Narrative Dynamism (ACLA '18)
Unities, wholes, patterns, ends, beginnings, organization, structure: these terms all belong to the structuralist tool kit with which we are familiar, yet we believe that this vocabulary is in dire need of reassessment. While the structural impetuses of narratology continue, dynamic theories of narrative such as those proffered by Roland Barthes, Ross Chambers and others, have become less prominent. In this seminar we will explore the following questions: What might a dynamic, systemic, and/or non-structuralist theory of narrative look like? What narratives (in any medium) exemplify a dynamic notion of narrative? What additional insights might we gain by working through a dynamic as opposed to a structuralist approach to narrative and narratives?