A quantitative perspective on the minimal definition of narrative

Abstract

Minimally, narrative is traditionally defined as “a sequence of two clauses which are temporally ordered [such that] a change in their order will result in a change in the temporal sequence of the original semantic interpretation” (Labov, The transformation of experience in narrative syntax, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972: 360). However, recent explorations by Herman (Text 21: 515–541 2001, Story logic: Problems and possibilities of narrative, University of Nebraska Press, 2002) have suggested that the temporal sequence in this definition be re-specified as a spatiotemporal sequence. Taking a quantitative approach to this suggestion—by applying a coding scheme developed from Levinson's (Annual Review of Anthropology 25: 353–382, 1996) descriptive classes of static spatial arrays and the scaling of spatial reference types to seven institutionalized narratives—this article demonstrates that the number, frequency, and distribution of spatial linguistic resources align with spatiotemporal narrative domains, defined as “sets of verbal or visual cues anchored in mental models” reflective of the “mental construct that encompasses the history of spatial relationships between storyworld objects” (Herman, Text 21, 2001: 519). However, while the structure and categorization of narrative domains is resolvable from spatial linguistic resources, space, while undoubtedly present, is not functionally necessary for the minimal definition of narrative. Nonetheless, analyzing spatial linguistic resources provides important insight into event resolution and cognitive explorations in narrative.