Handbook Of Narrative Analysis

by Herman, Luc; Vervaeck, Bart

• ISBN13: 9780803273498
• ISBN10: 0803273495
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr

Summary

The study of narrative has been a continuous concern from antiquity to the present day because stories are everywhere-from fiction across media to nation building and personal identity. Handbook of Narrative Analysis sorts out both traditional and recent narrative theories, providing the necessary skills to interpret any story that comes along.In addition to discussing classical theorists such as Gérard Genette, Mieke Bal, and Seymour Chatman, Handbook of Narrative Analysis presents precursors (such as E. M. Forster), related theorists (Franz Stanzel, Dorrit Cohn), and a large variety of postclassical critics. Among the latter, particular attention is paid to the ethics of reading, gender theory, and "possible worlds."Not content to consider theory as an end in itself, Luc Herman and Bart Vervaeck use two stories by contemporary authors as a touchstone to illustrate each narrative approach, thereby illuminating the practical implications of theoretical preferences and ideological leanings. Marginal glosses guide the reader through discussions of theoretical issues, and an extensive bibliography points readers to the most current publications in the field. Written in an accessible style, this handbook combines a comprehensive treatment of its subject with a user-friendly format, appropriate for specialists and nonspecialists alike.Luc Herman is a professor of American literature and literary theory at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. He is a Pynchon specialist and the author of Concepts of Realism. Bart Vervaeck is a professor of Dutch literature and literary theory at the Free University Brussels. He is the author of a study on postmodern Dutch literature.

Author Biography

Luc Herman is a professor of American literature and literary theory at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. He is a Pynchon specialist and the author of Concepts of Realism. Bart Vervaeck is a professor of Dutch literature and literary theory at the Free University Brussels. He is the author of a study on postmodern Dutch literature.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	1	(10)
1. Traditional Questions	2	(6)
2. New Questions	8	(3)
Chapter 1 Before and Surrounding Structuralism	11	(30)
1. Story and Plot	11	(3)
2. Telling and Showing	14	(2)
3. Author and Narrator	16	(4)
4. Narrator and Reader	20	(3)
5. Consciousness and Speech	23	(7)
6. Perception and Speech	30	(11)
Chapter 2 Structuralism	41	(62)
1. Story	45	(14)
1.1. Events	46	(6)
1.2. Actants	52	(4)
1.3. Setting	56	(3)
2. Narrative	59	(21)
2.1. Time	60	(7)
2.2. Characterization	67	(3)
2.3. Focalization	70	(10)
3. Narration	80	(23)
3.1. Narrating	80	(11)
3.2. Consciousness Representation	91	(12)
Chapter 3 Post-Classical Narratology	103	(74)
1. Postmodern Narratology	108	(10)
2. Narratology and Ideology	118	(31)
2.1. Ethics	118	(12)
2.2. Gender	130	(19)
3. Narratology and Possible Worlds	149	(12)
4. Narratology and the Reader	161	(16)
Appendix A "Pegasian" by Charlotte Mutsaers	177	(2)
Appendix B "The Map" by Gerrit Krol	179	(2)
Notes	181	(28)
Bibliography	209	(12)
Index	221