Fiction and Narrative

Fiction and Narrative PDF

Author: Derek Matravers

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2014-04-24

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0191018066

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For the past twenty years there has been a virtual consensus in philosophy that there is a special link between fiction and the imagination. In particular, fiction has been defined in terms of the imagination: what it is for something to be fictional is that there is some requirement that a reader imagine it. Derek Matravers argues that this rests on a mistake; the proffered definitions of 'the imagination' do not link it with fiction but with representations more generally. In place of the flawed consensus, he offers an account of what it is to read, listen to, or watch a narrative whether that narrative is fictional or non-fictional. The view that emerges, which draws extensively on work in psychology, downgrades the divide between fiction and non-fiction and largely dispenses with the imagination. In the process, he casts new light on a succession of issues: on the 'paradox of fiction', on the issue of fictional narrators, on the problem of 'imaginative resistance', and on the nature of our engagement with film.

Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative

Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative PDF

Author: Ignasi Ribó

Publisher: Open Book Publishers

Published: 2019-12-13

Total Pages: 122

ISBN-13: 1783748125

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This concise and highly accessible textbook outlines the principles and techniques of storytelling. It is intended as a high-school and college-level introduction to the central concepts of narrative theory – concepts that will aid students in developing their competence not only in analysing and interpreting short stories and novels, but also in writing them. This textbook prioritises clarity over intricacy of theory, equipping its readers with the necessary tools to embark on further study of literature, literary theory and creative writing. Building on a ‘semiotic model of narrative,’ it is structured around the key elements of narratological theory, with chapters on plot, setting, characterisation, and narration, as well as on language and theme – elements which are underrepresented in existing textbooks on narrative theory. The chapter on language constitutes essential reading for those students unfamiliar with rhetoric, while the chapter on theme draws together significant perspectives from contemporary critical theory (including feminism and postcolonialism). This textbook is engaging and easily navigable, with key concepts highlighted and clearly explained, both in the text and in a full glossary located at the end of the book. Throughout the textbook the reader is aided by diagrams, images, quotes from prominent theorists, and instructive examples from classical and popular short stories and novels (such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis,’ J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, or Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, amongst many others). Prose Fiction: An Introduction to the Semiotics of Narrative can either be incorporated as the main textbook into a wider syllabus on narrative theory and creative writing, or it can be used as a supplementary reference book for readers interested in narrative fiction. The textbook is a must-read for beginning students of narratology, especially those with no or limited prior experience in this area. It is of especial relevance to English and Humanities major students in Asia, for whom it was conceived and written.

A Brief History of Underpants

A Brief History of Underpants PDF

Author: Christine Van Zandt

Publisher: Becker & Mayer

Published: 2021-06

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 0760370605

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A Brief History of Underpants explores the history of underwear with zany facts and illustrations. The cover features an interactive reveal wheel that turns to show underwear through the ages.

Narrative Fiction

Narrative Fiction PDF

Author: Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-12-16

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1134464975

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What is a narrative? What is narrative fiction? How does it differ from other kinds of narrative? What featuers turn a discourse into a narrative text? Now widely acknowledged as one of the most significant volumes in its field, Narrative Fiction turns its attention to these and other questions. In contrast to many other studies, Narrative Fiction is organized arround issues - such as events, time, focalization, characterization, narration, the text and its reading - rather than individual theorists or approaches. Within this structure, Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan addresses key approaches to narrative fiction, including New Criticism, formlaism, structuralism and phenomenology, but also offers views of the modifications to these theroies. While presenting an analysis of the system governing all fictional narratives, whether in the form of novel, short story or narrative poem, she also suggests how individual narratives can be studied against the background of this general system. A broad range of literary examples illustrate key aspects of the study. This edition is brought fully up-to-date with an invaluable new chapter, reflecting on recent developments in narratology. Readers are also directed to key recent works in the field. These additions to a classic text ensure that Narrative Fiction will remain the ideal starting point for anyone new to narrative theory.

Story and Discourse

Story and Discourse PDF

Author: Seymour Chatman

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2019-06-30

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 1501741616

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"For the specialist in the study of narrative structure, this is a solid and very perceptive exploration of the issues salient to the telling of a story—whatever the medium. Chatman, whose approach here is at once dualist and structuralist, divides his subject into the 'what' of the narrative (Story) and the 'way' (Discourse)... Chatman's command of his material is impressive."—Library Journal

A Sense of the World

A Sense of the World PDF

Author: John Gibson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-11-12

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1135197032

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A team of leading contributors from both philosophical and literary backgrounds have been brought together in this impressive book to examine how works of literary fiction can be a source of knowledge. Together, they analyze the important trends in this current popular debate. The innovative feature of this volume is that it mixes work by literary theorists and scholars with work of analytic philosophers that combined together provide a comprehensive statement of the variety of ways in which works of fiction can engage questions of worldly interest. It uses the problem of cognitive value to explore: literature’s contribution to ethical life literature’s ability to engage in social and political critique the role narrative plays in opening up possibilities of moral, aesthetic, experience and selfhood This remarkable volume will attract the attention of both literature and philosophy scholars with its statement of the various ways that literature and life take an interest in one another.

The Fiction of Narrative

The Fiction of Narrative PDF

Author: Hayden White

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2010-06

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 0801894808

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For students and scholars of historiography, the theory of history, and literary studies, Robert Doran (French and comparative literature, U. of Rochester) gathers together 23 previously uncollected essays written by theorist and historian Hayden White (comparative literature, Stanford U.) from 1957 to 2007, on his theories of historical writing and narrative. Essays are organized chronologically and reveal the evolution of White's thought and its relationship to theories of the time, as well as the impact on the way scholars think about historical representation, the discipline of history, and how historiography intersects with other areas, especially literary studies. They specifically address theory of tropes, theory of narrative, and figuralism.

Reading Narrative Fiction

Reading Narrative Fiction PDF

Author: Seymour Benjamin Chatman

Publisher: Longman Publishing Group

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 638

ISBN-13: 9780023221118

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This short fiction anthology offers a more precise and extensive treatment of narrative technique than other books of its kind. Targeting the needs and interests of today's readers, the author uses down-to-earth language and builds on readers' familiarity with narrative devices in film, television, and other popular media to teach this new approach to literary analysis. While offering more technical depth, Chatman never overwhelms. He provides unusually clear and exact definitions of such terms as "characterization" and "point-of- view", along with many illustrations of how these techniques actually operate in short stories. His explanations and examples enable readers to read narratives with a new awareness of how they are constructed.

Narration in the Fiction Film

Narration in the Fiction Film PDF

Author: David Bordwell

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-09-27

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 1136099166

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In this study, David Bordwell offers a comprehensive account of how movies use fundamental principles of narrative representation, unique features of the film medium, and diverse story-telling patterns to construct their fictional narratives.

Telling Stories

Telling Stories PDF

Author: Steven Cohan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-08

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1136494243

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First Published in 2002. We are living in a time of rapid and radical social change. Modes and categories inherited from the past no longer seem to fit the reality experienced by a new generation. New Accents is intended as a positive response to the initiative offered by such a situation. Each volume in the series will seek to encourage rather than resist the process of change; to stretch rather than reinforce the boundaries that currently define literature and its academic study. This book introduces a theoretical framework for studying narrative fiction. A narrative recounts a story, a series of events in a temporal sequence.