Narrative Madness: The Quixotic Quest for Reality

by Ronald B. Richardson

Our stories have driven us mad. Like Don Quixote, we wander lost through clouds of story. Narrative language influences how we perceive the world and, therefore, how we live our lives. Examining various definitions of narrative and tracing a conjectural history of storytelling, this book shows how various aspects of narrative affect our thought and behavior. Everything we can refer to is fiction, yet fiction has material existence and is therefore real. Rather than separating us from the world as a “filter,” narrative is the primary way we understand and construct the world, community, and self.

163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2013

Reviews

[Robert Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful introduction to the concepts behind metafiction--delightfully written and fully accessible for the non-lit major like myself. Highbrow concepts are explained succinctly and the author never lapses in academese obfuscation. And his enthusiasm is catching.

I would think undergrad lit majors would find it particularly useful.