Narrative Theory and the Reading of Literary Texts WS 2020/2021 Dec 2

Prof. Dr. Jutta Zimmermann e-mail: zimmermann@anglistik.uni-kiel.de Categories of narrative fiction III: Characterization
Theoretical
SYLLABUS text Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan, “Text: characterization”, Narrative Fiction:
Nov 4 Contemporary Theory. London and New York: Routledge, 1983. 59-
Introduction: What is narrative? What is narrative theory? 70.
Literary Apply techniques of characterization to texts discussed in
Examples for discussion (available on OLAT) texts/written Session 1 and 3. Choose one technique and write a short
Siegfried Sassoon, “The Hero” (1917); Ernest Hemingway, “A Very homework: paragraph.
Short Story” (1924); Sam Shepard, “Guam” (1973); Roz Chast, Dec 9
“The Hero’s Journey” (2018) Categories of narrative fiction IV: Setting
Nov 11 Theoretical
Categories of narrative fiction I: Point of view ˗ Review of text: Jurij M. Lotman, “Das Problem des künstlerischen Raums“, Die
narrative situations, points of view, focalization Struktur literarischer Texte. München: Wilhelm Fink Verlag,
Theoretical 1972. 311-29.
text Shlomith Rimman-Kenan, Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics.
London and New York: Routledge, 1983. [Passage on “A Typology Literary Apply the categories introduced by Lotman to Ernest
of Narrators”, 94-100] text/written Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants” (1927) and write a
homework: mini-essay.
Literary Analysis of exemplary passages (handout) – Identify the Dec 16
texts/task: narrator in the passages. Please take notes. Categories of narrative fiction V: Time
Nov 18 Theoretical
Point of view/Focalization: Representation of Speech and text Teresa Bridgeman, “Time and space”, The Cambridge Companion
Thought, Free Indirect Style to Narrative. Ed. David Herman. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Theoretical Press, 2007. 52-65.
texts Geoffrey N. Leech and Michael Short, Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Literary
Introduction to English Fictional Prose. London and New York: Long- texts/task: Apply to Lydia Davis, “Story” and other texts already dealt
man, 1981. Chap. 10: “Speech and Thought Representation”, with. Work with the categories/distinctions mentioned by
318-51. Bridgman and discuss where the categories need to be
adjusted/expanded to do justice to the particular text.
Literary Apply to Sarah Barnwell Elliott, “The Heart of It” (1898) – Identify Jan 6
texts/task: passages of thought representation and think about their Unreliable narration
function. Please take notes. Theoretical
Nov 25 text Dan Shen, “Unreliability”, in: Peter Hühn et al. (eds.): the living
Categories of narrative fiction II: Plot structure handbook of narratology. Hamburg: Hamburg University. URL =
Theoretical http://www.lhn.unihamburg.de/article/unreliability
texts: 1) M.H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms. Fort Worth: Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, 1988. 139-42. Literary Read first paragraph of Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-tale Heart”
2) Jonathan Culler, Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. texts/tasks and identify markers of unreliability.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. 84-85. Apply the concept to Lydia Davis’s “Story” from last week.
3) Andrea Gutenberg, Mögliche Welten: Plot und Sinnstiftung im
englischen Frauenroman. Heidelberg: Winter, 1999. 220-21 written Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Write one
[Übersicht aus dem Kapitel Plotmuster] homework: page on the un/reliability of the narrator.

Literary Try to compare the different approaches and apply to texts

texts/task: discussed in Session 1 and 3. Please take notes.
 Jan 13 Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge
Multiple perspectives/Multiperspectivity University Press, 2002.
Theoretical The Cambridge Companion to Narrative Theory. Ed. Matthew Garrett. Cambridge:
Text Christoph Bode, “Multiperspectivity, Unreliability, and the Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Impossibility of Editing Out the Gender Aspect”, The Novel: An The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. Ed. David Herman. Cambridge: Cambridge
Introduction. Transl. James Vigus. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, University Press, 2007.
2011. 197-227 [multiperspectivity pp. 197-206. Chatman, Seymour. Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Ithaca
Literary and London: Cornell University Press, 1978.
text/written Henry James, “A Bundle of Letters”. Cohn, Dorrit. Transparent Minds: Narrative Modes for Presenting Consciousness in
homework: Write a short paragraph on the function of multiperspectivity in Fiction. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1978.
this short story. Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University
Jan 20 Press, 1997.
Narrative Structure in Toni Morrison, Beloved Dawson, Peter. The Return of the Omniscient Narrator: Authorship and Authority in
Secondary Twenty-First Century Fiction. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 2013.
Literature/task Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan, “Narration, Doubt, Retrieval: Toni Fludernik, Monika. Erzähltheorie. Eine Einführung. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche
Morrison’s Beloved”, Narrative 4.2 (1996) 103-29. Sum up the main Buchgesellschaft, 2. Aufl. 2008.
points of the article. Genette, Gérard. Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method. Transl. Jane E. Lewin,
Jan 27 foreword Jonathan Culler. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1980.
Focalization in Beloved Leech Geoffrey N. and Michael Short. Style in Fiction. A Linguistic Introduction to English
Secondary Fictional Prose. London and New York: Longman, 1981.
text: Klaus Brax, “The Age of Scientific Racism: Internal Focalization and Lodge, David. The Art of Fiction. London: Penguin, 1992.
Narrative Ethics in Toni Morrison’s Beloved”, Narrative Ethics. Ed. Nünning, Ansgar und Vera Nünning (Eds.). Multiperspektivisches Erzählen: Zur Theorie
Jakob Lohe and Jeremy Hawthorn. Leiden: Brill, 2013. 253-67. und Geschichte der Perspektivenstruktur im englischen Roman des 18. bis 20.
Written Jahrhunderts. Trier: WVT, 2000.
homework Write an introductory paragraph for a term paper on the topic Nünning, Ansgar et al. (Eds.). Unreliable Narration: Studien zur Theorie und Praxis
of focalization in Beloved. unglaubwürdigen Erzählens in der englischsprachigen Erzählliteratur. Trier: WVT,
Feb 3 1998.
Multiple perspectives in Beloved Nünning, Vera (Ed.). Unreliable Narration and Trustworthiness: Intermedial and
Secondary Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2015.
text/task: Deborah Ayer Sitter, “The Making of Man: Dialogic Meaning in Puckett, Kent. Narrative Theory: A Criical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Beloved”, African American Review 26.1 (1992, 17-29. Sum up the Press, 2016.
main points of the article. Rigney Ann and Kiene Brillenburg Wurth, The Life of Texts: An Introduction to Literary
Feb 10 Studies. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2019.
REVIEW Stanzel, Franz. Theorie des Erzählens. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 8. Aufl.
Requirements: Check powerpoint presentation for session 1. 2008 [1979].
Rimmon-Kenan, Shlomith. Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics. London and New
York: Routledge, 1983.
FORMAT OF ONLINE COURSE:
Wallace, Martin. Recent Theories of Narrative. Ithaca and London: Cornell University
Part One: 10.15 to 11.00 Presentation (presentations will be available each week on Press, 1986.
Monday 6 pm and can be read/listened to any time before class, at the latest in the first Warhol, Robyn and Susan S. Lanser. Narrative Theory: Queer and Feminist
half of the respective session, i Interventions. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 2015.
Part Two: 11.00 to 11.45 Online class via BigBlueButton: https://mediaportal01.rz.uni-
kiel.de/b/jut-vhm-gch-kjb INTERNET SOURCES
Hühn, Peter et al. (Eds.). Peter Hühn et al. (eds.): the living handbook of narratology.
ADDITIONAL READINGS / SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY Hamburg: Hamburg University. http://www.lhn.unihamburg.de/article/unreliability
A Companion to Narrative Theory. Ed. James Phelan and Peter J. Rabinowich. Malden:
Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Jahn, Manfred. Narratology: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative. English Department,
University of Cologne, 2017. http://www.uni-koeln.de/~ame02/pppn.htm