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Re: Q: narrative


On Tue, 13 Aug 1996, Ronald J. Stephens wrote:

> my name is michael stephens and i'm a debater at esperanza high school in
> anaheim, california.  i would like some input on how to structure an
> affirmative case as a narrative.  does a narrative need a plan?

Actually, I think it depends on how you plan to use a narrative.

1) The narrative as EVIDENCE to support a claim (or for that matter, a 
policy)

To me this approach makes a lot of sense. In reality, "cards" are often 
narratives (albeit short ones). It would make sense to me as a critic to 
use a narrative to support a policy, it's just that the type of evidence 
and evaluative criteria are different.

2) The narrative as REPRESENTATION of a claim

In this view, the narrative is the claim. Some narrative advocates hold 
that the narrative is a "pure" representation of a claim. Basically it 
boils down to finding new methods of proof that eschew the accepted 
practice in debate.

Theoretically I think it can be justified both ways. I also think that 
Bear is correct - be careful about who you use this case in front of. 
There are a lot of folks that simply won't accept it, no matter how well 
it is presented.

Aaron Klemz
S. Illinois University
References:
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