Description

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The structural device of the "story within a story," variously labeled "frame," "Chinese box," "Russian doll," or "embedded" narrative, is so widely found in the literature of all cultures and periods as to approach universality. Despite its durable attraction for writers and audiences throughout history, however, embedded narrative remains a form largely unmapped by literary theory. This study surveys and synthesizes the work done to date on this significant artistic technique and breaks new ground by providing a comprehensive model for the description and analysis of the many types and functions of embedded narrative.

About the Author

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William Nelles is professor emeritus of English at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he taught from 1995 until his retirement in 2020. In addition to Frameworks, he has published more than a hundred journal articles and book chapters on literature and narrative theory.