Narrative in Fiction and Film: A Practical Study of the Nature of Cross-Pollination in Narrative Structure

Abstract Written literature has evolved significantly over the centuries. The typical novel of the twenty-first century is different in form from the novel of the mid-nineteenth. Modern novels tend to have less descriptive exposition and are less apt to follow previous conventions of omniscient narration. What factors have influenced this change? At the end of the nineteenth century, for the first time in recorded history, a new art form emerged, one that was based on the technological achievement of the recorded moving image. This study examines to what extent, and in which ways, the new art form, cinema, has affected written literature, particularly the novel. What are the elements of cinema technique that have influenced writing on a structural level? How do they manifest themselves at a level of text? The research framework approaches these questions both theoretically and practically. The theoretical aspect examines sets of texts to see if anything definitive can be stated about this ‘cross-pollination’ of form. The investigative paradigm pursues avenues of research that incorporate structural analyses of texts and also the ways in which those texts operate at a level of mental processing. My intention is to concentrate more fully on ‘what those texts are doing’ rather than ‘what they are’. The approach is broadly ‘cognitive’, one that examines the processes that are undertaken during the reception of texts and during their production. The practical element of this framework is in the form of a novel, Jacks, which forms Volume 2 of this study. Here, the fictional account is designed to reflect aspects of the theoretical approach and to include subject matter pertaining to film and creative processes, to illustrate elements of the theory in a creative form. A final section proposes practical outcomes for the theory in the fields of creative writing practice and pedagogy.