Terminology of the Narrative Ecosystem
Terminology is borrowed from two disciplines: communications and narrative.
While the storytelling boom is firmly located within communications practice, the study of stories is firmly located within literature studies; those who produce stories typically use language from Journalism, Media & Communications studies, and those who study stories typically use language from Literature & Narrative studies.
However — some words are shared across both disciplines, but are used differently. As a rule of thumb:
People who study stories are most interested in the text itself.
People who produce stories are most interested in the opinions expressed in the texts.
Online Glossaries
Encyclopedia of Ludic Terms
Terms related to the study of games and play.
Living Glossary of Digital Narrative
Published by the Centre for Digital Narrative.
Living Handbook of Narratology
Based on the Handbook of Narratology.
No Lip Service Glossary
Key terms at the intersection of communications and narrative.
The Narrative Directory
Key Terms used across the narrative change ecosystem.
Other Definitions
Narrative
Narrative change
Narrative ethics
Narrative landscape
Narrative literacy
Narrative power
Narrative research
Narrative strategy
Narrative theory
Story
“Narratives are systems of stories that shape our attitudes and behaviors and help us make meaning of the world around us.” — The Math Narrative Project
“Narratives are the ideas and themes that permeate collections of stories. The ideas can appear in any structure, and are articulated and refined repeatedly in a variety of stories and messages.” — Narrative Initiative
“Narrative is another word for story.” — BBC
My Story, Your Narrative: Scholarly Terms and Popular Usage in The Routledge Companion to Narrative Theory discusses the change in use of “narrative”.
“A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences.” — Wikipedia
“Narratives (are) collections of stories circulating within a society that convey themes, frames, and worldviews that are collectively recognized, understood, and embraced by its members.” — BLIS Collective
“A narrative consists of a collection or body of stories which together convey a common worldview or meaning — an interpretation of the world and how it works.” The Narrative Directory.
“Narratives are sets or patterns of stories that contain beliefs about the way the world works. They provide meaning and a lens through which to intepret issues, causes, and life events.” ORS Impact
“Narratives are patterns of stories that are held by individuals or groups and contain beliefs about the way the world works. They can be harmful, beneficial, or a mixture.” Liz Manne Strategy
“It is both the charm and the challenge of narrative that no one discipline can define precisely what it is or does, though surely each contributes to our understanding. Some scholars – narratologists, for instance – study the structures of stories in and of themselves. Others analyze specific narratives according to established methodologies, from the literary scholar’s “close reading” to the sociologist’s discourse analysis. Some, such as qualitative researchers, look at narrative as a form of data; for others, it is an approach to interpreting such data.” Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Narrative
“Narrative change is an effort to counter, modify, or replace existing narratives by creating and deploying new or different narratives.” — The Math Narrative Project
“Narrative change rests on the premise that reality is socially constructed through narrative, and that in order to bring about change in the world we need to pay attention to the ways in which this change takes place.” — More at The Narrative Directory.
“Narrative change is a change in the narratives that circulate within public discourse: either in the set of narratives in circulation (ie. which narratives are used) or in their relative prevalence (i.e. which narraties re used more or less frequently), or both.” ORS Impact
“Narrative ethics explores the intersections between the domain of stories and storytelling and that of moral values.” — Living Handbook of Narratology
“A narrative landscape is a map of the harmful and helpful narratives that affect how people think about, talk about, and make decisions about your cause.” — Narrative Initiative
“The storying of experiences.” — Christina Romero-Ivanova, Tara Kingsley and Lance Mason.
“Understanding how stories function and their effects at individual and collective levels” Sarah Dillon and Claire Craig in Storylistening.
“Narrative power refers to the ability to shape and control the stories told within a society, including which ones are told, who tells them, and how they are interpreted.” — Shanelle Matthews and Marzena Zukowska
“The ability to tell stories that shift the mental models and cultural mindsets that define our cultural norms.” — The Narrative Directory
“Narrative research is the study of circulating stories, where they come from, how they spread and coalesce, and how they impact public sentiment, policy, and broader culture. Applied narrative research encompasses all of this, with the crucial addition that it is designed, from start to finish, to serve movement strategy, with the ultimate goal of deepening collective power.” — BLIS Collective
“Narrative strategy is the practice of sharing connected stories to forge, spread, and reinforce beneficial narratives and counter harmful ones.” — Liz Manne
“Narrative theory starts from the assumption that narrative is a basic human strategy for coming to terms with fundamental elements of our experience, such as time, process, and change, and it proceeds from this assumption to study the distinctive nature of narrative and its various structures, elements, uses, and effects.” — Project Narrative.
“A story describes an event or sequence of events that include characters, conflict, and imagery. It has a beginning, middle and end.” — Narrative Initiative
“Stories consist of characters, joined in some common problem in a temporal trajectory (plot) leading towards resolution within a particular setting or context.” — The Narrative Directory
My Story, Your Narrative: Scholarly Terms and Popular Usage in The Routledge Companion to Narrative Theory discusses the change in use of “story”.
“Stories are an essential part of how we process, understand and interpret our life experiences.” ORS Impact