Reading Narrative Fiction

by Seymour Chatman

This short fiction anthology offers a more precise and extensive treatment of narrative technique than other books of its kind. Targeting the needs and interests of today's readers, the author uses down-to-earth language and builds on readers' familiarity with narrative devices in film, television, and other popular media to teach this new approach to literary analysis. While offering more technical depth, Chatman never overwhelms. He provides unusually clear and exact definitions of such terms as "characterization" and "point-of- view", along with many illustrations of how these techniques actually operate in short stories. His explanations and examples enable readers to read narratives with a new awareness of how they are constructed.

Genres: Theory

656 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 1992

Reviews

[Laura Neu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think a lot of this text's content is over simplified but besides that, the information is good and presented clearly. What I do love about it is the fact that it asks questions about the various short stories that most don't. It really helps the reader think about literature in an important way.