An Introduction to Narratology

Edited By James Phelan And Peter J. Rabinowitz

The 35 original essays in A Companion to Narrative Theory constitute the best available introduction to this vital and contested field of humanistic enquiry. The essays represent all the major critical approaches to narrative – narratological, rhetorical, feminist, post-structuralist, historicist – and investigate and debate the relations among them. In addition, they stretch the boundaries of the field by considering narratives in different disciplines, such as law and medicine, and in a variety of media, including film, music, and painting. The volume is divided into six parts: competing accounts of the history of the field; examinations of recurrent problems; suggestions for theoretical revisions and innovations; explorations of the relations among form, history, politics, and ethics; analyses of the way narrative operates in different disciplines and in media beyond the written word; and speculations about the future of narrative and of narrative theory. At the same time, it offers provocative analyses of a wide range of works, both canonical and popular, from the Bible through novels by Dickens, Woolf, and Arundhati Roy on to Bernard Herrmann’s film music and the action paintings of Jackson Pollock. Among its contributors are many of the leading figures in the field, including such early pioneers as Wayne C. Booth, Seymour Chatman, J. Hillis Miller, and Gerald Prince. Lire plus…

Monika Fludernik

Fludernik provides a detailed analysis of free indirect discourse as it relates to narrative theory and the problem of how speech and thought are represented in fiction. She opens up a new set of questions in narrative theory. Monika Fludernik presents a detailed analysis of free indirect discourse as it relates to narrative theory, and the crucial problematic of how speech and thought are represented in fiction. Building on the insights of Ann Banfield's Unspeakable Sentences , Fludernik radically extends Banfield's model to accommodate evidence from conversational narrative, non-fictional prose and literary works from Chaucer to the present. Fludernik's model subsumes earlier insights into the forms and functions of quotation and aligns them with discourse strategies observable in the oral language. Drawing on a vast range of literature, she provides an invaluable resource for researchers in the field and introduces English readers to extensive work on the subject in German as well as comparing the free indirect discourse features of German, French and English. This study effectively repositions the whole area between literature and linguistics, opening up a new set of questions in narrative theory. Monika Fludernik presents a detailed analysis of free indirect discourse as it relates to narrative theory, and the crucial problematic of how speech and thought are represented in fiction. Building on the insights of Ann Banfield's Unspeakable Sentences , Fludernik... Lire plus…

Sandra Heinen; Roy Sommer; Bergische Universität Wuppertal. Zentrum Für Erzählforschung

Narrative Research, once the domain of structuralist literary theory, has over the last 15 years developed into an international and interdisciplinary field. It is now commonly agreed that storytelling functions as a fundamental cognitive tool for sense-making and meaning production, and that human beings structure and communicate lived experience through oral, written and visual stories. Entitled Narratology in the Age of Cross-Disciplinary Narrative Research, this volume collects fifteen essays which look at narrative and narrativity from various perspectives, including literary studies and hermeneutics, cognitive theory and creativity research, metaphor studies, film theory and intermediality, as well as memory studies, musicology, theology and psychology. The topics touch on a wide range of issues, such as the current state of narratology and its potential for development, narrativity in visual and auditive art forms, the cultural functions of narrative, and the role of narrative concepts across the disciplines. The volume introduces interested newcomers to the ongoing debate, reflecting the diversity of research questions and methodological approaches involved. It takes a critical, yet cautiously optimistic stance with regard to the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration between narrative researchers, and invites experienced readers from any discipline interested in narrative to join this important debate, which promotes the exchange of ideas, concepts and... Lire plus…

Gérard Genette; Translated By Jane E.lewin; Foreword By Jonathan Culler

Gerard Genette builds a systematic theory of narrative upon an anlaysis of the writings of Marcel Proust, particularly 'Remembrance of Things Past.' Adopting what is essentially a structuralist approach, the author identifies and names the basic constituents and techniques of narrative and illustrates them by referring to literary works in many languages. Lire plus…

Wayne C. Booth

The first edition of The Rhetoric of Fiction transformed the criticism of fiction and soon became a classic in the field. One of the most widely used texts in fiction courses, it is a standard reference point in advanced discussions of how fictional form works, how authors make novels accessible, and how readers recreate texts, and its concepts and terms—such as "the implied author," "the postulated reader," and "the unreliable narrator"—have become part of the standard critical lexicon. For this new edition, Wayne C. Booth has written an extensive Afterword in which he clarifies misunderstandings, corrects what he now views as errors, and sets forth his own recent thinking about the rhetoric of fiction. The other new feature is a Supplementary Bibliography, prepared by James Phelan in consultation with the author, which lists the important critical works of the past twenty years—two decades that Booth describes as "the richest in the history of the subject." Lire plus…

Mieke Bal

Since its first publication in English in 1985, Mieke Bal's Narratology has become the international classic and comprehensive introduction to the theory of narrative texts. Narratology is a systematic account of narrative techniques, methods, their transmission, and reception, in which Bal distills years of study of the ways in which we understand both literary and non-literary works. In this third edition, Bal updates the book to include more analysis of film narratives while also sharpening and tightening her language to make it the most readable and student-friendly edition to date. Bal also introduces new sections that treat and clarify several modernist texts that pose narratological challenges. With changes prompted by ten years of feedback from scholars and teachers, Narratology remains the most important contribution to the study of the way narratives work, are formed, and are received. Lire plus…

Gerald Prince

## Contents vii (1) Roses are red/ Violets are blue/ Sugar is sweet/ And so are you, (2) Roses are red (7) Mary drank a glass of orange juice then she drank a glass of milk and (8) A people on the Columbia had no eyes or mouth. They ate by smelling the sturgeon. Coyote gave them eyes and a mouth as well as Les Trois Mousquetaires, The Secret Agent, or The Peloponnesian War satisfy the definition and, in fact, would generally be considered narrative. On the other hand, (1), Although the term is relatively new, the discipline is not and, in the Western tradition, it goes back at least to Plato and Aristotle. During the twentieth century, narratology has been considerably developed. The last ten or fifteen years, in particular, have witnessed a remarkable growth of narratological activity. The discipline has attracted numerous literary analysts and many linguists, as well as philosophers, psychologists, psychoanalysts, biblicists, semioticians, folklorists, anthropologists, and communication theorists in many parts of the world: Denmark (the 'Copenhagen Group'), France (Barthes, Bremond, Genette, Greimas, Hamon, Kristeva, Todorov, etc.) Germany (Ihwe, Schmidt, etc.), Italy (Eco, Segre), the Netherlands (van Dijk), North America (Chatman, Colby, DoleZel, Dundes, Georges, Hendricks, Labov, Pavel, Scholes, etc.), the U.S.S.R. (Lotman, Toporov, Uspenski, etc.). Narratology examines what all narratives have in common -1. Signs of the Τ Some of these signs may function indirectly.... Lire plus…

Seymour Benjamin Chatman; Seymour Chatman

This book is the first comprehensive approach in English to a general theory of narrative, both in verbal and in visual media. The primary question to which Professor Chatman addresses himself is what narrative is in itself. Following such French structuralists as Roland Barthes, Tzvetan Todorov, and Gerard Genette, he posits a what and a way. "The what of narrative," he says, "I call its 'story'; the way, I call its 'discourse.'" Liberally illustrating his concepts with discussions of particular novels and films, he effects a synthesis of the latest Continental critical thinking about narrative and the Anglo-American tradition exemplified by Henry James, Percy Lubbock, Wayne Booth, and others. A judicious and well-informed book, Story and Discourse should become a standard guide to narrative and to modern thinking about narrative. Lire plus…

Monika Fludernik

In this ground breaking work of synthesis, Monika Fludernik combines insights from literary theory and linguistics to provide a challenging new theory of narrative. This book is both an historical survey and theoretical study, with the author drawing on an enormous range of examples from the earliest oral study to contemporary experimental fiction. She uses these examples to prove that recent literature, far from heralding the final collapse of narrative, represents the epitome of a centuries long developmental process. Lire plus…

Edited By Tom Kindt And Hans-Harald Müller

"What Is Narratology?" sees itself as contributing to the intensive international discussion and controversy on the structure and function of narrative theory. The 14 papers in the volume advance proposals for determining the object of narratology, modelling its concepts and characterising its status within cultural studies. Lire plus…

By David Herman

Basic Elements of Narrative outlines a way of thinking about what narrative is and how to identify its basic elements across various media, introducing key concepts developed by previous theorists and contributing original ideas to the growing body of scholarship on stories.Includes an overview of recent developments in narrative scholarshipProvides an accessible introduction to key concepts in the fieldViews narrative as a cognitive structure, type of text, and resource for interpersonal communicationUses examples from literature, face to face interaction, graphic novels, and film to explore the core features of narrativeIncludes a glossary of key terms, full bibliography, and comprehensive indexAppropriate for multiple audiences, including students, non-specialists, and experts in the field Lire plus…

Wolf Schmid; Alexander Starritt

This book is a standard work for modern narrative theory. It provides a terminological and theoretical system of reference for future research. The author explains and discusses in detail problems of communication structure and entities of a narrative work, point of view, the relationship between narrator's text and character's text, narrativity and eventfulness, and narrative transformations of happenings. This book outlines a theory of narration and analyses central narratological categories such as fiction, mimesis, author, reader, narrator etc. A detailed bibliography and glossary of narratological terms make this book a compendium of narrative theory which is of relevance for scholars and students of all literary disciplines. Lire plus…

Peter Huhn; Et Al

This handbook in English provides a systematic overview of the present state of international research in narratology. Detailed individual studies by internationally renowned narratologists elucidate 34 central terms. The articles present original research contributions and are all structured in a similar manner. Each contains a concise definition and a detailed explanation of the term in question. In a main section they present a critical account of the major research positions and their historical development and indicate directions for future research; they conclude with selected bibliographical references. Lire plus…

By H. Porter Abbott

This study is designed to help readers understand what narrative is, how it is constructed, how it acts upon us, how we act upon it, how it is transmitted, and how it changes when the medium or the cultural context change. Porter Abbott emphasizes that narrative is found not only in the arts but everywhere in the ordinary course of people's lives. An indispensable tool for students and teachers alike, this book will guide readers through the fundamental aspects of narrative. Lire plus…

Marie-Laure Ryan, Jan-Noël Thon, C. B. Harvey

The proliferation of media and their ever-increasing role in our daily life has produced a strong sense that understanding media—everything from oral storytelling, literary narrative, newspapers, and comics to radio, film, TV, and video games—is key to understanding the dynamics of culture and society. __Storyworlds across Media__ explores how media, old and new, give birth to various types of storyworlds and provide different ways of experiencing them, inviting readers to join an ongoing theoretical conversation focused on the question: how can narratology achieve media-consciousness? The first part of the volume critically assesses the cross- and transmedial validity of narratological concepts such as storyworld, narrator, representation of subjectivity, and fictionality. The second part deals with issues of multimodality and intermediality across media. The third part explores the relation between media convergence and transmedial storyworlds, examining emergent forms of storytelling based on multiple media platforms. Taken together, these essays build the foundation for a media-conscious narratology that acknowledges both similarities and differences in the ways media narrate. Lire plus…

Ed. By Greta Olson

Current Trends In Narratology Offers An Overview Of Cutting-edge Approaches To Theories Of Storytelling. It Describes The Move To Cognition, The New Emphasis On Non-prose And Multimedia Narratives, And Introduces A Third Field Of Research - Comparative Narratology. This Research Addresses How Local Institutions And National Approaches Have Affected The Development Of Narratology. Leading Researchers Detail Their Newest Scholarship While Placing It Within The Scope Of Larger International Trends. 588 Description Based On Print Version Record. Pt. 1. Narrative And The Mind -- Pt. 2. Transmedial, Transgeneric, And Interdisciplinary Narrative Study -- Pt. 3. Local And National Approaches In Diachronic Perspective : Towards A Comparative Narratology. Edited By Greta Olson. Papers Presented At A Conference Held In Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany, July 2007. Includes Bibliographical References. Lire plus…

Mieke Bal; Christine Van Boheemen

Since its first publication in English in 1985, Mieke Bal's __Narratology__ has become the international classic and comprehensive introduction to the theory of narrative texts. __Narratology__ is a systematic account of narrative techniques, methods, their transmission, and reception, in which Bal distills years of study of the ways in which we understand both literary and non-literary works. In this third edition, Bal updates the book to include more analysis of film narratives while also sharpening and tightening her language to make it the most readable and student-friendly edition to date. Bal also introduces new sections that treat and clarify several modernist texts that pose narratological challenges. With changes prompted by ten years of feedback from scholars and teachers, __Narratology__ remains the most important contribution to the study of the way narratives work, are formed, and are received. Lire plus…