Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative

Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative by Mieke Bal (review) Wallace Martin L'Esprit Créateur, Volume 28, Number 1, Spring 1988, p. 112 (Review) Published by Johns Hopkins University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/esp.1988.0027 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/526556/summary Access provided by your subscribing institution. (18 Dec 2018 06:20 GMT) L ’E s p r it C r éat eur M i e k e B a l. N a r r a t o l o g y : In t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e T h e o r y o f N a r r a t i v e . T o r o n to : U n iv . o f T o r o n t o P r e s s , 1 9 8 5 . P p . x ii + 1 6 4 . $ 1 7 .5 0 c l o t h ; $ 8 .9 5 p a p e r . I n t e n d e d p r i m a r i l y f o r s t u d e n t s , M i e k e B a l ’s b o o k p r o v i d e s a c o n c i s e , i n t e g r a t e d th e o r y o f n a r r a tiv e b a s e d o n th e s tr u c tu r a lis t t r a d itio n . S h e d is tin g u is h e s th r e e c o m p o n e n ts o f w r itte n n a r r a tiv e s , d e v o tin g a c h a p te r to e a c h : th e f a b u la ( “ e le m e n ts ” ), c o n s is tin g o f e v e n t s , a c t o r s , t i m e , a n d l o c a t i o n ; t h e s t o r y ( “ a s p e c t s ” ) , t h e w a y s in w h i c h t h e e l e m e n t s a r e p r e s e n te d ; a n d t h e te x t ( “ w o r d s ” ) , w h ic h c o m p o n e n t in c lu d e s th e n a r r a t o r a n d ty p e s o f n a r r a t i o n a s w e ll a s t h e v e r b a l a c t u a l i z a t i o n o f f a b u l a a n d s t o r y . T h i s t r i p a r t i t e s c h e m e c o r ­ r e s p o n d s r o u g h l y t o G e n e t t e ’s ( h i s t e r m s a r e h i s t o i r e , r é c i t , a n d n a r r a t i o n ) a n d R i m m o n K e n a n ’s ( s t o r y , t e x t , a n d n a r r a t i o n ) ; B a l u s e d it e a r l i e r i n h e r N a r r a t o l o g i e ( 1 9 7 7 ). T h e f a b u l a , a s s h e p r e s e n t s i t , is n o t s i m p l y a c o l l e c t i o n o f e l e m e n t s ; w e i d e n t i f y e v e n t s and a c to rs th ro u g h re fe re n c e to th e ir im p o rta n c e in th e ta le as a w h o le . N a r ra tiv e s e q u e n c e s , a s d is c u s s e d b y B r e m o n d a n d G r e im a s , a r e th e e n c o m p a s s in g s tr u c tu r e s t h a t d e t e r m i n e h o w a c t s a n d a c t o r s w i l l b e c o n s t r u e d . O n e i n t e r e s t i n g f e a t u r e o f B a l ’s a p p r o a c h is t h a t e l e m e n t s p r e s e n t a t t h e le v e l o f f a b u l a t a k e o n i n c r e a s i n g s p e c i f i c i t y w h e n t h e y r e c u r a t t h e le v e ls o f s t o r y a n d t e x t . T h u s t h e “ a c t o r ” a n d “ c h r o n o l o g y ” o f t h e f a b u l a b e c o m e th e “ c h a ra c te r” and te m p o r a l m a n ip u la tio n o f th e s to ry , a n d th e “ p la c e ” becom es “ s p a c e ” a n d t h e n “ d e s c r i p t i o n ” a s w e m o v e f r o m o n e le v e l t o t h e n e x t . T h e s e r e c u r r e n c e s a r e n o t s y s t e m a t i c ; s o m e e l e m e n t s a p p e a r o n l y in t h e f a b u l a , a n d o t h e r s , s u c h a s “ f o c a l i z a t i o n ” i n t h e s t o r y a n d “ n a r r a t o r ” i n t h e t e x t , h a v e n o c o u n t e r p a r t s a t o t h e r le v e ls . A n o t h e r i n n o v a t i o n w o r t h y o f n o t e is B a l ’s i n t e g r a t i o n , i n t h e “ t e x t , ” o f t h e n a r r a t o r a n d d is c o u rs e . P r i o r th e o r is ts h a v e te n d e d t o c o n n e c t th e v e r b a l f e a tu r e s w ith th e s to r y l e v e l, a n d t o s e e t h e n a r r a t o r a s a s u b j e c t o r v o i c e s e p a r a b l e f r o m t h e w o r d s . B a l p o i n t s o u t t h a t th e te x t c o m b in e s d if f e r e n t k in d s o f d is c o u r s e — n a r r a ti o n , d e s c r ip tio n , a n d a r g u m e n ­ t a t i o n ( d r a m a t i z a t i o n , in th e f o r m o f d ia lo g u e , s h o u ld b e a d d e d to th e lis t). A l te r n a tio n b e t w e e n t h e s e d i s c u r s i v e m o d e s is o n e o f t h e n a r r a t o r ’s m o s t m a n i f e s t f u n c t i o n s , a n d d e s e rv in g o f a n a ly s is a s su c h . B e s t k n o w n f o r h e r a n a l y s i s o f f o c a l i z a t i o n , B a l ’s t r e a t m e n t o f t h e s u b j e c t h e r e is e x e m p la ry . B y id e n tify in g th e fo c a liz e r a s a n a s p e c t o f s to ry , a n d th e n a r r a to r a s a fe a tu re o f te x t, s h e a n d o th e r s h a v e r e in fo r c e d th e d is tin c tio n b e tw e e n “ w h o s e e s” a n d “ w h o s p e a k s ,” w h ic h E n g lis h a n d A m e r ic a n c ritic s ( o th e r th a n B r o o k s a n d W a r r e n , w h o f irs t p r o p o s e d it) h a v e s o m e tim e s f a ile d to o b s e rv e . T h e p r ic e e x tr a c te d b y th is a n a ly tic lu c id ity is t h a t i t c o m p l i c a t e s , in u n h e l p f u l w a y s , t h e d i s c u s s i o n o f f r e e i n d i r e c t d i s c o u r s e ; s o m e m a y p r e f e r D o r r i t C o h n ’s t r e a t m e n t o f t h e s u b j e c t . T h o s e c o n s i d e r i n g c l a s s r o o m u s e o f t h i s b o o k w ill w a n t t o c o m p a r e i t t o S h l o m i t h R i m m o n - K e n a n ’s N a r r a t i v e F i c t i o n . Q u i t e a p a r t f r o m i t s p e d a g o g i c a l u s e f u l n e s s , B a l ’s b o o k c l a r i f i e s m a n y o f t h e i s s u e s i n v o l v e d in t h e c r e a t i o n o f a n i n t e g r a t e d s t r u c t u r a l i s t t h e o r y o f n a r ra tiv e . W a l l a c e M a r t in U n iv e r s ity o f T o le d o 112 Sp r in g 1988