Description

Book Synopsis
Narrative is a powerful element of human culture, storing and sharing the cherished parts of our personal memories and giving structure to our laws, entertainment, and history. This book introduces an approach to studying narrative, identifying three basic strategies: single focus, dual focus, and multiple focus.

Trade Review
This is a large, ambitious study that proposes an original, comprehensive theory of narrative. Rick Altman draws on examples ranging from the Bible to Hollywood films, from classical epic and pastoral to medieval heroic poetry, and from saints' lives to nineteenth- and twentieth-century French, British, and American novels, all analyzed within an impressively parsimonious scheme. -- Peter Garrett, University of Illinois An elegant and pertinent theory. -- Matt Campora Media/Culture Reviews

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments Note 1. What is Narrative? 2. The Song...of Roland? 3. Dual-Focus Narrative 4. Hester's Speculation 5. Single-Focus Narrative 6. Pieter Bruegel, or the Space of Multiplicity 7. Multiple-Focus Narrative 8. Theoretical Conclusion 9. Practical Conclusion References Index

A Theory of Narrative

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    A Paperback by Rick Altman

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      Book details

      Publisher Columbia University Press
      Published 7/18/2008 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN-13 9780231144292
      978-0231144292
      ISBN-10 0231144296

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Narrative is a powerful element of human culture, storing and sharing the cherished parts of our personal memories and giving structure to our laws, entertainment, and history. This book introduces an approach to studying narrative, identifying three basic strategies: single focus, dual focus, and multiple focus.

      Trade Review
      This is a large, ambitious study that proposes an original, comprehensive theory of narrative. Rick Altman draws on examples ranging from the Bible to Hollywood films, from classical epic and pastoral to medieval heroic poetry, and from saints' lives to nineteenth- and twentieth-century French, British, and American novels, all analyzed within an impressively parsimonious scheme. -- Peter Garrett, University of Illinois An elegant and pertinent theory. -- Matt Campora Media/Culture Reviews

      Table of Contents
      Acknowledgments Note 1. What is Narrative? 2. The Song...of Roland? 3. Dual-Focus Narrative 4. Hester's Speculation 5. Single-Focus Narrative 6. Pieter Bruegel, or the Space of Multiplicity 7. Multiple-Focus Narrative 8. Theoretical Conclusion 9. Practical Conclusion References Index

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