Narratives and the Concept of Argument

Abstract

One approach to the question of narrative argument is to explore the nature of narratives and their argumentative potential. This is to understand an established tradition of argument, with set understandings of the key concept, into which narratives must fit if they are to be deemed arguments or argumentative. Another approach is to revisit the nature of argument itself so that traditional conditions are not imposed on any new forms. Doing this is not to decide in advance how ‘argument’ should be understood such that narratives are precluded in advance (or required to meet standards that they have difficulty meeting). It is the second approach that I take in the paper, drawing on a dynamic sense of argument that allows a richer range of discourses to qualify. This approach proved fruitful for those working on visual arguments, the lessons of which promise to be of value here. I will illustrate my argument with several examples that show how narrative arguments engage an audience in a particularly vivid way, inviting them to experience aspects of an issue in a way that enhances the persuasive power of the argument.