What Is Narrative?

At its simplest definition, "narrative is the representation of an event or series of events." (Abbott, 13). A narrative is essentially a story containing characters and events which are told by a narrator and may either be real or they "fictional." (Herman, 279) Of course more intricate definitions may be created for a narrative, the most important vital part of a narrative is that an event is taking place. Without this event, the speaker can be giving a "description" an "exposition" or a number of other things, but it will not be a narrative. (Abbott,13). According to the definition of narrative in Gerald Prince's Dictionary of Narratology, a narrative may even be something as short as a sentence. For example, "The goldfish died", or "The glass fell on the floor." (Abbott,15). Although these two sentences don't seem like narratives, the both contain an action or event that was told by a narrator and intended for an audience. Narrative may come in many different forms. Whether it be, "verbal" "(written or oral)" and or "visual" in a medium such as a photo, it may still be a narrative. (Fischer, 2010).

Works Cited

Abbott, H. Porter: The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative (Cambridge Introduction to Literature). Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. p.16.

Fischer, Annemarie. "Blog Task: Defintion of Narrative (due Tuesday)." Message to Global Media Narrators. Coli 321 M/Germ 380 L/Eng 300 G: Global Media Narratives in the Digital Age. Sep. 10 2010, E-mail.

Herman, David (ed.): The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 279 f.