An Introduction to Narratology

This volume was conceived as a textbook for students at the beginning of their academic career. It could form part of an introductory course to narrative studies or of an introductory module in literary studies. Although most of the examples are taken from literatures in English, the book attempts to cater to a wider audience of literature students in foreign language departments. It could also serve as a brief introduction for more advanced readers with no previous exposure to narratology who wish to catch up with developments in this field.
This introduction differs from the many other available textbooks on narrative and narrative theory in two strategic ways. First, I have tried to integrate narratological analysis with more general issues concerning reading of narrative and literary texts. These include the framing of books by the means of blurbs and cover texts, censorship, and questions of mimesis and realism as well as stylistic considerations and the use of metaphor in narrative. Second, the volume reflects my own particular line of narratological thinking and the tradition from which it developed. Thus it is the only available English language textbook on narrative studies with a heavy emphasis on German research in narratology. It also foregrounds linguistic and diachronic aspects of narrative studies.