With an object in front of someone, how would the object be explained? To put it more succinctly, when we tell something to others ― telling a new car to your friend who is not unfamiliar with ― we need to make the explanation to be interesting for him/her. In this situation, we must consider which points to tell and how to tell the points to make the explanation attractive.
The situation can be found in literature criticism, where critics analyze literary products and evaluate its value. To analyze or dig into them, it is effective to use ‘literary theory’ which is methods or approaches, or measurements that allow us to criticize literary works from a specific perspective. In psychoanalysis, for example, deals with mind in characters. Then, in feminism criticism, copes with how the oppression of woman is represented. The theory allows us to realize the theme in works, like buried treasure comes on the surface.
Narratology is a branch of literary theory. In this blog, I want to illustrate a basic idea of narratology. First, I’ll make a brief explanation of its history. Second, basic concepts used in criticism. And final, possibility of its theory.
History of Narratology
The dawn of narrative theory was marked by the analysis of patterns in Russian magical folktales. This was done in Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of Folktales. In that book Propp concluded that “all magical folktales, in their structure, belong to a single typology”. In his analysis of 100’s of folktales, he found that a story consists of 31 functions, some of which are selected and formed – in a fixed order – into a Russian magical folktale. In addition, he found that there are seven actions that the characters in the stories perform in the story. They are called action areas. The Russian folktale can be created using these 31 functions and 7 areas of action. As we can see, narratology weaves together the scenes of a story as if it were a construction. In other words, in criticism, narratology is about chopping up the story. The Russian folktale can be created using these 31 functions and 7 areas of action. As we can see, narratology weaves together the scenes of a story as if it were a construction. In other words, in criticism, narratology is about chopping up the story.
In fact, this kind of narrative structure was already done by the ancient Greeks. It was Poetics by Aristotle. He analyses the difference between comedy and tragedy, and the difference in characters. So why did I start with Propp? It is because of the influence of Russian formalism in 1910-1920 and French structuralism in 1960, and it was at this time that the narrative theory became widely known and established as a theory.
1910-1920 would be the period when the red flag began to climb. Currently there was ‘Russian Formalism’. Also, there was Propp. However, there was an important person who should not be forgotten, Jakobson (1896-1982). In the 1960s in France, a structuralism arised from linguistics had been developing. Momently, the convocation of Russian Formalism and French Structuralism was happened in the 1960s and led to the development of Narratology.
The event that connected the two was the publication in 1965 of Théorie de la littérature (Theory of Literature), a collection of translated essays on Formalism by Todorov (1939-2017). This brought together Russian formalism and the French structuralism which began in linguistics. And in the next year 1966, it was published in the eighth issue of the literary criticism journal, Communications, under the name “l’analyse structurale du récit” (Structural Analysis of the Story). In the issue, “Introduction à l’analyse structurale des récits” (Introduction to Structural Analysis of Stories) Roland Barthes was included. A series of research papers followed, and in the sight of these studies Todorov proposed the term “Narratology” in 1969. Then, in 1972, the Gérard Genette Narrative Discourse was published. In this time, a base of the theory has been completed.
So far, we have seen the origins of narrative theory, the meeting of the two ideas, and the general steps of its theory by looking to the history of the publication. This confirms a brief history of narrative theory. Then, and this is the main thing… let’s dive into the usage of the theory!
Basic terms and how we can use them
In using the theory, as you may have already noticed, it is important to analyze the scene and development of the story. The basic terms of narrative theory have been coined to describe these things. In this article, I will deal with three of them: Plot, Events, and Focalization.
1) Plot
It is important to grasp the order of the story. Plot refers to the sequence of scenes in the story. In Jonathan Culler Literary Theory, it’s defined as “Plot or story is the material that is presented, ordered from a certain point of view by discourse”, and “the plot us something readers infer from the text” (86). From this we can see that Plot is the main pillar of the story also, looking at the order, you can get an idea of the characteristics of the story. Here, let’s imagine Detective Conan (Meitantei Conan).
A) An incident occurs
B) Conan and friends investigate
C) Conan finds a solution
D) Conan puts Kogoro Mohri to sleep
E) Through him, he unravels the mystery of the case.
F) Kogoro Mohri will have solved the problem.
In the animations, it may be divided into the following situations: A to F. Plot can be made by dividing a scene in this way. What the critics of narrative theory consider here is the importance of this sequence. What if the case had been solved from the beginning? That would mean that E or F would come immediately after A. It would no longer be an interesting detective story. By not showing the reader (the viewer) the mystery of the case, by leaving a Gap in the narrative theory, it gives a sense of urgency. And by revealing it at the end of the story, it creates a depth to the story. This method of revealing the whole story at a later stage is called ‘Analepsis’. In contrast, the practice of disclosing information in advance is called ‘prolepsis’. Analepsis can lead to dramatic developments. Here I would like to think about the climax, as it is commonly called. It refers to the tensest moment, is called the ‘turning point’. This is a matter for Events.
2) Events
Events are events that happen in the story. Especially, it deals with events that have a significant impact on the story. In the previous example, A and E would be the major events. Now let’s return to the climax. Climax is basically thought that the climax comes after the ‘complication’. Complication is the events that someone trying to resolve problems and conflicts, in seeking to explore and transform, and in trying to get closer to the truth. In Conan’s case, they are unravelling the mystery of the case. The climax comes when the case is solved. The Plot is the main stem of the story and the Events are the branches. In other words, within the Plot there are events which, in their development, give the story a sense of pace. The two are closely linked.
3) Focalization
Focalization answers the question, in the events described above, from whom is it seen or shown? From whom is the scene seen? The narrator who tells the story is sometimes the same as the characters. The role of narrator is given to the characters, and the characters carry on the story from within the story. In the case of Conan, the story progresses quickly by having Gogoro Mouri, through Conan, tell the whole story of the case. Also, in the novel reveals the feelings of the characters. The narrator, who had been telling the whole story, tells the reader about the feelings of the characters.
The narrator, who had been telling the whole story, tells the reader about the feelings of the characters. By letting the detective tell the story, the reader can feel the urgency of solving the mystery.
I’ve explained the three concepts, but it may have been a little difficult for you. Narratology uses a lot of abstract concepts. There are also many other important tools. We have only touched on three of the most common ones here. If you are doing literary criticism, you will be fine if you can keep these three in mind. Finally, I would like to write a little about the possibilities of narrative theory.
Possibilities of Narratology
Narratology is a very metaphysical theory. That is why it is possible to analyze abstract concepts. The question is, why are we drawn to stories? In his book, Jonathan Culler says that research is being carried out in conjunction with human cognition. Also of interest is Joseph Campbell’s discussion of mythological structures. Stories have a wisdom side, such as folklore stories, and an art and entertainment side. And then there is history. Because history is told by a man. To this extent, it is no longer literature criticism. To this extent, it is no longer literature criticism.
References;
Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory -A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 1997.
Hashimoto, Yosuke. ナラトロジー入門 (Introduction to Narratology). 水声社 (Suisei-sha), 2014.
Suka, J. L. 聖書の物語論的読み方 (Our Fathers Have Told Us: Introduction to the Analysis of Hebrew Narratives). Trans. Sakuma Tsutomu, Ishihara Yoshiaki. 日本キリスト教団出版局 (The Board of Publications The United Church of Christ in Japan), 2013.