The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative

Sep 20, 2026

121

The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative explains what narrative is and how it is constructed, how narrative acts upon readers, and how audiences act upon it through interpretation. It traces how narratives are transmitted across media and how they change under different mediums or cultural contexts. Porter Abbott treats narrative as a human phenomenon found beyond literature, film, and theatre, spanning all activities representing events in time, while connecting foundational concepts to meaningful, revisited stories.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages112

Reading Time2 h 52 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Chapter 1 Narrative and life

Chapter 2 Defining narrative

Chapter 3 The borders of narrative

Chapter 4 The rhetoric of narrative

Chapter 5 Closure

Chapter 6 Narration

Chapter 7 Interpreting narrative

Chapter 8 Three ways to interpret narrative

Chapter 9 Adaptation across media

Chapter 10 Character and self in narrative

Chapter 11 Narrative contestation

Chapter 12 Narrative negotiation

The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative is designedto help readers understand what narrative is,howit is constructed,how it acts upon us,howwe actupon it,how it is transmitted,and howitchanges when the medium or the cultural contextchange.Porter Abbott emphasizes that narrativeis found not just in the arts but everywhere in theordinary course of people's lives.Abbott groundshis treatment of narrative by introducing it as ahuman phenomenon that is not restricted toliterature,film,and theatre,but is found in allactivities that involve the representation ofeventsin time.At the same time,he honors the fact thatout of this common capability have come richand meaningful naratives that we come back toand reflect on repeatedly in our lives.Anindispensable tool for students and teachersalike,this book willguide readers through thefundamental aspects of narrative. Cover illustration:Siu Zimmerman,On Emergence.Copyrighto Siu Zimmerman 2001. 'A lucid,practical,wide- ranging,and often original introduction to narrative, which willbe extremely useful in undergraduate and graduate courses on literary theory and criticism.This is not a dry text- book,however:the reader is madeaware ofa real voice and ofa fascination with the role of narrative across many areas of culture and beyond.' Derek Attridge 6a0RR Narrative Abbott THE CAMBRIDGE INTRODUCTION TONarrative H.Porter Abbott golubov # The Cambridge Introduction toNarrative The Cambridge Iutreoductiou to Narrative is designed to help readersunderstand what narrative is,how it is constructed,how it acts upon us,how we act upon it,how it is transnitted,and how it changes when themedium or the cultural context change.Porter Abbott emphasizes thatnarrative is found not just in the arts but everywhere in the ordinarycourse of people's lives.Abbott grounds his treatment of narrative byintroducing it as a human phenomenon that is not restricted to literature,film,and theatre.but is found in all activities that involve therepresentation of events in time.At the same tine,he honors the fact that out of this conmon capability have come rich and meaningfulnarratives that we come back to and reflect on repeatedly in our lives.Anindispensable tool for students and teachers alike,this book will guidereaders through the fundamental aspects of narrative. H.Porter Abbot is Professor in the Department of English at theUniversity of California,Santa Barbara.He is the author of The Fiction ofSael Beckett:Form and Effect,Diary Fiction:Writing as Action,BeckettWriting Beckett:the Aarlor in the Atograplh,and editor of On the Origin ofFicions:Inuterdisciplinary Perspectives,a special issue of the journal SubStance. 二 The Cambridge Introduction toNarrative H.PORTER ABBOTT 中中 PUBLISHEI)BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE The Pitt Building,Trumpington Street.Cambridge,United Kingdom CAMBRII)GE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building,Cambridge CB22RU,UK40 West 20th Street,New York NY 10011-4211,USA477 Williamstown Road,Port Melboume,VIC 3207,AustraliaRuiz de Alarcón 13,28014 Madrid,SpainDock House,The Waterfront,Cape Town 8001,South Africa http://www.cambridge.org ◎ Cambridge University Press 2002 一 This book is in copyright.Subject to statutory exceptionand to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreementsno reproduction ofany part may take place withoutthe written permision of Cambridge University Press. First published 2002 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press,Cambridge Typeface Bembo 11/12.5 pt. System ETEX2ε [TB| A catalogue record for this hook is arvailabke from the British Library. ISBN052165033X hardback ISBN 0521659698 paperback For Jason and Byram 二 Contents List ofillustrations page x Preface xi Acknouledgments xiv Chapter 1 Narrative and life 1 The universality of narrative Narrative and time 3 Narrative perception 6 Chapter 2 Defining narrative12 The b

FAQs

What does the book say narrative is, and where does it occur?

Narrative is presented as a human phenomenon found in all activities involving the representation of events in time, not restricted to arts such as literature, film, and theatre.

How does the book approach the construction and transmission of narrative?

It guides readers through how narrative is constructed and how it is transmitted, including how narratives change when the medium or cultural context changes.

What skills or concepts does the book develop for interpreting narrative?

It introduces tools such as narrative perception, the narrator, voice, focalization, reliability, and strategies for interpretation like underreading and overreading, as well as approaches to wholes and intentional readings.

Sep 20, 2026

121

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