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Key research themes
1. How are postclassical narratologies expanding traditional narratology to include cultural, cognitive, and transmedial contexts?
This research area investigates the broadening of classical structuralist narratology by incorporating diverse cultural, cognitive, and media contexts, moving beyond text-centered formalism to address narrative as an interdisciplinary phenomenon. It matters because narratives manifest differently across media, cultures, and cognitive frameworks, demanding adaptable theoretical models that capture these variations and accommodate interdisciplinary applications.
Key finding: This edited volume defines postclassical narratology as a movement beyond classical models to include context-oriented, culturalist, rhetorical, transmedial, and cognitive approaches, emphasizing a convergence of methods... Read more
Key finding: This work presents an integrative model clarifying the relationship between structuralist classical narratology and diverse postclassical contextual approaches, showing how postclassical narratology incorporates pragmatics,... Read more
Key finding: The paper critiques classical narratology’s limited media scope and develops the concept of transmediality, advocating a media-comprehensive approach in narrative studies that accounts for narrative expression across diverse... Read more
Key finding: This article surveys recent narratological developments, showing an explosion of postclassical approaches that diverge from the universality claims of classical narratology towards situated, interdisciplinary studies... Read more
Key finding: The paper discusses contrasting tendencies of convergence and diversification in narratology, attributing consolidation to cognitive approaches that unify narrative theory, while emphasizing pluralism introduced by cultural,... Read more
2. What methodological innovations address narrative virtuality and the complexity of narrative possibilities in postclassical narratology?
This theme explores how postclassical narratology conceptualizes narrative virtuality—the myriad potential narrative paths and reader constructions beyond actualized storylines—and embraces indeterminacy and reader engagement as fundamental to plot and story understanding. It is crucial for explaining non-linear, interactive, and multi-layered narratives in contemporary media and literary forms.
Key finding: Using Borges's 'The Garden of Forking Paths' as a case study, Baroni demonstrates how narrative virtuality involves simultaneous existence of multiple narrative possibilities (possible worlds) and highlights the need for... Read more
Key finding: Boje develops the concept of antenarratives—pre-stories or 'bets' on narratives that lack traditional plot coherence and closure—to capture emergent, speculative storytelling forms that coexist with and disrupt narrative... Read more
Key finding: Through critique of narratology’s current theoretical crisis, this work emphasizes the need to extend narratological models pragmatically to capture indirect reasoning, enunciative responsibility, and interpretive complexity,... Read more
3. How can narratological praxis integrate classical formalism and postclassical contextualization to maintain academic rigor and practical applicability?
This research area considers the tension between maintaining narratology’s formal analytic rigor and addressing the broader communicative, cultural, and institutional contexts wherein narratives operate. It involves reflecting on narratology’s historical evolution, disciplinary identity, and methodological foundations to sustain its academic relevance and usability within and beyond literary studies.
Key finding: This paper applies classic and postclassical narratological models (Propp, Greimas, Bremond, Ryan) to primary education creative writing, demonstrating that narratological tools can facilitate narrative construction and... Read more
Key finding: The essay highlights narratology’s historiographical nuances, institutional challenges, and international trajectories, arguing for balancing classical structural tools with broader media and cultural contexts. It advocates... Read more
Key finding: This paper critiques contemporary 'presentism' in narratology emphasizing the enduring relevance of key classical concepts such as focalization, advocating for their nuanced adaptation rather than abandonment. Using... Read more
Key finding: This foundational introduction traces narratology’s development from classical poetics through structuralism to contemporary theories, stressing the necessity of clear analytic tools for studying narrative features like plot... Read more
Key finding: Critiquing narratology’s vagueness and dispersal, this paper argues that excessive breadth without clear definitions undermines its scientific status. It stresses the importance of methodological precision and foundational... Read more