Journal of Literary Criticism

Journal of Literary Criticism

Potentials of Cultural Criticism in Narrative Fiction (The Sequel)

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Ali Taghizadeh
Department of English Language & Literature, Faculty of Literature & Humanities, Razi University, Bagh Abrisham, Kermanshah, Iran
Abstract
The subject of this research is the potentials of cultural criticism in narrative, and its objective is to help narrative find larger readership for cultural criticism. Cultural criticism has several targets. One of its targets is to be a project for productive use of narrative, because society is no longer interested in narrative and takes little responsibility towards it. This is a cultural challenge with which narratology concerns hoping to provide practical solutions for it. In this climate of cultural lag, if narrative is to find readership, it should have certain qualities. Some of its qualities are: it tells tales, its language is symbolic, it is representational, it takes outstanding semiotic functions. However, these generic and productive features cause many other potentials in narrative that make it into a suitable space for cultural criticism. Cultural orientation of narrative, analyzing the power game, sociology of narrative literature, text-based studies, and conflict, dialogue, adventure are the potentials of narrative that the present research is intending to examine rendering narrative a productive field of cultural criticism. These potentials add to the critical values of narrative discourse, and via the rendition of narrative into a space of critical innovation, strengthen the narrative potentials in the production and criticism of culture. Therefore, a main value of this research is that it analyzes the potentials of narrative in cultural criticism, and via helping it find larger readership, adds to the possibilities of cultural criticism.
Keywords
Cultural criticism of narrative
Cultural orientation of narrative
Power game
Sociology of narrative fiction
Text-based studies
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Journal of Literary Criticism
Volume 4, Issue 8
October 2020
Pages 112-75

  • Receive Date 29 July 2019
  • Revise Date 12 February 2020
  • Accept Date 21 February 2020