Books in the Frontiers of Narrative series

Optional-Narrator Theory makes a strong intervention in (or against) narratology, pushing back against the widespread belief among narrative theorists in general and theorists of the novel in particular that the presence of a fictional narrator is a defining feature of fictional narratives.

The study of narrative has been a continuous concern from antiquity to the present day because stories are everywhere - from fiction across media to nation building and personal identity. This title sorts out traditional narrative theories, providing the necessary skills to interpret any story that comes along.

Argues that narrative is simultaneously a cognitive style, a discourse genre, and a resource for writing. Because stories are strategies that help humans make sense of their world, narratives not only have a logic but also are a logic in their own right, providing an irreplaceable resource for structuring and comprehending experience.