Cultural Ways of Worldmaking: Media and Narratives (Concepts for the Study of Culture)

Taking as its point of departure Nelson Goodman ́s theory of symbol systems as delineated in his seminal book "Ways of Worldmaking", this volume gauges the possibilities and perspectives offered by the worldmaking approach as a model for the study of culture. The volume serves to demonstrate how specific media and narratives affect the worlds that are created, and shows how these worlds are established as socially relevant. It also illustrates the extent to which ways of worldmaking are imbued with cultural values, and thus inevitably implicated in power relations. Introduction : Ways Of Worldmaking As A Model For The Study Of Culture: Theoretical Frameworks, Epistemological Underpinnings, New Horizons / Ansgar Nünning And Vera Nünning -- Theoretical Approaches To Ways Of Worldmaking. 'i Believe That The World' / Steven Connor -- Three Theories Of Literary Worldmaking: Phenomenological (roman Ingarden), Constructivist (nelson Goodman), Cognitive Psychologist (schank And Abelson) / Herbert Grabes -- Worldmaking As Fate / Ben Dawson -- The Politics Of Symbolic Forms / Frederik Tygstrup -- Media As Ways Of Worldmaking. Media As Ways Of Worldmaking: Media-specific Structures And Intermedial Dynamics / Birgit Nuemann And Martin Zierold -- Remarks On The Historicity Of The Media Concept / Knut Ove Eilassen -- Do Media Determine Our Situation? Friedrich Kittler's Application Of Information Theory To The Humanities / Stephen Sale -- Irreducible Vagueness: Augmented Worldmaking In Diller & Scofidio's Blur Building / Ulrik Ekman -- Worlds Made Of Concrete And Celluloid: The London Council Estate In Nil By Mouth And Wonderland / Matthew Taunton -- Narratives As Ways Of Worldmaking. Making Events-making Stories-making Worlds: Ways Of Worldmaking From A Narratological Point Of View / Ansgar Nünning -- The Making Of Fictional Worlds: Processes, Features, And Functions / Vera Nünning -- Literary Worldmaking / Inger Østenstad -- Writing Lives And 'worlds': English Fictional Biography At The Turn Of The 21st Century / Caroline Lusin -- Fictional Narratives And Their Ways Of Spiritual Worldmaking: (de-)constructing The Realm Of Transcendence In City Of God By Way Of Metafiction And Multiperspectivity / Hanna Bingel -- Narrating Life: Early Modern Accounts Of The Life Of Queen Christina Of Sweden (1626-1689) / Elisabeth Wåghäll Nivre And Maren Eckart -- Seeing A World Unmade, And Making A World (out) Of Remains: The Post-apocalyptic Re-visions Of W.s. Merwin And Carolyn Forché / René Dietrich. Edited By Vera Nünning, Ansgar Nünning, Birgit Neumann ; In Collaboration With Mirjam Horn. Includes Bibliographical References. Introduction: ways of worldmaking as a model for the study of culture: theoretical frameworks, epistemological underpinnings, new horizons / Ansgar Nünning and Vera Nünning Theoretical approaches to ways of worldmaking. 'I believe that the world' / Steven Connor Three theories of literary worldmaking: phenomenological (Roman Ingarden), constructivist (Nelson Goodman), cognitive psychologist (Schank and Abelson) / Herbert Grabes Worldmaking as fate / Ben Dawson The politics of symbolic forms / Frederik Tygstrup Media as ways of worldmaking. Media as ways of worldmaking: media-specific structures and intermedial dynamics / Birgit Nuemann and Martin Zierold Remarks on the historicity of the media concept / Knut Ove Eilassen Do media determine our situation? Friedrich Kittler's application of information theory to the humanities / Stephen Sale Irreducible vagueness: augmented worldmaking in Diller & Scofidio's Blur building / Ulrik Ekman Narratives as ways of worldmaking. Making events-making stories-making worlds: ways of worldmaking from a narratological point of view / Ansgar Nünning The making of fictional worlds: processes, features, and functions / Vera Nünning Literary worldmaking / Inger Østenstad Fictional narratives and their ways of spiritual worldmaking: (de-)constructing the realm of transcendence in City of God by way of metafiction and multiperspectivity / Hanna Bingel Narrating life: early modern accounts of the life of Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689 / Elisabeth Waghall Nivre and Maren Eckart Seeing a world unmade, and making a world (out) of remains: the post-apocalyptic re-visions of W.S. Merwin and Carolyn Forché / Rene Dietrich. Frontmatter 1 Table of Contents 7 Ways of Worldmaking as a Model for the Studyof Culture: Theoretical Frameworks, Epistemological Underpinnings, New Horizons 9 I. Theoretical Approaches to Ways of Worldmaking 35 `I Believe That the World' 37 Three Theories of Literary Worldmaking: Phenomenological (Roman Ingarden), Constructivist (Nelson Godman), Cognitive Psychologist (Schank and Abelson) 55 Worldmaking as Fate 69 The Politics of Symbolic Forms 95 II. Media as Ways of Worldmaking 109 Media as Ways of Worldmaking: Media-specific Structures and Intermedial Dynamics 111 Remarks on the Historicity of the Media Concept 127 Do Media Determine Our Situation? Friedrich Kittler's Application of Information Theory to the Humanities 145 Irreducible Vagueness: Augmented Worldmaking in Diller & Scofidio's Blur Building 157 Worlds Made of Concrete and Celluloid: The London Council Estate in Nil By Mouth and Wonderland 183 III. Narratives as Ways of Worldmaking 197 Making Events – Making Stories – Making Worlds: Ways of Worldmaking from a Narratological Point of View 199 The Making of Fictional Worlds: Processes, Features, and Functions 223 Literary Worldmaking 253 Writing Lives and `Worlds': English Fictional Biography at the Turn of the 21st Century 273 Fictional Narratives and Their Ways of Spiritual Worldmaking: (De-)Constructing the Realm of Transcendence in City of God by Way of Metafiction and Multiperspectivity 295 Narrating Life: Early Modern Accounts of the Life of Queen Christina of Sweden (1626–1689) 315 Seeing a World Unmade, and Making a World (Out) of Remains: The Post-Apocalyptic Re-Visions of W. S. Merwin and Carolyn Forché 337 Backmatter 363 Taking as its point of departure Nelson Goodman's theory of symbol systems as delineated in his seminal book “Ways of Worldmaking”, this volume gauges the possibilities and perspectives offered by the worldmaking approach as a model for the study of culture. Its main objectives are to explore the usefulness and scope of the approach for the study of culture and to supplement Goodman's philosophy of worldmaking with a number of complementary disciplinary perspectives, literary and cultural approaches, and new questions and applications. It focuses on three key issues or concepts which illuminate ways of worldmaking and their interdisciplinary relevance and ramifications, viz. (1) theoretical approaches to ways of worldmaking, (2) the impact of media on ways of worldmaking, and (3) narratives as ways of worldmaking. The volume serves to demonstrate how specific media and narratives affect the worlds that are created, and shows how these worlds are established as socially relevant. It also illustrates the extent to which ways of worldmaking are imbued with cultural values, and thus inevitably implicated in power relations. Main description: Taking as its point of departure Nelson Goodman's theory of symbol systems as delineated in his seminal book "Ways of Worldmaking", this volume gauges the possibilities and perspectives offered by the worldmaking approach as a model for the study of culture. The volume serves to demonstrate how specific media and narratives affect the worlds that are created, and shows how these worlds are established as socially relevant. It also illustrates the extent to which ways of worldmaking are imbued with cultural values, and thus inevitably implicated in power relations