Abstrakt: | The article investigates the structure of romance and grief narrative included in Bobbie
Ann Mason’s “Shiloh,” on the basis of Patrick C. Hogan’s th eory of literary universals
and his work on aff ective narratology. Following Hogan, I argue that emotions are deeply
embedded in stories and that stories are typically designed so as to manipulate the aff ective
responses of their readers. I will focus on the way the story depicts prototypical stages
of romance and grief and where it deviates from universal narratives involving concerning
grief, separation, attachment, and romantic love, arguing that the aff ective and aesthetic
potential of the story lies precisely in where it departs from these prototypical narratives.
At the same time, I shall speculate on how discourse organization manipulates the formation
of aff ective schemata and empathic alignment in readers. |