Abstract
This work challenges the prevailing assumption that narrative is the dominant mode of human communication and meaning making, calling into question the widespread narrative turn across disciplines and exploring alternative textual forms such as descriptions, reports, and arguments. Focusing on small vernacular texts exchanged in everyday dialogue, it argues that not all discourse aspires to be narrative and that other modes may better serve identity construction and social negotiation. By examining these non-narrative structures, the study calls for greater precision in textual analysis and opens new avenues for understanding cultural discourse and the networks through which it travels.
Recommended Citation
Laudun, John
(2026)
"Mistaken for Narrative: A Closer Look at Small Texts,"
Narrative Culture: Vol. 13:
Iss.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/narrative/vol13/iss1/1