ries , ▁organ ic ▁wh oles , ▁and ▁att ends ▁to ▁the ▁constit utive ▁features ▁of ▁narr atives ▁such ▁as ▁characters , ▁setting , ▁plot , ▁literary ▁devices ▁( for ▁example , ▁ir ony ), ▁point ▁of ▁view , ▁narr ator , ▁imp lied ▁author , ▁and ▁imp lied ▁reader . ▁N arr ative ▁criticism ▁began ▁being ▁used ▁to ▁study ▁the ▁New ▁Testament ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁and ▁a ▁de cade ▁later , ▁study ▁also ▁included ▁the ▁Old ▁Testament . ▁However , ▁the ▁first ▁time ▁a ▁published ▁approach ▁was ▁l abeled ▁narr ative ▁criticism ▁was ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 0 , ▁in ▁the ▁article ▁" N arr ative ▁Crit ic ism ▁and ▁the ▁G ospel ▁of ▁Mark ," ▁written ▁by ▁Bible ▁scholar ▁David ▁R ho ads . ▁N arr ative ▁criticism ▁has ▁its ▁found ations ▁in ▁form ▁criticism , ▁but ▁it ▁is ▁not ▁a ▁historical ▁discipline . ▁It ▁is ▁purely ▁literary . ▁Historical ▁critics ▁began ▁to ▁recognize ▁the ▁Bible ▁was ▁not ▁being ▁studied ▁in ▁the ▁manner ▁other ▁ancient ▁writ ings ▁were ▁studied , ▁and ▁they ▁began ▁asking ▁if ▁these ▁texts ▁should ▁be ▁understood ▁on ▁their ▁own ▁terms ▁before ▁being ▁used ▁as ▁evidence ▁of ▁something ▁else ▁like ▁history . ▁It ▁is ▁now ▁accepted ▁as ▁" ax iom atic ▁in ▁literary ▁circles ▁that ▁the ▁meaning ▁of ▁literature ▁trans c ends ▁the ▁historical ▁intent ions ▁of ▁the ▁author ." ▁N arr ative ▁criticism ▁em bra ces ▁the ▁text ual ▁unity ▁of ▁canonical ▁criticism , ▁while ▁adm itting ▁the ▁existence ▁of