Epistemological Problems in Narrative Theory: Objectvist vs. Constructvist Paradigm

This brief contribution is aimed at the elaboration of some critical questions often addressed within the contemporary debate in narrative theory. In particular, we regard the task of defining narrative as an important preliminary path to be followed in order to reflect on broader issues concerning the role of narrative studies, both within the humanities and with respect to other disciplines (e.g. cognitive sciences, psychology, pedagogy, etc.). We reckon among the most important duties in the field a reflection on the epistemological grounds of narrative theory, because we think that many incompatibilities and frictions between terminologies, models and theories are often underestimated. It is important to the extent that such incomprehension may negatively affect the debate or even thwart acknowledgement of the specificity of the concepts used in narrative theory. In the light of the considerations above, we are focusing here on the theoretical effectiveness of the classical/postclassical distinction and on the proposal of a different dichotomy (par. 2); on the definition of narrative sequence (par. 3); on the epistemology of the two different paradigms indicated by the objectivist/constructivist dichotomy (par. 4); on the evaluation of the pros and cons of the two paradigms outlined (par. 5).