Plots in Life and Fiction
Plots in Life and Fiction

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to discuss the definition of plot, a central but also one of the most elusive concepts in narrative theory. Our definition will stress the reconceptualization of plot in contemporary narratology, especially in rhetorical and cognitivist models. In these models, the plot is seen as an unstable matrix of virtualities, and therefore, auctorial planning and retrospection only play a marginal role in its intentionality and even in its form. Based on this, the question of the existence of “natural plots”, namely those we find in life experiences before their configuration in a retrospective narrative, will be investigated, with serialized information in daily newspapers serving as a case study. This question is not only important for the philosophy of history, or reflections concerning the fidelity of factual narratives, but also for determining the aesthetical value of “ intriguing” fiction and forany reflection concerning the mimetic status of narrative representations of life.

• Details
• Contents