Narrative Discourse Revisited

Rating:
Summary: Narrative Ideology - Not for Beginners
Review: As the title suggests Genette revisits his narrative theory expounded in his earlier work "Narrative Discourse". This book focuses on criticism directed at Genette's earlier work. Genette does not elaborate on his narrative theory. Readers will need to be familiar with terms such as paralepsis, prolepsis, analepsis, syllepsis and achronies. For university students studying narrative ideology. Genette's earlier work is recommended before endeavouring to read what is essentially an extended "afterword".

Genette does not critically analyse any authors in detail and tends to focus on French, rather than English or American authors.

Students wanting to read a more basic overview of narrative ideology should look at Jeremy Tamblings "Narrative Ideology". Tambling covers Genette in a more 'user friendly' manner and provides helpful illustrations on the mechanisms of narrative ideology.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this if you have Narrative Discourse
Review: Where this book may indeed be useless without Narrative Discourse, Narrative Discourse is exeptionally diffictult to decrypt without it.

In Narrative Discourse Revisited Genette looks at the criticisms which developed regarding his theories on the narrative. In order to answer them (and fortunate for the reader who had difficulties with his other essays) he goes back and explains simply and plainly his ideas, rather than heaping example upon example with a minimal of clear description of his own terms.

This book will also be useful for those looking to poke holes in Genette's theories.