Narrative and Freedom

Name: Narrative and Freedom
Price: 61.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9780300068757

The Shadows of Time

Gary Saul Morson

$61.95

Paperback

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English

Yale University Press
01 October 1996

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Literary theory; Literary studies: general

In this important and controversial book, one of our leading literary theorists presents a major philosophical statement about the meaning of literature and the shape of literary texts. Drawing on works by the Russian writers Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov, by other writers as diverse as Sophocles, Cervantes, and George Eliot, by thinkers as varied as William James, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Stephen Jay Gould, and from philosophy, the Bible, television, and much more, Gary Saul Morson examines the relation of time to narrative form and to an ethical dimension of the literary experience.

Morson asserts that the way we think about the world and narrate events is often in contradiction to the truly eventful and open nature of daily life. Literature, history, and the sciences frequently present experience as if contingency, chance, and the possibility of diverse futures were all illusory. As a result, people draw conclusions or accept ideologies without sufficiently examining their consequences or alternatives. However, says Morson, there is another way to read and construct texts. He explains that most narratives are developed through foreshadowing and ""backshadowing"" (foreshadowing ascribed after the fact), which tend to reduce the multiplicity of possibilities in each moment. But other literary works try to convey temporal openness through a device he calls ""sideshadowing."" Sideshadowing suggests that to understand an event is to grasp what else might have happened. Time is not a line but a shifting set of fields of possibility. Morson argues that this view of time and narrative encourages intellectual pluralism, helps to liberate us from the false certainties of dogmatism, creates a healthy skepticism of present orthodoxies, and makes us aware that there are moral choices available to us.

By: Gary Saul Morson
Imprint: Yale University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 2mm
Weight: 508g
ISBN: 9780300068757
ISBN 10: 0300068751
Pages: 348
Publication Date: 01 October 1996
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Narrative and Freedom: The Shadows of Time

Acclaim for YOURS FAITHFULLY and BAD BEHAVIOUR: 'A big, comfortable, absorbing book...bound to delight fans and guaranteed to put O'Flanagan on the bestsellers list - yet again' Irish Independent Review; 'A variety of sub-plots keeps the pace going, making for an absorbing page-turner' Irish Mail on Sunday; 'This heart-wrenching story of love, loss, betrayal is captivating... The depth of characters, snappy dialogue, and emotive storyline... should make this...[a] number one bestseller' -- North West Evening Mail 'Another romp of a read from O'Flanagan that will have you turning the pages with speed, eager to know the fate of the McDonagh sisters. Filled with romance, humour and as always a twist in the tale... A definite pick-me-up during the current gloom!' -- RTE Guide, Ireland