Narratology

This volume explores the contribution of classical poetics to twentieth and twenty-first-century theories of narrative, highlighting the diachronic affinities between ancient and modern stories about storytelling. It examines key moments in narratology's history, providing overviews of significant phases and detailed analyses of core theories and texts. It reveals Plato as an unreliable narrator and theorist, Aristotle's On Poets as a rare glimpse of narrative theory in practice, and Horace's Ars Poetica and ancient scholia as anticipating the cognitive turn in narratology's postclassical phase.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

This comprehensive volume delves into the profound impact that classical poetics has had on twentieth and twenty-first-century theories of narrative, aiming to establish a deeper understanding of the shared historical connections between ancient and modern storytelling. Rather than suggesting that modern narratologies merely repackage ancient wisdom in contemporary packaging, it seeks to identify the enduring affinities between ancient and modern narratives about storytelling. By acknowledging the unique expertise that modern narratologists bring to bear upon ancient literary theory and engaging in a reciprocal dialogue between ancient and modern narratologies through the interplay of their reception, the book endeavors to achieve a more comprehensive grasp of both.

The volume is structured into chapters, each dedicated to a pivotal moment in the history of narratology. These chapters provide a broad overview of significant phases, followed by in-depth analyses of key theories and texts. The journey spans from the Russian formalists and Chicago school neo-Aristotelians to the prestructuralists, structuralists, and poststructuralists, culminating in the latest developments in unnatural and antimimetic narratology. The reception history that unfolds throughout the book offers intriguing twists and sheds valuable light on the interpretation of challenging ancient works.

For instance, Plato in the Republic is revealed as an unreliable narrator and theorist, while Aristotle's On Poets offers a rare glimpse of the philosopher applying narrative theory in the role of storyteller. Horace's Ars Poetica and the works of ancient scholia by critics and commentators reveal a rhetorically conceived poetics and sophisticated reader-response-based narratology, anticipating the cognitive turn in narratology's most recent postclassical phase.

By exploring these interconnections, this volume contributes to a richer and more nuanced understanding of narrative as an art form, shedding light on the enduring legacies of classical poetics and their profound influence on the development of narrative theory in the modern world.

Weight: 376g
Dimension: 215 x 137 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780199687718