Sensory imagination and narrative perspective: Explaining perceptual focalization

Thor Grünbaum

doi:10.1515/sem-2013-0024

Sensory imagination and narrative perspective: Explaining perceptual focalization

Thor Grünbaum

Department of Communication

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

I argue that we can clarify an important form of focalization or narrative perspective by the structure of perspective in sensory imagination. Understanding focalization in this way enables us to see why one particular form of focalization has to do with the representation of perceptual perspective in the narrative world, and to explain why there is a strict functional distinction between voice and perceptual focalization, why all forms of perceptual focalization are internal to the world of the narrated events, and why this does not prevent the narrator from "seeing" what is happening in the narrated world. Explaining perceptual focalization as a material counterpart of the perspective in sensory imagination enables us to see the role played by the narrative representation of perspective in the reader's understanding of in the narrative as well as the reader's emotional response to the narrative.

Original language	English
Journal	Semiotica
Issue number	194
Pages (from-to)	111-136
Number of pages	25
ISSN	0037-1998
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2013-0024
Publication status	Published - Apr 2013

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Faculty of Humanities

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AB - I argue that we can clarify an important form of focalization or narrative perspective by the structure of perspective in sensory imagination. Understanding focalization in this way enables us to see why one particular form of focalization has to do with the representation of perceptual perspective in the narrative world, and to explain why there is a strict functional distinction between voice and perceptual focalization, why all forms of perceptual focalization are internal to the world of the narrated events, and why this does not prevent the narrator from "seeing" what is happening in the narrated world. Explaining perceptual focalization as a material counterpart of the perspective in sensory imagination enables us to see the role played by the narrative representation of perspective in the reader's understanding of in the narrative as well as the reader's emotional response to the narrative.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - focalization

KW - sensory imagination

KW - Berkeley’s puzzle

KW - narratology

KW - immersion

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SN - 0037-1998

SP - 111

EP - 136

JO - Semiotica

JF - Semiotica

IS - 194

ER -

Sensory imagination and narrative perspective: Explaining perceptual focalization

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