Narrating Space / Spatializing Narrative: Where Narrative Theory and Geography Meet (THEORY INTERPRETATION NARRATIV) by Marie-Laure Ryan

by Marie-Laure Ryan

Narrating Space / Spatializing Where Narrative Theory and Geography Meet by Marie-Laure Ryan, Kenneth Foote, and Maoz Azaryahu offers a groundbreaking approach to understanding how space works in narrative and narrative theory and how narratives work in real space. Thus far, space has traditionally been viewed by narratologists as a backdrop to plot. This study argues that space serves important but under-explored narrative It can be a focus of attention, a bearer of symbolic meaning, an object of emotional investment, a means of strategic planning, a principle of organization, and a supporting medium.Space intersects with narrative in two principal ‘‘Narrating space’’ considers space as an object of representation, while ‘‘spatializing narrative’’ approaches space as the environment in which narrative is physically deployed. The inscription of narrative in real space is illustrated by such forms as technology-supported locative narratives, street names, and historical/heritage site and museum displays. While narratologists are best equipped to deal with the narration of space, geographers can make significant contributions to narratology by drawing attention to the spatialization of narrative. By bringing these two approaches together—and thereby building a bridge between narratology and geography— Narrating Space / Spatializing Narrative yields both a deepened understanding of human spatial experience and greater insight into narrative theory and poetic forms.

Genres: Nonfiction, Academic

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1702

Reviews

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of somewhat specialist literature on the spatial dimensions of narrative. The authors stake out their intended purpose:

"Space has traditionally been viewed as a backdrop to plot, if only because narrative, by definition, is a temporal art involving the sequencing of events. Against this traditional conception, this book advances the argument that space serves other narrative roles: it can be a focus of attention, a bearer of symbolic meaning, an object of emotional investment, a means of strategic planning, a principle of organization, and even a supporting medium."

and conclude:

"Geography provides narratology not only with the concepts of space and place but also with tools to describe storyworlds (maps and other visual representations of data), with a critical examination of these tools (critical cartography), with systems to anchor stories in the real world (GPS), and with a rich corpus of work on how people experience space and place (Hubbard and Kitchin 2011). This work can teach narratology new ways to approach texts (Prieto 2013; Mehigan and Corkhill 2013). As for geography, it needs narratives and narratology because, if it wants to capture the experience of space and place in its emotional, existential, and phenomenological dimensions, its richest source of data are the stories people create involving space and place."

As such this can be a healthy excercise in highlighting one aspect of narrative; not so sure whether this approach has enough substance as of yet to qualify as a separate research field within narratology.