DOCSLIB.ORG

Paratexts, Narrative Interventions, and the Queering of Possible Worlds in Illicit Narratives of Nineteenth-Century Britain Jessica Saxon Old Dominion University

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Paratexts, Narrative Interventions, and the Queering of Possible Worlds in Illicit Narratives of Nineteenth-Century Britain Jessica Saxon Old Dominion University Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons English Theses & Dissertations English Spring 2019 Familiar Forms, Strange Uses: Paratexts, Narrative Interventions, and the Queering of Possible Worlds in Illicit Narratives of Nineteenth-Century Britain Jessica Saxon Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/english_etds Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons Recommended Citation Saxon, Jessica. "Familiar Forms, Strange Uses: Paratexts, Narrative Interventions, and the Queering of Possible Worlds in Illicit Narratives of Nineteenth-Century Britain" (2019). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), dissertation, English, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/tyn4-e311 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/english_etds/82 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the English at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FAMILIAR FORMS, STRANGE USES: PARATEXTS, NARRATIVE INTERVENTIONS, AND THE QUEERING OF POSSIBLE WORLDS IN ILLICIT NARRATIVES OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN by Jessica Saxon B.A. May 1999, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill M.A. May 2002, North Carolina State University A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ENGLISH OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY May 2019 Approved by: Edward Jacobs (Director) Leila May (Member) Manuela Mourão (Member) Delores Phillips (Member) ABSTRACT FAMILIAR FORMS, STRANGE USES: PARATEXTS, NARRATIVE INTERVENTIONS, AND THE QUEERING OF POSSIBLE WORLDS IN ILLICIT NARRATIVES OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN Jessica Saxon Old Dominion University, 2019 Director: Dr. Edward Jacobs “Losing” one’s self in a story is one of the great pleasures of reading. Key to this act is the “transport” of the reader into the storyworld. Nineteenth-century British narratives offered various transport modes, including prefaces and footnotes designed to orient the reader to the storyworld and narrative interventions designed to align the reader with the values of that world. Yet this act of transport was fraught with tensions and anxieties in the nineteenth century. Worries about the dangers of reading, especially the dangers for women and the lower classes, abounded; much of the worry stemmed from fears that these readers would not be able to tell the difference between “good” and “bad” reading materials and between facts and fictions – that these readers would be tainted or corrupted by the act of reading. Illicit narratives of the nineteenth century appropriated forms associated with more aboveboard narratives. In borrowing prefaces, footnotes, and the direct address of readers, these illicit narratives cloak themselves with the appearances of licit stories. Illicit narrative is not a genre – it is an umbrella term for those narratives classed by contemporary society as unsuitable reading materials. Gothic novels, sensation fiction, and erotica are illicit narratives as are newspaper reports and scholarly texts on taboo subjects. Rather than being a stable category, the term “illicit” is subject to change based on societal norms; that which was considered illicit in the 1830s may seem tame by the 1890s. This project explores the uses of paratextual and narratorial interventions in a selection of illicit British narratives from the nineteenth century. Classifications of narratives as illicit are based on contemporary views of the narratives. Moreover, for the purposes of this project, only those illicit narratives centering on gender, sex, and sexuality will be considered. Drawing on the concept of possible worlds from narrative theory, this project explores the ways in which these interventions work with and against the content of the narratives to create queered possible worlds for the reader. iv Copyright, 2019, by Jessica Saxon, All Rights Reserved. v For myself, if I’m being honest about it vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful for the encouragement and support of my dissertation chair, Edward Jacobs. Without his guidance and his perfect balancing of calling me out and leaving me alone, this dissertation would have never been finished. I am also grateful for the assistance of the dissertation readers, Manuela Mourão, Delores Phillips, and Leila May. Their feedback and encouragement were invaluable to the project. I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to work again with Leila May, whose work with me at North Carolina State University during my Masters program not only shaped my scholarly pursuits but also my teaching. Thanks to Robyn Warhol for introducing me to Victorian Serial Novels, a website that collects the original serialized versions of various novels; without this site, I would not have been able to uncover the original preamble to The Woman in White. Thanks also to Dave at Broadview Press for his help accessing a wide variety of nineteenth- century British texts. Portions of chapter four on narrative interventions in Venus in India first appeared in spring 2017 in Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies as “Fair Readers of Pornography: Narrative Intervention & Parodic-Didactic Style in Captain Charles Deveraux’s Venus in India.” I am grateful for the funding provided by Old Dominion University in the fall of 2017; the funding allowed me to “buy back” time from my employer, giving me three days a week during the semester to write this dissertation. I am particularly thankful for the assistance provided by Dale Miller and Delores Phillips in navigating the funding and release process. I am also thankful for the support from my colleagues in the PhD program at Old Dominion. The members of my incoming cohort year as well as those who took comprehensive vii exams with me have been sources of inspiration for the last seven years, and Megan Mize’s tireless work organizing and leading writing workshops and boot camps helped me create and maintain a productive writing schedule. I am particularly thankful for the support and friendship of Luxx Mishou. When she joined the program, I was thrilled to have another Victorianist to talk to and work with, and over the years, I have consistently turned to her for advice. Her scholarship is jaw-droppingly wonderful. If you are reading this, you should also be reading her publications. My Amigas – Syd McGinley and April Cobos – have been with me from the start of this program. These two amazingly smart and supportive women have pushed me and lifted me and comforted me and nagged me more times than I can count. Syd and April have read my drafts, provided keen insights and constructive feedback, and encouraged me at every turn in this process. They have helped me keep my sanity and have been a fantastic personal and professional support system; our online chat has been and continues to be the foundation of what has become one of my most valued friendships. I would not have made it through this process without them. Elizabeth Spencer and Emily Stewart, two wonderful friends from my non-PhD life, have patiently and lovingly listened through my bouts of joys and complaints as I have written over the last several years; they have been my emotional support system in so many aspects of my life. They have dragged me away from writing when I couldn’t see that I needed a break, and they have dragged me back to writing when I’ve started dawdling. They have watched my children (so much that they have each become second mothers to my kids) so I could write and think. And they nodded politely when I yammered on for too long about this project. Finally, I am grateful for the love and support of my family – my children, Liam Snipes and Amélie Saxon; my brother, Neal Saxon; my sister(-in-law), Kelly Saxon; and my parents, Miriam and John Saxon. Liam and Amélie have been incredibly forgiving and patient with me over the years it viii has taken me to complete this program. They have fixed meals for each other (and me), cleaned the house, and cared for animals when I’ve been too wrapped up in reading and writing to take a break. They have handled the disappointments that come with “not now, loves” and “mama’s working” like champs. Neal, Kelly, Mom, and Dad have been my relentless cheering section and have always swooped in at the right moment with encouragement and/or offers to take my kids for a weekend (or even a week) so I can work. I couldn’t ask for better human beings to be related to. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 Writing/Reading Queerness ............................................................................................................... 2 Defining Illicit Narratives .................................................................................................................... 5 Theoretical Framework, Part One: Storyworlds, Actual Worlds, and Possible Worlds .......... 16 Theoretical Framework, Part Two: Paratextual and Narratorial Interventions ........................ 24 Theoretical Framework, Part Three: Feminist/Queer Narratology ........................................... 36
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Structure of Plays
    n the previous chapters, you explored activities preparing you to inter- I pret and develop a role from a playwright’s script. You used imagina- tion, concentration, observation, sensory recall, and movement to become aware of your personal resources. You used vocal exercises to prepare your voice for creative vocal expression. Improvisation and characterization activities provided opportunities for you to explore simple character portrayal and plot development. All of these activities were preparatory techniques for acting. Now you are ready to bring a character from the written page to the stage. The Structure of Plays LESSON OBJECTIVES ◆ Understand the dramatic structure of a play. 1 ◆ Recognize several types of plays. ◆ Understand how a play is organized. Much of an actor’s time is spent working from materials written by playwrights. You have probably read plays in your language arts classes. Thus, you probably already know that a play is a story written in dia- s a class, play a short logue form to be acted out by actors before a live audience as if it were A game of charades. Use the titles of plays and musicals or real life. the names of famous actors. Other forms of literature, such as short stories and novels, are writ- ten in prose form and are not intended to be acted out. Poetry also dif- fers from plays in that poetry is arranged in lines and verses and is not written to be performed. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ These students are bringing literature to life in much the same way that Aristotle first described drama over 2,000 years ago.
    [Show full text]
  • Out of Style: Reanimating Stylistic Study in Composition and Rhetoric
    Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All USU Press Publications USU Press 2008 Out of Style: Reanimating Stylistic Study in Composition and Rhetoric Paul Butler Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs Part of the Rhetoric and Composition Commons Recommended Citation Butler, Paul, "Out of Style: Reanimating Stylistic Study in Composition and Rhetoric" (2008). All USU Press Publications. 162. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs/162 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the USU Press at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All USU Press Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 6679-0_OutOfStyle.ai79-0_OutOfStyle.ai 5/19/085/19/08 2:38:162:38:16 PMPM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K OUT OF STYLE OUT OF STYLE Reanimating Stylistic Study in Composition and Rhetoric PAUL BUTLER UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS Logan, Utah 2008 Utah State University Press Logan, Utah 84322–7800 © 2008 Utah State University Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-87421-679-0 (paper) ISBN: 978-0-87421-680-6 (e-book) “Style in the Diaspora of Composition Studies” copyright 2007 from Rhetoric Review by Paul Butler. Reproduced by permission of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC., http:// www. informaworld.com. Manufactured in the United States of America. Cover design by Barbara Yale-Read. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication Data Butler, Paul, Out of style : reanimating stylistic study in composition and rhetoric / Paul Butler. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
    [Show full text]
  • A Stylistic Approach to the God of Small Things Written by Arundhati Roy
    Lingnan University Digital Commons @ Lingnan University Theses & Dissertations Department of English 2007 A stylistic approach to the God of Small Things written by Arundhati Roy Wing Yi, Monica CHAN Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.ln.edu.hk/eng_etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Chan, W. Y. M. (2007). A stylistic approach to the God of Small Things written by Arundhati Roy (Master's thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.14793/eng_etd.2 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at Digital Commons @ Lingnan University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Lingnan University. Terms of Use The copyright of this thesis is owned by its author. Any reproduction, adaptation, distribution or dissemination of this thesis without express authorization is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. A STYLISTIC APPROACH TO THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS WRITTEN BY ARUNDHATI ROY CHAN WING YI MONICA MPHIL LINGNAN UNIVERSITY 2007 A STYLISTIC APPROACH TO THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS WRITTEN BY ARUNDHATI ROY by CHAN Wing Yi Monica A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in English Lingnan University 2007 ABSTRACT A Stylistic Approach to The God of Small Things written by Arundhati Roy by CHAN Wing Yi Monica Master of Philosophy This thesis presents a creative-analytical hybrid production in relation to the stylistic distinctiveness in The God of Small Things, the debut novel of Arundhati Roy.
    [Show full text]
  • Topic: Sentence Structure Definition: Syntax, Diction, and Grammar Create
    Topic: Sentence Structure Definition: Syntax, diction, and grammar create sentence style. They work together to create effective writing. Explanation: Good writing is clear and easily understood by readers. That means the following elements of writing must be used effectively: • Syntax (sentence structure) should be as concise as possible. • Diction (word choice) should be as precise as possible. • Grammar (spelling and punctuation) should be accurate. Examples of rules in style to remember • Use simple present tense consistently when describing someone's written statement. o Example: “In another article she is saying…” or “she said…” o Better: "In another article she says…" o Note on verb tense: Research papers are typically written in past tense, and papers about literature and film are written in present tense. • To maintain formal style, avoid contractions even though they are appropriate in conversation. o Example: "I've noticed that she's written a novel that many people haven't read." o Better: "I have noticed that she has written a novel that many people have not read." • To maintain formal style, avoid writing in second person (you, your). o Example: "When you read Lincoln's words, you will understand his wisdom." o Better: "Reading Lincoln's words reveals his wisdom." • Avoid qualifiers, such as, pretty, little, rather, somewhat, very, kind of. They sound uncertain and hesitant. Go easy on the use of very. o Example: "I am pretty certain that with a little effort, you can be somewhat sure of the kind of success that most people usually hope for." o Better: "With effort, she can reach the success others hope for." Page 1 of 3 • Go easy on superlatives.
    [Show full text]
  • Sampling Real Life: Creative Appropriation in Public Spaces
    Sampling Real Life: Creative Appropriation in Public Spaces Elsa M. Lankford Electronic Media & Film (EMF) Towson University [email protected] I. Introduction Enter an art museum or a library and you will find numerous examples of appropriation, all or most of which were most likely legal at the time. From the birth of copyright and the idea that an author, encompassed as a writer, artist, composer, or musician, is the creator of a completely original work, our legal and moral perceptions of appropriation have changed. Merriam-Webster defines appropriation in multiple ways, two of which apply to the discussion of art and appropriation. The first, “to take exclusive possession of” and the second “to take or make use of without authority or right.”1 The battle over rights and appropriation is not one that is only fought in the courtroom and gallery, it also concerns our own lives. Many aspects of our lives involve appropriation, from pagan holidays appropriated into the Christian calendar to the music we listen to, even to the words we speak or write appropriated from other countries and cultures. As artists, appropriation in many forms makes its way into works of any media. The topic of appropriation leads to a discussion of where our creative ideas come from. They, in some sense, have been appropriated as well. Whether we overhear a snippet of a conversation that ends up woven into a creative work or we take a picture of somebody, unknowingly, as they walk down a tree-shadowed street, we are appropriating life. For centuries, artists have been inspired by public life, and the stories and images of others have been appropriated into their work.
    [Show full text]
  • Double-Edged Imitation
    Double-Edged Imitation Theories and Practices of Pastiche in Literature Sanna Nyqvist University of Helsinki 2010 © Sanna Nyqvist 2010 ISBN 978-952-92-6970-9 Nord Print Oy Helsinki 2010 Acknowledgements Among the great pleasures of bringing a project like this to com- pletion is the opportunity to declare my gratitude to the many people who have made it possible and, moreover, enjoyable and instructive. My supervisor, Professor H.K. Riikonen has accorded me generous academic freedom, as well as unfailing support when- ever I have needed it. His belief in the merits of this book has been a source of inspiration and motivation. Professor Steven Connor and Professor Suzanne Keen were as thorough and care- ful pre-examiners as I could wish for and I am very grateful for their suggestions and advice. I have been privileged to conduct my work for four years in the Finnish Graduate School of Literary Studies under the direc- torship of Professor Bo Pettersson. He and the Graduate School’s Post-Doctoral Researcher Harri Veivo not only offered insightful and careful comments on my papers, but equally importantly cre- ated a friendly and encouraging atmosphere in the Graduate School seminars. I thank my fellow post-graduate students – Dr. Juuso Aarnio, Dr. Ulrika Gustafsson, Dr. Mari Hatavara, Dr. Saija Isomaa, Mikko Kallionsivu, Toni Lahtinen, Hanna Meretoja, Dr. Outi Oja, Dr. Merja Polvinen, Dr. Riikka Rossi, Dr. Hanna Ruutu, Juho-Antti Tuhkanen and Jussi Willman – for their feed- back and collegial support. The rush to meet the seminar deadline was always amply compensated by the discussions in the seminar itself, and afterwards over a glass of wine.
    [Show full text]
  • Joanna Kucharska Also These Voices : Technology and Gender in the Practice of Fanvidding
    Joanna Kucharska Also These Voices : Technology and Gender in the Practice of Fanvidding Kultura Popularna nr 4 (38), 14-28 2013 14 kultura popularna 2013 nr 4 (38) Joanna Kucharska Also These Voices Technology and Gender in the Prac- tice of Fanvidding DOI: 10.5604/16448340.1109973 Joanna Kucharska Also these voices 15 Joanna Kucharska Audiences have always been an integral part of media and media studies, but is a PhD candidate they gained prominence in the age of television, and then internet. Studies at the Institute of Audio‑ of television audiences turned the light on them, showcasing the passive and visual Arts, Jagiellonian University. Her research active ways of approaching the media. But it was the internet emergence that interests include really made the audiences visible, allowing for various channels of participation: transmedia narratives, the forum boards, comment sections appearing practically everywhere, from audience and fandom studies, and televisual blog posts to youtube videos; the widespread tagging and recommendation and para ‑televisual texts. system, blogging and microblogging, picture and video sharing, and social media profiles. Modern technology not only enabled the viewers to access information quickly, but also made sharing opinions incredibly easy. Creators who ignore the opinions posted online do it at their own peril – the word of mouth, the recommendations, and the viral marketing are powerful tools both in the hands of a television showrunner or a movie director and in the hands of a media ‑savvy single audience member, turning a personal watching experience into a communal effort. Just as the modern media channels have enabled the audiences to speak up and opine, they have also enabled them to share their creativity with oth‑ ers.
    [Show full text]
  • John Buchan's Uncollected Journalism a Critical and Bibliographic Investigation
    JOHN BUCHAN’S UNCOLLECTED JOURNALISM A CRITICAL AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC INVESTIGATION PART II CATALOGUE OF BUCHAN’S UNCOLLECTED JOURNALISM PART II CATALOGUE OF BUCHAN’S UNCOLLECTED JOURNALISM Volume One INTRODUCTION............................................................................................. 1 A: LITERATURE AND BOOKS…………………………………………………………………….. 11 B: POETRY AND VERSE…………………………………………………………………………….. 30 C: BIOGRAPHY, MEMOIRS, AND LETTERS………………………………………………… 62 D: HISTORY………………………………………………………………………………………………. 99 E: RELIGION……………………………………………………………………………………………. 126 F: PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE………………………………………………………………… 130 G: POLITICS AND SOCIETY……………………………………………………………………… 146 Volume Two H: IMPERIAL AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS……………………………………………………… 178 I: WAR, MILITARY, AND NAVAL AFFAIRS……………………………………………….. 229 J: ECONOMICS, BUSINESS, AND TRADE UNIONS…………………………………… 262 K: EDUCATION……………………………………………………………………………………….. 272 L: THE LAW AND LEGAL CASES………………………………………………………………. 278 M: TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION……………………………………………………………… 283 N: FISHING, HUNTING, MOUNTAINEERING, AND OTHER SPORTS………….. 304 PART II CATALOGUE OF BUCHAN’S UNCOLLECTED JOURNALISM INTRODUCTION This catalogue has been prepared to assist Buchan specialists and other scholars of all levels and interests who are seeking to research his uncollected journalism. It is based on the standard reference work for Buchan scholars, Robert G Blanchard’s The First Editions of John Buchan: A Collector’s Bibliography (1981), which is generally referred to as Blanchard. The catalogue builds on this work
    [Show full text]
  • Poetic Diction, Poetic Discourse and the Poetic Register
    proceedings of the British Academy, 93.21-93 Poetic Diction, Poetic Discourse and the Poetic Register R. G. G. COLEMAN Summary. A number of distinctive characteristics can be iden- tified in the language used by Latin poets. To start with the lexicon, most of the words commonly cited as instances of poetic diction - ensis; fessus, meare, de, -que. -que etc. - are demonstrably archaic, having been displaced in the prose register. Archaic too are certain grammatical forms found in poetry - e.g. auldi, gen. pl. superum, agier, conticuere - and syntactic constructions like the use of simple cases for pre- I.positional phrases and of infinitives instead of the clausal structures of classical prose. Poets in all languages exploit the linguistic resources of past as well as present, but this facility is especially prominent where, as in Latin, the genre traditions positively encouraged imitatio. Some of the syntactic character- istics are influenced wholly or partly by Greek, as are other ingredients of the poetic register. The classical quantitative metres, derived from Greek, dictated the rhythmic pattern of the Latin words. Greek loan words and especially proper names - Chaoniae, Corydon, Pyrrha, Tempe, Theseus, Zephym etc. -brought exotic tones to the aural texture, often enhanced by Greek case forms. They also brought an allusive richness to their contexts. However, the most impressive charac- teristics after the metre were not dependent on foreign intrusion: the creation of imagery, often as an essential feature of a poetic argument, and the tropes of semantic transfer - metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche - were frequently deployed through common words. In fact no words were too prosaic to appear in even the highest poetic contexts, always assuming their metricality.
    [Show full text]
  • 2. Case Study: Anime Music Videos
    2. CASE STUDY: ANIME MUSIC VIDEOS Dana Milstein When on 1 August 1981 at 12:01 a.m. the Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ aired as MTV’s first music video, its lyrics parodied the very media pre- senting it: ‘We can’t rewind, we’ve gone too far, . put the blame on VTR.’ Influenced by J. G. Ballard’s 1960 short story ‘The Sound Sweep’, Trevor Horn’s song voiced anxiety over the dystopian, artificial world developing as a result of modern technology. Ballard’s story described a world in which natu- rally audible sound, particularly song, is considered to be noise pollution; a sound sweep removes this acoustic noise on a daily basis while radios broad- cast a silent, rescored version of music using a richer, ultrasonic orchestra that subconsciously produces positive feelings in its listeners. Ballard was particu- larly criticising technology’s attempt to manipulate the human voice, by con- tending that the voice as a natural musical instrument can only be generated by ‘non-mechanical means which the neruophonic engineer could never hope, or bother, to duplicate’ (Ballard 2006: 150). Similarly, Horn professed anxiety over a world in which VTRs (video tape recorders) replace real-time radio music with simulacra of those performances. VTRs allowed networks to replay shows, to cater to different time zones, and to rerecord over material. Indeed, the first VTR broadcast occurred on 25 October 1956, when a recording of guest singer Dorothy Collins made the previous night was broadcast ‘live’ on the Jonathan Winters Show. The business of keeping audiences hooked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, promoted the concept of quantity over quality: yes- terday’s information was irrelevant and could be permanently erased after serving its money-making purpose.
    [Show full text]
  • How Harry Potter Became the Boy Who Lived Forever
    12/17/12 How Harry Potter Became the Boy Who Lived Forever ‑‑ Printout ‑‑ TIME Back to Article Click to Print Thursday, Jul. 07, 2011 The Boy Who Lived Forever By Lev Grossman J.K. Rowling probably isn't going to write any more Harry Potter books. That doesn't mean there won't be any more. It just means they won't be written by J.K. Rowling. Instead they'll be written by people like Racheline Maltese. Maltese is 38. She's an actor and a professional writer — journalism, cultural criticism, fiction, poetry. She describes herself as queer. She lives in New York City. She's a fan of Harry Potter. Sometimes she writes stories about Harry and the other characters from the Potterverse and posts them online for free. "For me, it's sort of like an acting or improvisation exercise," Maltese says. "You have known characters. You apply a set of given circumstances to them. Then you wait and see what happens." (See a Harry Potter primer.) Maltese is a writer of fan fiction: stories and novels that make use of the characters and settings from other people's professional creative work. Fan fiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker. They don't do it for money. That's not what it's about. The writers write it and put it up online just for the satisfaction. They're fans, but they're not silent, couchbound consumers of media.
    [Show full text]
  • Narration in Poetry and Drama
    Published on the living handbook of narratology (http://www.lhn.uni-hamburg.de) Narration in Poetry and Drama Peter Hühn Roy Sommer Created: 6. December 2012 Revised: 1. November 2013 Roy Sommer 1 Definition Narration as a communicative act in which a chain of happenings is meaningfully structured and transmitted in a particular medium and from a particular point of view underlies not only narrative fiction proper but also poems and plays in that they, too, represent temporally organized sequences and thus relate “stories,” albeit with certain genre-specific differences, necessarily mediating them in the manner of presentation. Lyric poetry in the strict sense (and not only obviously narrative poetry like ballads or verse romances) typically features strings of primarily mental or psychological happenings perceived through the consciousness of single speakers and articulated from their position. Drama enacts strings of happenings with actors in live performance, the presentation of which, though typically devoid of any overt presenting agency, is mediated e.g. through selection, segmentation and arrangement. Thanks to these features characteristic of narrative, lyric poems as well as plays performed on the stage can be profitably analyzed with the transgeneric application of narratological categories, though with poetry the applicability of the notion of story and with drama that of mediation seems to be in question. 2 Explication Transgeneric narratology proceeds from the assumption that narratology’s highly differentiated system of categories can be applied to the analysis of both poems and plays, possibly opening the way to a more precise definition of their respective generic specificity, even though (lyric) poems do not seem to tell stories and stories in dramas do not seem to be mediated (but presented directly).
    [Show full text]