What is Narratology?
The study of how narrative structures work.
Narratology: The Magic Behind Stories
Narratology is a term used to refer to the study of how narrative structures work. As a creative writer, understanding the different narrative structures that exist can help you craft compelling stories with logical plot progressions and characters that resonate with readers. It also involves analyzing how individual story elements like genre, plot, character, and setting, impact the overall story.
In the world of literature, narratology largely originated from the work of Russian theorist Vladimir Propp, who, through his studies in Russian folklore, identified a range of structural modes found in folktales. Since then, a great deal of research has been conducted to expand upon and refine Propp's findings, leading to a range of methods and theories for understanding how stories work.
Let's take a look at how Narratology is applied in literature through a couple of examples.
In Franz Kafka's 'Metamorphosis,' the narrative structure shifts after the protagonist transforms into a giant insect, and the concept of normality is uprooted, displaying the impact of narrative structure on the reader's perception of the story and characters.
In William Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury,' the narrative structure features four different perspectives on events, highlighting the complexity of time and memory, and exploring how language and storytelling affect a reader's experience of the narrative.