This recently completed study  combines elements of narratological theory with an analytic approach taken from computer-aided literary analysis.

The focus of the project is on the EPISODE as the minimal coherent unit of narrated action. EPISODES are defined as interpretive constructs that are generated by the reader who interprets a sequence of distinctive states in a fictional world as a transformational series of two EVENTS.  This process - which is based on the concrete narrative propositions as presented by the text - takes place against the background of individual "Weltwissen" (world knowledge), but is also dependant on relatively stable logical and semiotic rules which thus function as de facto universals for all ACTION-constructs.

Apart from proposing a new theoretical definition of key concepts such as, EVENT, EPISODE and ACTION the project was also dedicated to the development of two software applications. EventParser (formerly MoveParser) is a mark-up tool for identifying and generating a markup of individual EVENTS in a narrative text and was written in Visual Basic.  EPITEST uses  a combinatory algorithm written in PROLOG to generate all theoretically possible EPISODES using the pre-defined EVENTS and a formal representation of the world knowledge of a reader. Both programs run under Windows 98/2000/NT.

Further information and download options for the software are available at www.jcmeister.de

Jan Christoph Meister

EVENT - EPISODE - ACTION:

University of Hamburg

the 'constructive' notion of narrated action in a literary computing application