A study of hypernarrative in fiction film : alternative narrative in American film (1989-2012)

Abstract

Although many scholars attempted to define and categorize alternative narratives, a new trend in narrative that has proliferated at the turn of the 21st century, there is no consensus. To understand recent alternative narrative films more comprehensively, another approach using a new perspective may be required. This study used hypertextuality as a new criterion to examine the strategies of alternative narratives, as well as the hypernarrative structure and characteristics in alternative narratives. Using the six types of linkage patterns (linear, hierarchy, hypercube, directed acyclic graph, clumped, and arbitrary links), this study analyzed six recent American fiction films (between 1989 and 2012) that best represent each linkage pattern. Results of the study indicated that alternative narrative films strengthened viewers’ recognition by adopting multiple characters and time, intensified complex plots by combining different plot strategies, and represented the narrative intentions through the linkages of hypernarrative structure. By examining alternative narratives within the framework of hypernarrative, this study contributed to more a comprehensive understanding of alternative narratives.