Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative, Fourth Edition

by Mieke Bal

Overview

Since its first publication in English in 1985, Mieke Bal's Narratology has become an international classic and the comprehensive introduction to the theory of narrative texts, both literary and non-literary. Providing insights into how readers interpret narrative text, the fourth edition of Narratology is a guide for students and scholars seeking to analyze narratives of any language, period, and region with clear, systematic, and reliable concepts.

With the addition of in-depth analysis of literary nuances and methods, award-wining cultural theorist Mieke Bal continues to present narrative concepts with clarity. Bal uses a systematic framework to better explain how narratives function, are formed, and eventually interpreted by the reader, while presenting a comprehensive study of the surface perception of language, the perceived narrative world, point of view, and characterization.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442650329
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	08/31/2017
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Mieke Bal is an award-winning cultural theorist, critic, video artist, curator, and professor of cultural analysis at the University of Amsterdam.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Text: Signs

Preliminary Remarks
The Narrator
Non-Narrative Comments
Description
Levels of Narration

2. Story: Aspects

Preliminary Remarks
Temporality
Sequential Ordering
Rhythm
Frequency
Characters
Space
Focalization

3. Fabula: Elements

Preliminary Remarks
Events
Actors
Time
Location

Editorial Reviews

"The book is an excellent introduction to narratology. It is clearly and concisely written, and it explains the categories of narratology in a straightforward fashion."

—Lawrence R. Schehr, SubStance

"The clarity of the exposition and the open, unobtrusive acknowledgment of sources in the text will encourage students to read important related works of theory with the benefit of an already established and solidly constructed frame of reference."

—Joan Dargan, Nineteenth-Century French Studies

"Narratology is a rich, highly instructive and eminently readable text."

—Uri Margolin, Canadian Review of Comparative Literature

From the Publisher

"The clarity of the exposition and the open, unobtrusive acknowledgment of sources in the text will encourage students to read important related works of theory with the benefit of an already established and solidly constructed frame of reference."

Nineteenth-Century French Studies - Joan Dargan

"Narratology is a rich, highly instructive and eminently readable text."

Canadian Review of Comparative Literature - Uri Margolin

"The book is an excellent introduction to narratology. It is clearly and concisely written, and it explains the categories of narratology in a straightforward fashion."

SubStance - Lawrence R. Schehr