamentalAspectsofNarrativeStructure 183 8 BuffaloBuffaloBuffalo WordPlay,Ambiguity,andHumor;ComedyandTragedy 204 9 AtWhatisItThatHeGazed? DescriptionandFocalization 226 10 Ihweret,Tabubueandthe“MagicBookofThoth” ConclusionsandInterpretations 254 viii contents Bibliography 275 Indexes i GeneralIndex 307 ii NarratologicalandLiteraryTerms 311 iii AncientSources 312 iv WordsDiscussed 319 Plates 321