Gerard Genette, a critic of international stature, here builds a systematic theory of narrative upon an analysis of the writings of Marcel Proust, particularly Remembrance of Things Past. Adopting what is essentially a structuralist approach, the author identifies and names the basic constituents and techniques of narrative and illustrates them by referring to literary works in many languages.
This book is generally considered one of the most- significant contributions to literary criticism in the 1970's, and it is almost essential or anyone doing serious study of narrative. The book is difficult and introduces a great deal of terminology, some of which has already been adopted by critics. It is well organized and systematic, a good example of what Robert Pirsig called the classical manner, a whole divided into its subordinate parts, those parts being further subdivided. To illustrate the use of his narrative analysis Genette applies it to Proust's Remembrance of Things Past and provides us with an insight into that great series. -Lawrence J. Gorman
Foreword by Jonathan Cutler
Translator's Preface
PrefaceIntroduction
1. Order
2. Duration
3. Frequency
4. Mood
5. VoiceAfterword
Bibliography
Index