A Cognitive Narratological Approach to Narrative Processing

Unlike rhetorical narrative theory centering on the effects of the narrative on the reader,cognitive narratology mainly concerns the reader's cognitive process in understanding the narrative,i.e.how narrative structure and techniques make sense to the reader.Schema theory developed from the Gestalt Psychology provides a very good starting point for cognitive narratology to achieve this goal.Borrowing the theoretical resources from schema theory,cognitive narratology has put forward such concepts asstory schema,schema structure and categories in narrative processingand moved beyond the static schema theory into analyzing the dynamic cognitive process of narrative reading,creating terms and theories likecognitive mapping,mental space,contextual frameandtext world theory,to mention only a few.Cognitive narratology has just started in China,and we expect the present article to help differentiate the related concepts and theories and arouse the interest in cognitive narratology in domestic academia.