Narrative utterance

The term narrative utterance (e'nonce narratif, EN) is coined to show in abstract terms the relationship/function that exists between two narrative actants: a subject and an object. There are two basic types of narrative utterance: a statement relating to a state of being/possessing and one referring to action.

The first one, a narrative utterance of state (enonce narratif d'etat) indicates a relationship in existence between a subject and an object, which at any given moment in the course of a narrative can be perceived in terms of being/not being or possessing/not possessing. If the relationship is positive, we speak of the subject being conjoined with the object. (At the ball Cinderella is conjoined with her object/prince.) If, on the other hand, it is negative, the subject is disjoined from the object. (Cinderella's absence after the ball represents a disjunction.) The abstract representation of a narrative utterance of state is as follows:

All narratives are composed of successive transformations of states of conjunction with objects to those of disjunction and vice versa. These changes are effected and expressed in the second type of basic narrative utterance:

A statement of doing/action (enonce narratif de /dire): the action/ doing which causes the transformation of state of being/possessing does not need to be performed by the subject undergoing the change (Cinderella is conjoined with her object/prince as a result of her fairy godmother's action: she provides the coach). In the abstract formula, therefore, we distinguish SI (subject of state) from S2 (subject of doing).

The operation itself, that is, one statement of doing affecting and causing the transformation of two narrative utterances of state, is called a narrative programme (programme narratif, PN).

 See also narrative programme.

مواضيع ذات صلة

Paratopic

Paraphrase

Paradigm

Opponent

Onomatopoeia

Object of value

Nominalization

Negative

Nature

Narrator/narratee

Narratology

Narrative trajectory