Volume 14, Issue 56 (2021)
LCQ 2021, 14(56): 3-52 |
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Algooneh Juneghani M. Narrative as a Possible World. LCQ 2021; 14 (56) :3-52
URL: http://lcq.modares.ac.ir/article-29-51793-en.html
URL: http://lcq.modares.ac.ir/article-29-51793-en.html
associate professor of Persian Language and literature, university of Isfahan , algooneh@yahoo.com
Abstract: (2860 Views)
Introducing narrative as a possible world, while emphasizing its self-sufficiency, the present study aims to provide an alternative to those theories that consider narrative as a reflection of the state of the affairs in the real world. Accordingly, having discussied the self-sufficiency of narrative configured through its internal forces, the research explores the subject of contextualism from a macro-cultural, phenomenological, and linguistic point of view. This research methodologically uses a combination of phenomenological and linguistic approaches in the study of literary context to apply the principles of the possible literary world in the light of topics such as symbolic forms, wholeness, semantic heterogeneity, probable impossibility, internal logic of the work and semiotic reading. In this study, it is found that in the semantics of the possible literary world, the consistency theory of truth is more effective than the coherency theory of truth, and narrative, while suspending the referential function of the text, is better understood via its internal orderings.
- Introduction
In the mimetic reading of literary works, an attempt is always made to find a reasonable relationship between the narrative and the outside world. Accordingly, most thinkers, working in the field of literature and history, try to investigate the historical origins and real contexts of literary works and to reveal the objective considerations from which the narrative is thought to have originated. That is why, narrative¸ according to such a view, is regarded as a mirror in front of the nature or the world, and therefore the identity of fictional characters, images, events and narrative situations are reduced to a shadow, or else a copy for which one could find a corresponding or equivalent phenomenon in the world.
For this reason, historical events, personalities, and the state of affairs in the outside world, are supposed to be the source or foundation on which the narrative is constructed and represented. Since at the core of this theory lies the principle of reference, and the truth or falsity of propositions depends on the conformity of such representations with the particular affairs of the world, the historical reading of the narrative is more dominant. In this approach every phenomenon in the narrative is interpreted to be a reflection of an invulnerable reality. Thus, such an approach not only negates the independence and self-sufficiency of the narrative, but also reduces it to the level of history. But that is not all. Indeed, sometimes, there is an allegorical approach which seems to be more quasi-philosophical than the mimetic reading. From this perspective, narrative as a special literary world is regarded as a place for the re-presentation or re-emergence of some universal phenomena. In fact, when it is not possible to identify a particular event or real character behind the representations of a narrative, the reader, researcher, or the literary critic shifts from a mimetic to an interpretive or allegorical approach. Accordingly, fictional characters or events acquire their originality not by reference to specific historical phenomena, but by reference to universal themes.
In this way, "fictional particular represents actual universal" (Doležel, 1988: 477). Such a view leads to the formation of a kind of literary typology according to which a particular phenomenon is considered to be correspondent to universal affairs. In this way, in a narrative, characters are regarded to be equivalent to different social types, character traits are equivalent to general psychological characteristics, and specific or partial situations or events are equivalent to general and universal historical situations. Thus, from this perspective, the narrative contains abstract categories that are manifested in the guise of fictional events and characters. For this reason, in the allegorical reading of a work, it seems necessary to rely to elevate the narrative facts to the level of general affairs on the basis of an interpretive or allegorical approach.
In other words, the components, present in the narrative, are distanced from their narrative identity in the allegorical approach. These elements are, instead, reformulated as sociological, moral, or psychological types or generalities. Obviously, such an approach deprives the narrative of its special charms due to the exclusion of the particular. For this reason, in what follows, relying on the principle of self-sufficiency of the work, I try to provide an approach to reading narratives, which not only maintains the individuality of the work, but do not reduce the narrative to real or allegorical affairs, as well. According to such a view, narrative as a possible world is self-sufficient and has a real identity, and has therefore the power to be configured through its own regulative rules. Therefore, in this research, it is assumed that the validity or cogency of the characters and events in the narrative is guaranteed by its internal system. Accordingly, in the following, while rethinking the concepts of "self-sufficiency" and "contextualism" of the narrative, and emphasizing the independence of the work, I would try to elucidate and highlight the axioms of the narrative semantic.
For this reason, historical events, personalities, and the state of affairs in the outside world, are supposed to be the source or foundation on which the narrative is constructed and represented. Since at the core of this theory lies the principle of reference, and the truth or falsity of propositions depends on the conformity of such representations with the particular affairs of the world, the historical reading of the narrative is more dominant. In this approach every phenomenon in the narrative is interpreted to be a reflection of an invulnerable reality. Thus, such an approach not only negates the independence and self-sufficiency of the narrative, but also reduces it to the level of history. But that is not all. Indeed, sometimes, there is an allegorical approach which seems to be more quasi-philosophical than the mimetic reading. From this perspective, narrative as a special literary world is regarded as a place for the re-presentation or re-emergence of some universal phenomena. In fact, when it is not possible to identify a particular event or real character behind the representations of a narrative, the reader, researcher, or the literary critic shifts from a mimetic to an interpretive or allegorical approach. Accordingly, fictional characters or events acquire their originality not by reference to specific historical phenomena, but by reference to universal themes.
In this way, "fictional particular represents actual universal" (Doležel, 1988: 477). Such a view leads to the formation of a kind of literary typology according to which a particular phenomenon is considered to be correspondent to universal affairs. In this way, in a narrative, characters are regarded to be equivalent to different social types, character traits are equivalent to general psychological characteristics, and specific or partial situations or events are equivalent to general and universal historical situations. Thus, from this perspective, the narrative contains abstract categories that are manifested in the guise of fictional events and characters. For this reason, in the allegorical reading of a work, it seems necessary to rely to elevate the narrative facts to the level of general affairs on the basis of an interpretive or allegorical approach.
In other words, the components, present in the narrative, are distanced from their narrative identity in the allegorical approach. These elements are, instead, reformulated as sociological, moral, or psychological types or generalities. Obviously, such an approach deprives the narrative of its special charms due to the exclusion of the particular. For this reason, in what follows, relying on the principle of self-sufficiency of the work, I try to provide an approach to reading narratives, which not only maintains the individuality of the work, but do not reduce the narrative to real or allegorical affairs, as well. According to such a view, narrative as a possible world is self-sufficient and has a real identity, and has therefore the power to be configured through its own regulative rules. Therefore, in this research, it is assumed that the validity or cogency of the characters and events in the narrative is guaranteed by its internal system. Accordingly, in the following, while rethinking the concepts of "self-sufficiency" and "contextualism" of the narrative, and emphasizing the independence of the work, I would try to elucidate and highlight the axioms of the narrative semantic.
- Review of Literature
In fact, shortly after Kripke reinterpreted Leibniz's classical concept of possible worlds in a formal logical system, the study of literature and the analysis of the fictional world from the perspective of possible worlds have been prevalent since 1970s. In this regard, Pavel (1975), as a beginner, tries to clarify the relationship between narrative and the real world. He critiques the tendency to analyse literary works in the light of the referential function due to its reducing the art work to the mere reflection of the outside world. Instead, he proposes a specific ontology by which the self-sufficiency of literary works is guaranteed, as well. Another research which is of high significance especially for its explanatory power and also its coherent reasoning is that of Doležel (1988). The research is to explain the nature of the narrative and its related ontology. In this study, Doležel emphasizes that the origin of representation is the author himself. He believes that fictional characters are real in a hypothetical world before the author turns to them, and that the creator of the work has not necessarily experienced examples of them in the real world. He avows that the fiction writer creates his characters in exactly the same way as the historian constructs historical characters, with this difference that the writer is the historian of the realms of fiction. I do not quite agree with the outcomes of this research because of its reduction of the ontology of the possible world to the reception theory, though I may refer to some of his findings while I give my own suggestions. In any case, Doležel considers the fictional world to be something different from the real world, emphasizing that fictional characters are possible and not real. However, the position of Wolterstorff (1988) is in opposition to this principle. He provides the reader with some reasons to show how believing in non-existent, but probable characters, whose being is manifested only by the narrative, is objectionable. Another research which is of high importance in terms of its historical aspects of the theory and also its explanatory power is that of Ronen (1994). In a comprehensive study, Ronen emphasizes that employing philosophical teachings about the possible world could be useful in literary theory due to the similarities between the two. While examining the historical course of the theory of possible worlds, he explains its rules and finally applies the teachings of this field in the field of narration. There are a number of notable criticisms of Ronen, including Van Peer (1996), who addresses one of the key terms he uses and argues that asserting the fictional elements to be non-real is exactly in contrast with what the possible world theory is likely to prove. In a book review, Earnshaw (1997) also shows that taking a pragmatic viewpoint, Ronen ultimately leaves it up to the reader to determine the possibility or probability of fictional characters, and he thus ignores the main issue, i.e. the real state of affairs.
3. Methodology
In any case, the present study is an original research which is the outcome of my own personal reflections and, except in one or two cases where I have taken some terms from Doležel research, I am not indebted to any research in terms of my theoretical framework.
4. Results
The present study shows that regarding the literary world as a possible world implies the self-sufficiency of the work, and therefore the difference between a literary work and, say, a historical work, is that internal forces play an important role in its construction. This, in itself, entails the suspension of the referential function of the language. In this way, the particular signification of a literary work is not achieved by its correspondence to the outside world, but generally by the internal order of the work. For this reason, explaining the mechanism of truth and falsity of propositions in a possible literary world shows greater efficiency when it is based on the consistency theory of truth. Examining the axioms of the possible literary world shows that the self-sufficiency of a literary work is not only in line with contextualism in its phenomenological and linguistic sense, but also reveals some of the most important features of this world. For example, the form of thought in the possible literary world, although it has similarities with scientific thought, but as long as the work tends towards self-sufficiency, the form of thought is based on different perceptions of concepts such as objectivity, time, place and causality. In terms of semantic as well as ontological integrity, the possible literary world expands along a continuum, in which the tendency for wholeness in the work is maximal in one end and minimal on the other. What makes the possible literary world different from the real word is the fact that unlike the real world, in which imperfection is considered as an existential or semantic defect, in the literary world, imperfection is considered as an aesthetic feature. This is firstly because a part or parts of the identity of phenomena and characters are existentially revealed in such a world, which allows the generation of prototypical or ideal examples, and on the other hand, from the point of view of perception theory, imperfection itself acts as a factor which increases the range of a reader's collaboration in the recreation of the final meaning and thus makes the meaning more plural and fluid. This issue justifies the semantic and ontological heterogeneity, the presence of phenomena and the possible characters in the possible literary world. In fact, as long as the intellectual, linguistic or stylistic system of the author and the work act as a macro-structure which deprives the subject of his/her agency, the literary tradition acts as a channel that leads to the creation of similar formal and thematic works, but the literary world due to its lack of adherence to homogeneity becomes dynamic. This dynamism is basically the result of the absorption of paradox in the literary system. Obviously, the presence of paradox in the literary world leads to a constant dialectical becoming. Accordingly, paradox, as an estrange object, enters the system, upsets it, and eventually becomes a part of it. Thus, although the literary tradition entails fixation and stagnation, the literary world is always elusive due to the lack of adherence to ontological or semantic similarity. In the end, it became clear that when we examine the literary world from the perspective of the theory of reception, understanding the cohesion and coherence of the text and thus the textual significance of the work entails superseding the mimetic reading- which is common to historical and scientific texts- and adapting a semiotic reading. Such a reading focuses on those signs that gain their value through ungrammaticality and non-coexistence with the other components of the literary work.
3. Methodology
In any case, the present study is an original research which is the outcome of my own personal reflections and, except in one or two cases where I have taken some terms from Doležel research, I am not indebted to any research in terms of my theoretical framework.
4. Results
The present study shows that regarding the literary world as a possible world implies the self-sufficiency of the work, and therefore the difference between a literary work and, say, a historical work, is that internal forces play an important role in its construction. This, in itself, entails the suspension of the referential function of the language. In this way, the particular signification of a literary work is not achieved by its correspondence to the outside world, but generally by the internal order of the work. For this reason, explaining the mechanism of truth and falsity of propositions in a possible literary world shows greater efficiency when it is based on the consistency theory of truth. Examining the axioms of the possible literary world shows that the self-sufficiency of a literary work is not only in line with contextualism in its phenomenological and linguistic sense, but also reveals some of the most important features of this world. For example, the form of thought in the possible literary world, although it has similarities with scientific thought, but as long as the work tends towards self-sufficiency, the form of thought is based on different perceptions of concepts such as objectivity, time, place and causality. In terms of semantic as well as ontological integrity, the possible literary world expands along a continuum, in which the tendency for wholeness in the work is maximal in one end and minimal on the other. What makes the possible literary world different from the real word is the fact that unlike the real world, in which imperfection is considered as an existential or semantic defect, in the literary world, imperfection is considered as an aesthetic feature. This is firstly because a part or parts of the identity of phenomena and characters are existentially revealed in such a world, which allows the generation of prototypical or ideal examples, and on the other hand, from the point of view of perception theory, imperfection itself acts as a factor which increases the range of a reader's collaboration in the recreation of the final meaning and thus makes the meaning more plural and fluid. This issue justifies the semantic and ontological heterogeneity, the presence of phenomena and the possible characters in the possible literary world. In fact, as long as the intellectual, linguistic or stylistic system of the author and the work act as a macro-structure which deprives the subject of his/her agency, the literary tradition acts as a channel that leads to the creation of similar formal and thematic works, but the literary world due to its lack of adherence to homogeneity becomes dynamic. This dynamism is basically the result of the absorption of paradox in the literary system. Obviously, the presence of paradox in the literary world leads to a constant dialectical becoming. Accordingly, paradox, as an estrange object, enters the system, upsets it, and eventually becomes a part of it. Thus, although the literary tradition entails fixation and stagnation, the literary world is always elusive due to the lack of adherence to ontological or semantic similarity. In the end, it became clear that when we examine the literary world from the perspective of the theory of reception, understanding the cohesion and coherence of the text and thus the textual significance of the work entails superseding the mimetic reading- which is common to historical and scientific texts- and adapting a semiotic reading. Such a reading focuses on those signs that gain their value through ungrammaticality and non-coexistence with the other components of the literary work.
Keywords: possible world, narrative, self-sufficiency, texturalism, referential function, correspondence/consistency theory of truth
Article Type: Original Research |
Subject:
Literary theory
Received: 2021/04/19 | Accepted: 2022/03/1 | Published: 2022/03/1
Received: 2021/04/19 | Accepted: 2022/03/1 | Published: 2022/03/1
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