Towards a Conceptual History of Narrative

The article outlines a conceptual history of narrative, in particular the changes over the movement called “narrative turn” in the social sciences. According to Quentin Skinner, conceptual changes may take place on three separate levels: by changing the criteria of the concept, by changing the range of reference, and by changing the appraisal of the concept. Recent theorizing on narrative epitomizes all of these levels, but unevenly. In spite of the rhetoric of interdisciplinarity, two almost totally separate traditions of narrative theory persist: the narratological and the narrative-turn theories. Paradoxically, the narrative turn literature has radicalized the range of reference of narrative by attaching the concept to life and identity, but has left the criteria of the concept practically intact. This has extended the reign of a simplified Aristotelian concept of narrative as a chain of beginnings, middles, and ends. The narratological tradition of theorizing, instead, has debated extensively on the correct criteria of the concept, but enlarged the range of reference rather in the direction of cognition

Prototypes, Genres, and Concepts: Travelling with Narratives

The “narrative turn” is (too) often understood as a celebratory term indicating the growing importance and popularity of narrative studies. This article elaborates the merits of a more critical approach to the history of narrative theory. By discussing David Herman’s idea of prototypical narrativity, the article suggests that there has been a longstanding contradiction between the abstract and universal notion of narrative and the narrow and particular Proppian prototype of narrativity. The article argues that “narrative” has primarily travelled either as a concept, metaphor, or prototype rather than as a full narrative theory or method. Instead of one, unitary narrative turn, the article argues for the existence of several diverse and partly contrasting narrative turns. The recent experiential turn in narrative studies and the consequent change of the prototype of narrative gives a strong impetus for a new wave of cross-disciplinary narrative theory

Fennomanian pitkä varjo

Kirja-arvostelu: Fennomanian perilliset / Matti Virtanen. Hämeenlinna, 2001

KERTOMUS JA KERTOMUKSEN RAJAT

Kertomuksen käsite on laajentunut useasta eri syystä. Käsite on tullut useille tieteenaloille,joissa se oli aikaisemmin tuntematon. Kulttuurintutkimuksen myötä käsite onsaanut useita, aikaisempaa laveampia tulkintoja. Metafora "elämä kertomuksena" onsiirtänyt kertomuksen osaksi inhimillistä kognitiota ja kokemusta. Kertomuksen ja kokemuksen,kertomuksen ja muun puheen raja on tullut keskustelun kohteeksi. Myöstutkimuksen painopisteen siirtyminen kertomuksesta tekstinä institutionaalisten jasosiaalisten kertomuskäytäntöjen suuntaan on tuonut uusia rajauksia. Artikkeli korostaakertomuksen rajojen ja minimikriteerien etsimisen tärkeyttä, vaikka näkeekinsekä rajojen että kertomuksen käsitteen jatkuvan kyseenalaistamisen tärkeyden.Avainsanat: Kertomuksen teoriat, kertomisen käytännötKeywords: Narrative theory, narrative practice