Story Structure

Abstract

The second chapter of Style in Narrative illustrates and extends the general theory developed in chapter 1. Specifically, it addresses the level of story structure and the scope of an authorial canon. In connection with this, it considers William Shakespeare’s complex relation to genre, examining the way in which he thoroughly integrates genres, rather than simply adding storylines with different genre affiliations. The presence of such integration in Shakespeare’s works has frequently been noted, but critics have rarely sought to explain it in detail. In order to explore the topic more thoroughly, the chapter focuses on two plays, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. To clarify what is specifically Shakespearean in these works, Hogan examines the former in relation to Shakespeare’s sources for the play and the latter in relation to a precursor revenge drama, Thomas Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy.