230628 Contemporary Research Paradigms: Narratologies (S) (WiSe 2008/2009)

Narrative is ubiquitous: Large parts of our lives, our memory, our communication and our cultural production are structured according to narrative patterns. In literary scholarship, narratology is perhaps the most influential and widespread of all approaches. In this colloquium-style seminar, we will study both classical approaches to the basic components of narrative and their most recent developments: We will focus on story, plot and action, time and space, character, narration and focalization, and dialogue. We will also discuss some of the fields that the study of narrative has branched out to in the last couple of years, so that further theories and concepts, such as gender narratology, post-colonial narratology and cognitive narratology, have been developed.

A reader with theoretical texts will be provided by the beginning of the semester. Please note that this seminar will take place in the form of double sessions held in alternate weeks.