Possible Worlds Theory and Contemporary Narratology - (Frontiers of Narrative) by Alice Bell & Marie-Laure Ryan (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An update to possible worlds theory and postclassical narratology, 'Possible Worlds Theory and Contemporary Narratology' offers advancements to this theoretical framework and a range of contemporary applications to literary narratives"--

Book Synopsis

The notion of possible worlds has played a decisive role in postclassical narratology by awakening interest in the nature of fictionality and in emphasizing the notion of world as a source of aesthetic experience in narrative texts. As a theory concerned with the opposition between the actual world that we belong to and possible worlds created by the imagination, possible worlds theory has made significant contributions to narratology.

Possible Worlds Theory and Contemporary Narratology updates the field of possible worlds theory and postclassical narratology by developing this theoretical framework further and applying it to a range of contemporary literary narratives. This volume systematically outlines the theoretical underpinnings of the possible worlds approach, provides updated methods for analyzing fictional narrative, and profiles those methods via the analysis of a range of different texts, including contemporary fiction, digital fiction, video games, graphic novels, historical narratives, and dramatic texts. Through the variety of its contributions, including those by three originators of the subject area--Lubomír Dolezel, Thomas Pavel, and Marie-Laure Ryan--Possible Worlds Theory and Contemporary Narratology demonstrates the vitality and versatility of one of the most vibrant strands of contemporary narrative theory.

Review Quotes

"Possible Worlds Theory and Contemporary Narratology manages to justify possible worlds theory's relevance to literary studies, give a balanced overview of the ways it can be used, and develops the theory further."--Juulia Jaulimo, Journal for the Study of Culture

"This book is a masterly summary of the progress made so far in the application of possible worlds theory to narratology and a valuable indicator of the many fascinating and thought-provoking directions in which research can be taken in the future. This book should be read by everyone with an interest in narrative theory."--Alan Palmer, author of Fictional Minds-- (3/5/2018 12:00:00 AM)

"This collection is likely to become a kind of one-stop shop for scholars working on a range of related problems at the forefront of current narrative research: fictionality, digital media, transfictionality and transmediality, post-postmodernism, the poetics of science fiction and fantasy, [and more]."--Brian McHale, Distinguished Humanities Professor of English at Ohio State University-- (3/5/2018 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Alice Bell is a reader in English language and literature at Sheffield Hallam University in England. She is the author of The Possible Worlds of Hypertext Fiction and the coeditor of Analyzing Digital Fiction. Marie-Laure Ryan is an independent scholar and the laureate of the 2017 Wayne Booth Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the International Society for the Study of Narrative. She is the author and editor of numerous books and is the coauthor of Storyworlds across Media: Toward a Media-Conscious Narratology (Nebraska, 2014).