What is a Narrative

A synthesized definition of a narrative composed of many definitions stated in Herman’s, The Cambridge Companion to Narrative: A narrative is the “representation of a sequence of events” that engenders change experienced by agents temporally and causally, transmitted by a narrator and incepted by a narratee [1]. A narrative does not have to be an art, such as a novel or saga, but can be conjured by all of us. Non-artists make narratives everyday by simply putting words together even when, as Abbott states in, The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative, "uttering a subject followed by a verb, in a narrative’s most simple form" [2]. In Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narrative, Barthes elaborates that "inception by the narratee is affected by the medium of the storytelling by the narrator, which can be articulated language, whether oral or written, pictures, still or moving, and gestures" [3]. For example, a video is a literal interpretation of a narrative, but with little explanation and bias from outside sources, unlike an article explaining the same event. One thing a narrative must be is relatable. When a story is ingested by a narratee an evaluation can come from many aspects of the narrative, such as personal experience and connection to main focal points of the story. Abbott also states "A narratee is sensitive to exactly how the narrative is constructed", [4] which makes narratives especially important to global media. The induction of the internet and video as a storytelling device has changed the dynamic of the purpose and intent of the narrator, and the meaning and accessibility to the narratee.

[1] Herman, David. The Cambridge Companion to Narrative. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2007. p. 23. Print.
[2]- Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print. pg 1.
[3]- Barthes, Roland Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narrative, New Literary History, Vol. 6, No. 2 On Narrative and Narratives (Winter 1975) The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. pg 237
[4]- Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print. pg 84.