Oxford University Press Narrative in Fiction and Film : An Introduction

Narrative in Fiction and Film gives a clear presentation of key concepts of narrative theory such as author, narrator, and reader. The main focus of the book is on narrative fiction (short stories and novels), yet the film aspect is brought into each chapter. The first part of the book introduces the key concepts of narrative theory and the second part of the book illustrates and tests the theories by analysing five texts: the parable of the sower in St. Mark's Gospel, Franz Kafka's The Trial, James Joyce's The Dead, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse, and the film version of these texts. - ;Narrative in Fiction and Film gives a clear presentation of key concepts of narrative theory. A growing field in the humanities, narrative theory (or 'narratology') studies such narratives, thus discussing central questions concerning human communication. This introductory book has a two-part structure: Part I presents key concepts of narrative theory - for example, author, narrator, time, perspective, event, characterization. The discussion is oriented towards narrative fiction and centred on literary texts, yet since film can also have an important narrative dimension, the film aspect is brought into each chapter. Part II analyses five prose texts: the parable of the sower in St. Mark's Gospel, Franz Kafka's The Trial, James Joyce's 'The Dead', Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Part II also discusses film versions of four of these texts: Orson Welles's The Trial, John Huston's The Dead, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, and Colin Gregg's To the Lighthouse. The book brings together and lucidly presents concepts and theories in narrative theory, and illustrates and tests theses theories. It will be an invaluable text for undergraduates studying narrative theory as part of a literature or film studies course. - ;TEXTBOOK -