Narrative Features Research Articles

School shootings, the media, and the spatialities of dark belonging

This article discusses how news reports attendant to crisis events are used by the media to construct the logic of inclusion and exclusion. The focus of the paper is on rampage school shootings, which represent an illustrative example of how emotions and socio-politics become entwined in a spatial manner. The article also discusses how parties involved in the shooting event – the perpetrator, victims and the bereaved – are profiled in news reports as narrative characters through which the logic of inclusion and exclusion is constructed and conveyed, in different ways, and various spatial scales. This article illustrates how the media narratives of school shootings engage readers with the logic of belonging, offering normative understandings of how belonging and non-belonging should be comprehended. This paper contributes to both the geographical studies of belonging and media research.

‘I Don’t Want to Be Other. I Want to Be Normal’: Mental Boundaries and the Polish Experience in the UK in Agnieszka Dale’s Fox Season and Other Short Stories

Borders and frontiers are often problematized in Agnieszka Dale’s Fox Season and Other Short Stories (2017), where mental borders seem to be more divisive than spatial boundaries. Many of these narratives feature Polish immigrants in Britain who struggle with their displaced condition in various ways. As some of the stories in the collection reveal, the scenario of post-Brexit Britain compromises conviviality amongst different groups, including the Polish community. Special attention is placed upon how several narratives in the volume underscore the prevalence in British society of Polish stereotypes as the crystallisation of the still widespread animosity against non-Europeans. Homi Bhabha’s notions regarding the formation and dynamics of stereotypes will be helpful in understanding the mechanisms beneath such constructions. Likewise, some of the major tenets of social theory, as well as Edward Said’s notion of ‘Orientalism’, will contribute to shedding light upon this resentment towards the Polish minority, occasionally adopted too by already established immigrants against their former compatriots. This article will ultimately intend to draw attention to the cautionary nature of Dale’s collection as a call for harmony and the appreciation of difference among nations, thus preventing the gloomy perspectives the dystopian futures of some of these stories forecast upon Europe.

On the Epistemic Role of Narrative Features in Determining Unsubstantiated Scientific Practices

Purpose: This study explores the disciplinary narrative structured in a specific scientific context: cancer research. Specifically, it examines the narratives of ten biologists vis-à-vis the use of machines and consumables within a cancer research lab in Belgium. The aim is to answer the following main research question: What is the relationship between the scientists and the lab's machines and consumables?Design: A qualitative analysis is conducted over 18 months of a) participant-observation recordings, b) semi-structured individual interviews, and c) collective interviews with ten lab scientists. The analysis is guided by Walter Fisher's narrative paradigm and Mona Baker's narrative features.Findings: The findings expose a problematic relationship between the scientists and their lab machines and suggest that scientists trust machines and consumables unquestionably. This problematic relationship is evidenced as the scientists' narratives violate four narrative features: 1) temporality, 2) causal emplotment, 3) relationality, and 4) selective appropriation. The study claims that these narrative features are well-positioned to identify unsubstantiated scientific practices.

Wyczerpanie. O kondycji bohaterek narracji maladycznych

This article deals with chronic fatigue, one of the characteristic features of contem-porary illness narratives written by women authors. First, it focuses on Małgorzata Ba-ranowska’s To jest wasze życie. Być sobą w chorobie przewlekłej [ This Is Your Life: How to Cope with a Chronic Illness], a story of her own life impaired by SLE (systemic lupus erythe-matosus). The descriptions of her experiences (the disruption of her daily life caused by chronic pain and her attempts make sense of it) provides a frame for the reading of other narratives, Anne Boyer’s The Undying and two journalistic texts on endometriosis, one by Dr Katarzyna Szopa and the other by Dr Karolina Wigura. The article defines chronic fatigue as a social condition which combines a resistance to regenerative therapies with the stress of having to act in demanding situations of real life. The precarious condition of exhausted bodies hovering between a life fully lived and a debilitating morbidity is compared with Byung-Chul Han’s philosophy developed in The Burnout Society and The Palliative Society: Pain Today (originally published in German in 2010 and 2020 respec-tively).

Development and Dilemmas of Mass Democratic Identity Construction in the Context of the Myanmar Coup: An Analysis of Political Narratives

This study examines the process of mass democratic identity construction in Myanmar and delineates the distinct characteristics of the government's political narratives during the period of Myanmar's democratic reform. The research finds that Myanmar managed to establish a democratic identity that continues to exhibit resilience in the aftermath of the coup. This resilience, observed at the level of political narratives, can be attributed to the transcultural features of ideological construction and the prominent influence of Buddhism, both well-suited to Myanmar's deep-seated social and religious foundations. However, following the coup, the loss of agency by the original narrative source, combined with the long-standing issues within Burmese society, has resulted in several political dilemmas hampering the development of democratic consciousness. These dilemmas are characterized by an immature democratic political culture, underdeveloped civil society, and frequent ethnic conflicts. The underlying reasons for these challenges can be traced back to the limitations of democratic political culture during Myanmar's democratic reform period and the absence of historical and cultural foundations in the country's democratic political system, which may constrain the long-term development of democratic consciousness following changes in the power structure.

<설운 장군> 당설화로 본 남성 인어 장군 인물 연구

This study aims to investigate the character of a male mermaid general in the shrine tale General Seolun handed down on the islands near Suu Island, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do. This study found that although male mermaids rarely appear in Korean dang-folk tales or literary records, this folk tale called General Seolun has been handed down on the Suu and the nearby islands in Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do and that there is a shrine called ‘Jiryeongsa’ on Suu Island. Therefore, a shrine ceremony was held, and a character study of the shrine god ‘General Seolun’ was necessary. The shrine tale, General Seolun, was recorded by Kim Young-il from 1992 to 1996. Based on the transcription, the morphological characteristics of the dang-folk tale were identified by comparing the original interpretation of the shaman myth and the folktale structure. The morphological characteristics were revealed through the Janggundang-related tale by focusing on the shrine tale told at the shrine on a small island that was unknown at the time. This can be seen as an outstanding achievement in research. However, it also signifies the meaning of the character ‘male mermaid general’ and its narrative, which was deemed insufficient. This study was based on existing and added data after a visit to Suu Island in October 2023 to find the kind of person Seolun was as a ‘male mermaid general’. The oral data of General Seolun was reviewed and organized by dividing it into birth and miracles, growth and trials, death, and transmission attitude. The narrative characteristics reveal ambivalent meanings, such as the fate of loyalists and traitors in birth and activity, the existence of humans and non-humans in their mysterious abilities, and fear and gratitude given to the inheritors in the death stage. The shrine tale, which forms an ambivalent pair of opposites, depicts General Seolun as a character who changes through opposing values at each stage of the narrative. As a ‘male mermaid general’ in shrine tales, Seolun was, firstly, a male traitor regarding gender and possessed peripheral masculinity. Second, as biological beings, male mermaids are middle-earth beings between the god of water and humans, possessing extraordinary abilities representing physical characteristics. Third, he is a general who realizes the wishes of the fishermen regarding succession. Unlike the historically real general god, this can be seen as the fact that the contemporary perceptions and desires of the transmitters formed the shrine tale of Seolun as a ‘male mermaid general.’

Integrating Narrative Characters in Early Childhood Music Learning: A Study of Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear Impact on Early Learners

Integrating Narrative Characters in Early Childhood Music Learning: A Study of Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear Impact on Early Learners

Marina Warner’s Inventory of A Life Mislaid: An Unreliable Memoir. From Memoir to Filiation Narrative

Marina Warner’s Inventory of a Life Mislaid: An Unreliable Memoir (2021) is her second work belonging to the genre of life writing, more particularly the memoir. She had already written a biography, The Dragon Empress: The Life and Times of Tz’u-Hsi, Empress Dowager of China, 1835-1980, about a Chinese empress in 1972, but her memoir is more personal, rather focused on her parents’ marriage, life itineraries and travels through Italy, England and Egypt during and after WWII. Interestingly, many characteristics of her memoir fit with another life writing genre, identified by the French theorist Dominique Viart in the eighties as the ‘filiation narrative,’ initially in reference to French fiction of the same period. The filiation narrative focuses on a self-reflexive search for parental images, reconstructing the mother’s or father’s life through the excavation of documentation and archives, as well as speculation. This article will attempt to show how such thematic and structural features of the filiation narrative as ‘archeological’ narration, the use of archival documents and objects to restore a parent’s ‘lost’ life and, most importantly, the metabiographical aspect of the ‘enterprise’ are reflected, in various degrees, in Warner’s memoir, making it waver between fiction and non-fiction. These same features may thus pave the way for the English counterpart of the French ‘récit de filiation’ and build a pertinent generic continuity between both memoir and filiation narrative.

The Narrative Significance of Landscape in Shen Congwen’s Novels

Shen Congwen’s works are famous for his unique depiction of landscapes, in which the delicate descriptions of natural and humanistic landscapes not only beautify the background of the story but also profoundly express the emotional and psychological state of the characters, as well as reflect the rich social and cultural background. This paper discusses the characteristics of landscape narration in Shen Congwen’s novels and its significance in modern literature. These creative techniques of Shen Congwen not only have an important influence on the landscape description in modern literature but also provide a deep insight into the cultural perception of society.

L’enquête dans le récit contemporain, une représentation esthétique du labyrinthe

Investigation in contemporary narrative : an aesthetic representation of the labyrinth Contemporary narrative features a number of investigative authors who are part of a dynamic of inquiry : investigations in archives, both genealogical and judicial, field research, testimony gathering, trial chronicles. The labyrinth motif not only blurs the lines of enquiry, demonstrating how difficult it is to grasp reality, but also renews the territories of fiction and non-fiction. In this article, we show how contemporary authors engaged in a quest for missing persons or the unveiling of a truth, use the labyrinth motif in their investigative narratives. The labyrinth motif expresses the complexity of the investigations carried out by the authors in their role as investigators. In this way, the labyrinth becomes a metaphor for the authors' creative work, in contact with past and present time.

Analysis of Narrative Characteristics of the Novel "Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out" Using the Ideological Criticism Method

Analysis of Narrative Characteristics of the Novel "Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out" Using the Ideological Criticism Method

Picto‐verbal representation: Types and features of unreliable narration in comics

AbstractScholars have underestimated comics as an art form. This article uses an analysis of unreliable narration to show the complexity of this narrative mechanism in comics and, in turn, the sophistication of comics. Groensteen divides comic narrators into reciters and monstrators, and this distinction provides the basis to discuss unreliable narration in comics. This article categorizes comics with unreliable narration into mono‐sequence and dual‐sequence unreliable narrations according to the picto‐verbal relationship in the works. Moreover, medium‐specific features of comics such as spatialization of time and panel designs lead to unique types of unreliability.

«Защита Лужина» В. Набокова в контексте традиций романа воспитания

The aim of the study is to justify the concept of the world-modeling strategy of V. Nabokov as a novelist during the Berlin period of his creative development. The paper proceeds from the obvious fact that the Russian writer utilized narratives widely used in the preceding literary practice, which the author elaborates to create his world picture enriched with new content. The first two of his novels, “Mary” and “King, Queen, Knave”, are constructed this way: one can easily recognize plots based on the motifs of unrequited love and adultery. However, regarding the subsequent novel “The Luzhin Defense”, a similar connection with the preceding literary tradition is not established. The proposed concept of the genre identity of this novel, coupled with its narrative features, adds some clarifications to its understanding. The study is original in that it is the first to reveal the causal and semantic correlation of V. Nabokov’s third novel with the European Bildungsroman. The underlying world model proved historically exceptionally productive. It is this model that the first-wave Russian émigré writer builds on. The result of the study amounts to the identification of the principles of artistic world-modeling underlying the literary strategy of V. Nabokov as a novelist during the Berlin period of his creative evolution.

Stolen Transformation, Conspiracy Theories and Female Detectives in Contemporary East-Central European Films and Series

The essay discusses the surging popularity of crime fiction as a reflection of the evolving social climate and the erosion of illusions regarding the post-socialist transformation in the 2010s Central Europe. It focuses on Entanglement (2011), a Polish paranoia thriller, X – The eXploited (2018), a Hungarian political thriller and Sleepers (2019), a Czech HBO production spy thriller series to examine how they portray symptoms of social and political crisis, perceived manipulation of the transition, and the struggle for female individual agency. These films offer a unique portrayal of the notion of a ‘stolen’ regime change, framed within conspiracy narratives suggesting the involvement of former state security personnel who managed to maintain their influence during the transition. Additionally, each narrative features a female protagonist who embarks on an investigation, uncovering a political conspiracy intertwined with her personal history. The fusion of conspiracy thriller elements with the emotional detective archetype represents a pivotal characteristic of these films, underscored by their transnational ambiguity. With the coupling of conspiracy narrative and female emotional detectives, paranoia and individual suffering, these films highlight the prevailing ­disillusionment and the sense of inaction that characterizes the contemporary social climate in the region.

Evolution and Deepening of Antagonistic Characters in Films: A Typological Analysis and Exploration of Empathy Construction

This paper explores antagonistic characters in films, specifically focusing on the concept of “empathetic antagonists.” Through a review of relevant literature, the paper defines empathetic antagonists, examines their evolutionary processes, categorizes them, and elucidates their significance in film narratives and how they evoke empathy in the audience. Firstly, the paper reviews prior studies related to empathetic antagonists and provides a conceptual framework. Secondly, it traces the evolution of antagonist characters from simple, one-dimensional evil personas to complex, multifaceted characters with depth. Thirdly, the paper classifies empathetic antagonists into four main types: Complex Motivation, Moral Struggle, Complicated Relationships, and Diverse Backgrounds. Additionally, it offers suggestions for scriptwriting and actor interpretation in shaping these characters. Finally, by synthesizing these aspects, the paper concludes that antagonistic characters in films have transitioned from initially simplistic and flat representations to complex and three-dimensional depictions, evolving from uni-dimensional evil to profound humanity. This trend not only enhances the artistic quality of films but also prompts audiences to contemplate issues of humanity, morality, and emotions. In the future, filmmakers can continue exploring the multifaceted qualities of antagonist characters to enrich character experiences and create more captivating works. Simultaneously, actors need to accurately convey the emotions and complexities of these characters during performances, leaving a lasting impression on the audience. This research is instrumental in understanding the role and impact of antagonist characters in film narratives and offers guidance for creating in-depth and empathetic antagonist characters.

Gendered Constructions of Luck at Work: The Case of Career Narratives of Female and Male Managers

There is a ubiquitous assumption that luck is a gender-neutral and equally distributed phenomenon. Drawing on 50 interviews with female and male managers, we examine their constructions of luck at work and demonstrate the gendered construction of luck in career narratives. Despite the dearth of attention to luck in the career literature, luck often features in the career narratives of professional workers. In line with the literature, we define the construct of luck as something outside the locus of control of individuals. Yet, we identify that luck is a gendered construct in career narratives. We demonstrate that while female managers define luck as receiving equality of opportunity in the process of their careers, male managers define luck as structures of support that offer them opportunities above and beyond their merit at work, which is a privilege that men appear to enjoy. The perception and interpretation of luck have far-reaching effects on addressing and comprehending gender disparities in career advancement, decision-making, negotiation and organisational leadership. Recognising the gender-specific impact of luck is vital in promoting gender equality and offering equitable chances for the career progression of women and non-privileged employees. It offers a persuasive option to challenge the dominant meritocratic assumptions on equality of chances, structures and the distribution of resources.

Fandom and Fictionality after the Social Web: A Computational Study of AO3

Abstract: Web-based fanfiction is an increasingly important species of modern fiction that is necessary to understanding contemporary literary culture in a multimedia world. Using the Harry Potter fandom on the platform Archive of Our Own (AO3) as our case study, we combine close reading and computational analysis to examine the narrative features of fanfiction and the rhetorical commentary surrounding it. Our approach models a rapprochement between literary studies and fan studies, offering a new data-driven method for analyzing the relationship between traditionally published fiction, web-based fanfiction, and empirical forms of reader response.

The multimodal translation workshop as a method of creative inquiry

Abstract This article investigates the role of affective perception in the development of translation and experiential literacy through the medium of a multimodal translation workshop held with twelve arts practitioners, academics, and translators. Both the rationale for the workshop format and the interpretation of workshop outputs draw on a transdisciplinary framework spanning theories of intermediality and multimodality, the study of acousmatic sound, acoustic atmospheres, and corporeal music/sound reception. Adopting a phenomenographic approach, we discuss the role of the body and the senses in communication and how the sensory exercises developed for our workshop can provide access to the prenoetic nature of perception from both a cognitive and affective standpoint. Recognizing the narrative quality of participants’ comments, a deductive approach was taken to analyze their translations and reflections through the lens of narrative modes of acousmatic music. The article concludes with pedagogical implications on the basis of participants’ reflections. Our findings support the use of a multimodal online translation workshop as both a research method to investigate meaning-making and a pedagogical resource to develop experiential literacy for both practitioners and developing translators.

메타 시네마가 가진 서사적 특성, 자기 반영성의 변화와 함의-<바빌론>과 <거미집>을 중심으로

메타 시네마가 가진 서사적 특성, 자기 반영성의 변화와 함의-<바빌론>과 <거미집>을 중심으로

Intertextual in The Novel Titik Nol by Augustine Wibowo with The Novel Ibuk by Iwan Setyawan

This research investigates the intertextual aspects in two novels, namely "Titik Nol" by Wibowo and "Ibuk" by Setyawan. The aim of this study is to compare the intertextual relationships between themes, events, and characters in both novels. The research method employed is a qualitative approach and descriptive method to illustrate the intertextual relationships between them. The findings of this research serve as documentation of the intertextual relationships in "Titik Nol" and "Ibuk," obtained through documentation techniques and literature review. This study suggests the importance of understanding the intertextual relationships among literary works in analyzing themes, events, and characters. The finding that both novels share similar main themes provides deep insights into narratives that may be related to specific social, cultural, or historical contexts. Emphasizing the similarities and differences in events and characters highlights the complexity of interpretation and narrative formation in literature. Documentation of these intertextual relationships also provides a foundation for further research in understanding the influence and evolution of themes and narrative characteristics in literature.