Narrative Paradigm
: Narrative Paradigm o Attempts to supplement the rational-world paradigm of Aristotle by arguing that humans are storytelling animals Social constructionist Rhetorical tradition Interpretive theory Explored through textual analysis (and sometimes ethnograph) o Theorizes how people are narrative beings who experience and comprehend life as a series of ongoing narratives, as conflicts, characters, beginnings, middles, ends o Attempts to find "good reasons" in forms of communication other than rational argument o Argues that almost all communication, except phatic communication, is a story, i.e., shaped by history, culture, and character Phatic communication -- communication aimed at maintaining relationships rather than passing along information or saying something new o Key terms: Narration -- symbolic action, words or deeds, that have sequence and meaning for those who live, create, or interpret them : Narration is communication rooted in time and space. It covers every aspect of our lives...in regard to character, motive and action. The term also refers to every verbal and nonverbal bid for a person to believe or act in a certain way. Even when a message seems abstract...it is narration because it is embedded in the speaker's ongoing story...and it invites listeners to interpret its meaning and assess its value for their own lives Paradigm -- a conceptual framework; a universal model that calls for people to view events through a common interpretive lens : Rationality vs. Narrativity o Rational World Paradigm 1. People are essentially rational 2. We make decisions on the basis of arguments 3. The type of speaking (legal, scientific, legislative) determines the course of our argument 4. Rationality is determined by how much we know and how well we argue 5. The world is a set of logical puzzles that we can solve through rational analysis o Narrative Paradigm 1. People are essentially story tellers
2. We make decisions on the basis of good reasons, which vary depending on the communication situation, media, and genre 3. History, biography, culture, and character determine what we consider good reasons 4. Narrative rationality is determined by the coherence and fidelity of our stories 5. The world is a set of stories from which we choose, and thus constantly recreate our lives : Paradigm Shift o Narrative paradigm privileges values and the aesthetic dimensions of communication that are ignored by rationality Shifts the appropriate auditor from trained experts to any person (reason is taught; narrative is instinctual) Changes the criteria for rhetorical quality from argumentative rationality to narrative rationality Narrative rationality -- a way to evaluate the worth of stories based on the twin standards of narrative coherence and narrative fidelity : Narrative Rationality o Narrative Coherence Asks if the narrative, hangs together; a question of internal consistency -Do the people, events, and settings seem to be consistent? :Are there obvious contradictions? - Do the characters act consistently and in a reliable fashion? : Does the story include important details, believable facts, etc.? :Is it believable? o Narrative Fidelity Asks if the narrative, rings true; a questio