Narrative Criticism FAQ
Research Methods in Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy
Key terms for narrative criticism handout: symbolic actions-words, meaning-making, identify, analyze, experience, shape, context, point of view, why
What is narrative?
In his chapter “The Narrative Perspective,” Robert Rowland explains that “narratives are stories, and stories function differently than descriptive or argumentative rhetoric” (126).
According to Walter Fisher, narratives are “symbolic actions-words and/or deeds that have sequence and meaning for those who live, create, or interpret them.”
Rowland states “researchers have demonstrated that narrative is a human universal found in all cultures and throughout human history” (125).
Key words: stories, symbolic actions-words, sequence, meaning, live, create, interpret
What makes up a narrative?
Rowland identifies a few components that make up a narrative: characters, setting, plot, and theme.
Characters action in relation to other characters. In narratives, there is often protagonists (those at the center of the story), antagonists (those whose actions create conflict in order to move the story forward), and stock characters (those who play a supporting role within the story).
Setting is where and when the story takes place. Depending on the story, its context, and situation, the setting will be different. For example, science fiction and fantasy stories might take place in another universe (Rowland 127).
Plot is the action of the story. Plot can sometimes “function to keep the attention of the audience and reinforce the message in the story” (Rowland 127).
Theme relates to the message of the narrative. Theme is sometimes explicitly stated and sometimes it isn’t, which means there can be a variety of perspectives on what the theme of a story might be. This is where rhetorical functions might come as you explain your interpretation of themes within a specific narrative.
Key words: characters, setting, plot, theme, action, interpretation
Where does the study of narrative discourse come from and where does it show up today?
Sonja Foss discusses some of the origins of the study of narrative explaining that “the study of narrative discourse has a long history that dates back to classical Greece and Rome, where both Aristotle and Quintilian wrote about narration” (321).
Additionally, and according to Foss, Russian Vladimir Propp is seen as having begun the formal study of narrative with his book Morphology of the Folktale. Propp looks at the syntax/structure of Russian folktales. He states that “they share the same sequence of actions by characters” (321).
Foss also mentions French structuralists Roland Barthes, Umberto Eco, Gérard Genette, and Tzvetan Todorov.
The study of narrative shows up in many disciplines today. Researchers and writers have taken up the study of narrative within their specific discipline (e.g. writing studies, anthropology, communication, history, law, education, sociology, medicine, psychology etc.).
Key words: sequence of actions, syntax/structure, disciplines
Why does narrative criticism matter to writing studies?
The study of narratives (e.g. literacy narratives, resistant narratives) has been emerging within the field of rhetoric, composition, and literacy. The study of narratives and how they inform (or speak to) meaning-making, writing processes, writing pedagogy, writer’s lived experiences, people’s understanding of writing and of themselves through writing. This has certainly been an interest of the rhetoric and composition field, at large. Additionally, to be able to understand not only the contextual forces for what shapes a narrative, but also how narratives shape our experiences and understandings can be important to textual analysis and inquiry.
Foss states that “narratives organize and shape the stimuli of our experience so that we can make sense of the people, places, events, and actions we encounter in our lives. They help us decide what a particular experience is about and how the various elements of experience are connected” (319-320).
Key words: study of narrative, experience, meaning-making, writing process, shape
When might narrative criticism be used?
You might use narrative criticism to dissect the construction of a narrative and how it is being mobilized within a textual artifact. This is important, especially since narratives can be used to persuade an audience of an argument, keep the audience’s attention on a given story/topic/issue, create a sense of identification between the audience and narrator (or characters), break down barriers to understanding, and/or tap into the values and needs of an audience for an emotional response (Rowland 129).
Additionally, you might use narrative criticism to identify and make visible the contextual forces that shape a specific narrative. Engaging this process might lead to questions like: What has led to the construction of this specific narrative? Why was the narrative told this way, instead of another way? Who else (or what else) might be shaping the narrative besides the obvious “author”?
This matters because we know nothing is ever without context. We deepen our practice of reading beyond the text and thinking both carefully and critically.
Key words: narrative construction, context, critically, carefully
How might narrative criticism be used?
Fisher discusses narrative criticism as working toward narrative rationality while others might use “an inductive approach to discover the specific narrative pattern at the heart of a given story” (Rowland 131-132).
Additionally, Sonja Foss provides a process that can be a useful guide to unpacking the inner-workings of and contextual forces surrounding a narrative
Select an artifact – any artifact that is a narrative or includes a narrative within it is appropriate for application of a narrative analysis. Narratives might include novels, short stories, essays, podcasts, oral stories, films, plays, television series, news stories, monologues by comedians, photography, comics, testimonios, political ads, political flyers, and letters, to name a few.
Analyze the artifact – identify the objective of the narrative or the action the story is performing or the condition the story is addressing; you also want to identify the narrative’s features (e.g. plot, setting, characters, point of view, narrator, events, structure, relations between the events and their timing, causal relations, audience, media platform, type of narrative, mechanics, theme). Essentially, how is the storyteller designing or putting together the story?
You might go deeper…
Why is the storyteller designing or constructing the story the way they are? For what purpose and to what ends? How does the narrative serve their interests and how does it (or does not) serve the interests of audiences, stakeholders, characters, organizations etc. that are tied to the narrative?
Formulate a research question – you might formulate a question that focuses on an aspect of the narrative that you want to further explore (or think more about) because you’re curious about a specific narrative component or the overall construction.
This can lead to an essay, research project etc.
Key words: artifact, objective, action, storyteller, testimonios, why
References:
Foss, Sonja. Rhetorical Criticism Exploration and Practice. 5th ed., Waveland Press, 2018.
Fisher, Walter (1987), Human Communication as Narration: Toward a Philosophy of Reason, Value, and Action, Columbia: U of South Carolina P.
Rowland, Robert. “The Narrative Perspective.” Rhetorical Criticism: Perspectives in Action by Jim Kuypers.