Abstract:
In this article the transactional model of narrative as expounded by Louise Rosenblatt,
supported by an analysis in terms of dramatic aspect, is employed to show how the
interpolated scene in John 7:53–8:11 (known as the Pericope Adulterae and hereafter referred
to as PA) functions as a pivot of power in the gospel. The content of the scene, as well as its
placement within the gospel, serves to promote an aesthetic reading that focusses attention on
the experience during the reading event. Awareness of sensations, images, feelings and ideas
from past experiences, as well as the sounds and rhythms of the words become important. The
reader responds to the aesthetic transaction, the various elements of total experience, rather
than simply to the text, during and after the reading event.
