Labovian Narrative Analysis
Narrative Analysis Paper
Introduction
In this paper, I perform a narrative analysis on an “oral narrative of personal experience”(Labov, 2011). As follows, Section 1 discusses the methodology used to perform the analysis, Section 2 discusses the structure of the narrative and presents the results of the analysis, and Section 3 concludes with a summary of the narrative and analyses.
Section 1: Methodology For this analysis, I used a personal experience that is termed an elicited narrative, which means I asked the individual to share a story instead of relying on naturally occurring conversational data (Labov, 1997). The story is told by a family relative of mine, Lisa. It is about a paranormal experience she had as a child in Sydney, Australia and involves the autonomous movement of a table while Lisa and others were at an open house. To analyze Lisa’s story, I used Labov’s original model of narrative, which breaks down a narrative into distinct categories: Abstract, Orientation, Complicating Action, Evaluation, and Coda. In addition, I used general Labovian narrative theory to describe the temporal structure and function of Lisa’s story; however, I have refrained from using the term Resolution due to its ambiguity in Labov’s literature. Below, in Narrative A, the story has been transcribed to facilitate the following narrative analysis. Each independent clause is numbered, and all dependent clauses are indented below them.
Narrative A: An account of Lisa’s paranormal experience
(1) Yeah, once I had this really interesting paranormal experience
(2) Uh, back when I was in High School in Sydney in about 1977,
(3) my parents were house hunting
(4) and mum and I were checking out a house in Killara they were interested in.
(5) As soon as we stepped through the front door into the wide, sunlit hall,
(6) we were both impressed by the welcoming atmosphere in the house.
(7) There were one or two pieces of furniture in the hallway including an antique
Introduction
In this paper, I perform a narrative analysis on an “oral narrative of personal experience”(Labov, 2011). As follows, Section 1 discusses the methodology used to perform the analysis, Section 2 discusses the structure of the narrative and presents the results of the analysis, and Section 3 concludes with a summary of the narrative and analyses.
Section 1: Methodology For this analysis, I used a personal experience that is termed an elicited narrative, which means I asked the individual to share a story instead of relying on naturally occurring conversational data (Labov, 1997). The story is told by a family relative of mine, Lisa. It is about a paranormal experience she had as a child in Sydney, Australia and involves the autonomous movement of a table while Lisa and others were at an open house. To analyze Lisa’s story, I used Labov’s original model of narrative, which breaks down a narrative into distinct categories: Abstract, Orientation, Complicating Action, Evaluation, and Coda. In addition, I used general Labovian narrative theory to describe the temporal structure and function of Lisa’s story; however, I have refrained from using the term Resolution due to its ambiguity in Labov’s literature. Below, in Narrative A, the story has been transcribed to facilitate the following narrative analysis. Each independent clause is numbered, and all dependent clauses are indented below them.
Narrative A: An account of Lisa’s paranormal experience
(1) Yeah, once I had this really interesting paranormal experience
(2) Uh, back when I was in High School in Sydney in about 1977,
(3) my parents were house hunting
(4) and mum and I were checking out a house in Killara they were interested in.
(5) As soon as we stepped through the front door into the wide, sunlit hall,
(6) we were both impressed by the welcoming atmosphere in the house.
(7) There were one or two pieces of furniture in the hallway including an antique
References: Labov, W. (1997). Some further steps in narrative analysis. The journal of narrative and life history, Retrieved from http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/sfs.html Labov, W. (2002, February 2). Ordinary events. Retrieved from http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/Papers/OE.pdf Labov, W. (2011, January 1). Oral narratives of personal experience. Retrieved from http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/Papers/FebOralNarPE.pdf