A Model of Narrative Circulation

This article suggests that narrative meaning structures have different modes of existence: the “told”, the “inner” and the “lived” modes. Their definitions and mutual relationships are presented in the form of a schematic model. The inner narrative represents the experiental mode of narrative form. It is an individual’s interpretation of his/her life, in which the past events, present situation and future projects are understood using cultural narrative models as resources. It is (partly) made external by told narratives, and validated/revised in that process. The lived narrative, again, refers to the real-life drama, which is shaped in the interplay between situational constraints and the inner narrative that guides one’s actions in changing life situations. The article reviews narrative research focusing on the studies and discussions related to the relations between the different modes of narrativity. (Narrative Theory, Narrative Methodology, Inner Narrative, Lived Narrative)