Dan Shens Dual Narrative Dynamics is a compelling intervention into studies of plot and progression with important implications for multiple fields. A sequel to her Style and Rhetoric of Short Narrative Fiction: Covert Progressions Behind Overt Plots (Routledge, 2014), this book extends her earlier work with a meticulous theorizing of Shens concept of dual narrative dynamics and a new series of powerful, original readings of well-known short stories by Kate Chopin, Ambrose Bierce, Franz Kafka, and Katherine Mansfield. Rigorously argued, methodically structured, elegantly and engagingly written, Dual Narrative Dynamics is an invaluable contribution to narrative theory, stylistics, and translation studies.
Kelly A. Marsh, Professor of Mississippi State University, USA, Style
There are several reasons why Dan Shen has made, and continues to make, significant contributions to narrative studies. One reason is the original way in which she incorporates stylistics into her version of rhetorical narrative theory and analysis; a different yet linked reason is her insistence on the need for careful reading and rereading; a third one is her insightful exploration of the ethical dimension of narrative fictionand thus also of the act of reading and interpreting a narrative text. All these critical qualities are observable in her Dual Narrative Dynamics.
Jakob Lothe, Professor of University of Oslo, Norway
Dan Shen's Dual Narrative Dynamics deals with a central phenomenon of narrative and enriches narratology with essential insights into the acts of reading and giving meaning.
Prof. em. Dr. Dr. h.c. Wolf Schmid, the University of Hamburg, Germany
