Open AccessThe empire of the narrative: Plan making through the prism of classical and postclassical narratologies
Author(s) -
Laurent Matthey,
Julie Ambal,
Simon Gaberell,
Elena Cogato Lanza
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
planning theory
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.305
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1741-3052
pISSN - 1473-0952
DOI - 10.1177/14730952221125174
Subject(s) - narrative , narratology , aesthetics , construct (python library) , narrative network , sociology , prism , consciousness , narrative criticism , epistemology , literature , history , narrative inquiry , computer science , art , philosophy , physics , optics , programming language
This article theorizes the "narrative turn" in urban planning studies, using Gérard Genette's work to differentiate first- and second-degree narratives. Genette defines the latter as paratexts that determine the public's reception of the former. The article assesses how second-degree narratives work with different perceptual regimes to construct the reception of the political vision of territory. To that end, it resorts to the recent work of postclassical narratology. Indeed, the latter is particularly interested in the way in which the narrative, in various forms, affects its addressee. Postclassical narratology allows us to renew the theory of narrative in urban planning by focusing on what hypothetically happens in the consciousness of the receiver of the narrative when he or she becomes aware of it. Consequently, the paper sheds light on an emerging aspect of the design process: disambiguating signals embedded in urban planning documents intended for a wider public.