Any time you are describing an event to somebody else; that is a narrative. The story could be completely fabricated, completely true, or anywhere in between. The goal of the narrative is to shed light on a subject that the narrator feels is relevant and in need of being shared. One of the functions of a narrative is to “fulfill a certain social function” (Herman, p.5). That means that every narrative says something about the society we live in. Even the most nonsensical narratives, they too can find a social function that is fulfilled. The work of the narrator is to create socially relevant narratives and the work of the narratee is to derive socially relevant meaning from narratives.
Herman, David. The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2007. Print.
Very clear and succinct, I like it! What do you think that it says about our society that the narratives getting published rely primarily on proximity?
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