Narrative Aesthetics (Exploring an Encyclopedic Novel)

Author: Geng Zhanchun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-10
Features: The enthusiasm for fictional narratives in modern society has suddenly vanished. "News" and the dissemination of information have replaced the narration of "stories." In news, a story means an accident. In the process of rationalization of the world, people have begun to live or hope to live without stories. The ancient narrative art has declined among serious novelists, turning into a profitable cultural industry. This book, starting from contemporary narrative theory and textual sociology, analyzes the relationship between various narrative models since classical realism and socio-historical structures, discusses the crisis and possibilities of narration, particularly the self-renewal capacity of narrative art: the emergence of what are called "encyclopedic novels." These works typically draw stories and knowledge from diverse historical moments, endowing them with thematic ambiguity and contemporaneity, as well as a rhetorical style with personal touches. These new narrative approaches embody a certain narrative aesthetics: the moment when the narrative act becomes captivating occurs in the narrative space formed between the real world and the realm of fantasy. It concerns the connection established between real human life experiences and fictional elements. This narrative activity exists between the ever-changing present and the infinite diversity of human historical time, thanks to its insight into reality. The novelist must be as familiar with reality as with the "magic." This is one of the reasons why literary narration, beyond the objective knowledge systems of various forms, still maintains fictional narratives in a modern society dominated by mass media.