Possible Worlds, Artificial Intelligence, and Narrative Theory

In this important contribution to narrative theory, Marie-Laure Ryan applies insights from artificial intelligence and the theory of possible worlds to the study of narrative and fiction. For Ryan, the theory of possible worlds provides a more nuanced way of discussing the commonplace notion of a fictional "world," while artificial intelligence contributes to narratology and the theory of fiction directly via its researches into the cognitive processes of texts and automatic story generation. Although Ryan applies exotic theories to the study of narrative and fiction, her book maintains a solid basis in literary theory and makes the formal models developed by AI researchers accessible to the student of literature.
The first part of the book seeks a more sophisticated application of the theory of possible worlds to the definition of fictionality. While fiction is a mode of travel into textual space, narrative is a journey within the confines of this space. The second part introduces the idea of a semantic domain consisting of a plurality of alternate possible worlds. This notion is developed into a theory of narrative conflict, which leads to an account of the forward movement of plot.
By combining the philosophical back ground of possible world theory with models inspired by AI, the book fulfills a pressing need in narratology for new paradigms and an interdisciplinary perspective.