narrator

I believe a leaning towards the expansionist approach to narrative necessarily leads to an acceptance of all sorts of media, even as technology advances and (could it be) more forms of communication and representation are produced. The term 'narrative' seems to be too broad to limit simply to literature, as the traditionalist presume. Narrative should rather be all-inclusive and even open-ended, realizing that stories are being told every day in many differing forms. And since narrative encompasses both the story and the way in which it is communicated, the advent of video games, hypertext, etc. should be considered narrative.

My argument is that there is always a narrator and narratee in these emerging forms of narrative, even though it is not always so obvious. Consider video games. I believe that the narrator is most often you as the player/interactor, whether you control an army from a bird's eye view (as in "Command and Conquer") or through first person ("Doom," "Halo"). The perspective may change throughout the course of the game as you gather new information, but ultimately, you maintain control, and by your actions, you dictate the story.  read more »

Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey is usually considered her most unusual work. It's generally considered a parody of gothic fiction, but it also leans toward self-parody at times. For this and other reasons, it's probably my favorite.

In the final chapter, things are looking grim for our main characters, Catherine and Henry, but with only a few pages left in the book, this paragraph appears to offer some reassurance: