On the most basic level, a narrative “is the representation of an event or series of events” [1]. In order for an event or series to be represented, there needs to be a noun and a verb – either written, verbally stated, or symbolized in a multitude of ways. Similar to other messages we have discussed in class, a narrative involves a sender, in this case a narrator, and a receiver, or the audience. Narratives can appear in many forms, “the novel, the epic poem, the short story, the saga, the tragedy, the comedy, the farces, the ballad, the western, and so on- in which narrative provides the overall structure” [2]. But they can also appear in visual forms, such as a play, film, or a piece of art on the wall. In each separate genre, the sender and receiver can take on different form- yet in all of these genres that we call “narratives”, the audience “expects them to tell a story” [3]. Another layer to a narrative is the description of time. Unlike the time of a clock, “narrative time, in contrast, relates to events or incidents”[4] .
In relation to the global media, narratives can also take place in the cyber. When a narrator posts an article, news story, or video online, their audience becomes any person across the world that views the narration. Today, any person can become a narrator on the Internet, with the intent to share a message. It is crucial as a receiver to understand that a “narrative can be used to deliver false information” [5]. With this in mind, an audience member has to always challenge the message they interpret from any narrative. In the cyber, narrators and audience members can even be anonymous, so its crucial to always question the message being sent through the narrative.
Children, students, and adults of any age can create a narrative, and each one will have a their own unique message, or story, to tell.
[1] Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Second Ed. Cambridge University press. P. 13. Print.
[2] Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Second Ed. Cambridge University press. P. 2. Print.
[3] Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Second Ed. Cambridge University press. P. 2. Print.
[4] Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Second Ed. Cambridge University press. P. 4. Print.
[5] Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Second Ed. Cambridge University press. P. 12. Print.
I agree with your comment about cyber narratives because I feel like it has become a prominent method for narration. Cybercommunication can be a narrator as well when it takes the form of a sender. Like you said, time and space are also important because it lets the listeners imagine the narrative as it is being told. Nice post.
ReplyDelete