

Fidelity - how truthful does the story appear to be? That is, how probable is it that the sequence of events in the story occurred as they did? D.
Narrative coherence definition free#
Coherence - does the sequence of events in the story make sense? That is, is the story free from inconsistencies and contradictions? 2. The compelling nature of a story is determined by the coherence and fidelity of the story. "Good reasons" have more to do with telling a compelling story than it does with providing evidence or constructing a logical argument. We make decisions on the basis of "good reasons." B. Myth: a story of unknown authorship, believed to have a historical basis, which explains some phenomenon of nature (e.g., Origin of "Coconut Island"). Parable: a fictitious story meant to teach a moral lesson (e.g., Bird In Cow Pie) 3. Anecdote: an account of some happening, usually personal or biographical. Stories are the primary means by which cultures inform members about important aspects of the culture - e.g., attitudes, values, beliefs, practices, rites and rituals (Pacanowsky, Creating and Narrating Organizational Realities, 1989). Stories are one of the primary ways we construct reality - we understand and make our world meaningful through stories (Walter Fisher, Narration As a Human Communication Paradigm, 1984). Human beings are, by nature, story-telling animals and thus stories are present in all cultures ( Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study of Moral Theory, 1981). "Narrative Theory" is a collection of different theories that explain how stories, and the telling of stories, structure and shape our perceptions of the world around us.

Introduction to Theories of Human Communication Lecture 19: Narrative Theory I.
