CSE 87C - Winter 2004

CSE 87C Winter 2004, Notes 1
Freshman Seminar on Computational Narratology

Some Definitions

Narratology: The study of narrative.
Medium: A material form which can be used for communication, such as DVD, PC, and newspaper.
Genre: a style of using a medium, such as novel, murder mystery, horror movie.
Trope: A formulaic word or phrase, or a common rhetorical strategy.
meta-: a prefix meaning "about," as in "meta-narrative" or "meta-logic" or "meta-programming." [This comes from ancient Greek.]
para-: a prefix meaning "derivative from" or "dependent on." Examples include para-medic, para-legal, and para-narrative, which means a genre of narrative. [This comes from ancient Greek.]
Stack: a linear data structure for which items can only be added or deleted at one end, called the "top."
Projection: Mapping characteristics, suppositions, attitudes, etc. from one conceptual space to another. [This is a concept from cognitive linguistics.]
Parable: A story which is projected onto another story or real life, often illustrating a moral or religious point. [This is Mark Turner's cognitive analysis, not the usual dictionary definition.]
Causality: The principle of cause and effect.
Closure: A bringing to an end; a conclusion. In literature closure indicates an accompanying sensation of finality with the completion of a work.
Metanarrative: A way of thinking that tries to provide definitive, universal truths.
Postmodernism: Although its Latin etymology literally means "after what is now," this term refers to a philosophical and cultural movement, the central premise of which is the rejection of all metanarratives.
Semiotics: The study of signs or sign systems; applies to any kind of sign, not just words.
Langue: Language viewed as a system, including vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation of a particular community. [An important term in Saussure's semiotics, in contrast with "parole" - see below.]
Parole: Language viewed as the speech of individuals. [An important term in Saussure's semiotics, in contrast with "langue" - see above.]
Intertextuality: Used by literary theorists to designate the complex ways in which a given text relates to other texts. Claim every text is understood within a mosaic of other texts. [Introduced by Julia Kristeva, intended to replace the notion of intersubjectivity.]

Constructed with significant input from Fox Harrell.

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