Debating Rhetorical Narratology

<div>In <i>Debating Rhetorical Narratology:</i><i>On the Synthetic Mimetic and Thematic Aspects of Narrative</i> Matthew Clark and James Phelan provide a model of lively sharp and good-natured scholarly exchange. Clark proposes friendly amendments to Phelan's theorizing of the synthetic mimetic and thematic aspects of narrative and Phelan responds often by explaining why he finds Clark's amendments less-than-friendly. Clark rounds off the debate by offering a brief rejoinder. Clark and Phelan consistently ground their theoretical arguments in their analyses of particular narratives drawing on a corpus that ranges from Homer's <i>Iliad</i> to Tobias Wolff's <i>In Pharaoh's Army</i> and includes among many others Jane Austen's <i>Emma</i> George Orwell's <i>1984</i> and Toni Morrison's <i>Beloved</i>.<br> <br> Clark and Phelan's deep dive into the synthetic mimetic and thematic leads them to explore many other aspects of narrative and narrative theory: style audiences the mimetic illusion fictionality and more. Their investigation also leads them into questions about rhetorical narratology's relation to other projects in narrative theory especially unnatural narratology and indeed about how to assess the explanatory power of competing theories. Ultimately their debate is compelling testimony about the power of both narrative theory and narrative itself.</div>