Genette’s masterwork, Narrative Discourse , is a commentary on Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time . Genette chose Proust not because it is simple, but because it is so complex that it reveals the entire range of narrative possibilities. By mapping Proust’s labyrinthine text, Genette created a map for all narrative.
Genette begins by situating structuralism within the broader "linguistic turn" of the 20th century. Drawing heavily on Ferdinand de Saussure, he argues that just as language is a system of signs governed by rules (langue) rather than just a collection of individual utterances (parole), literature should be viewed as a system of formal relations. Gerard Genette Structuralism And Literary Criticism Summary
A "bricoleur" uses a finite set of pre-existing tools and materials to solve new problems. Genette begins by situating structuralism within the broader
Gérard Genette’s seminal essay, (originally published in Figures I , 1966), remains a foundational text for understanding the intersection of linguistic theory and literary analysis. Genette does not merely explain structuralism; he advocates for it as a method that transcends traditional "interpretive" criticism to reveal the underlying systems that make literature possible. Gérard Genette’s seminal essay