This is an accessible and stimulating summary of the often over-complex theories that have transformed the study of narrative in recent decades. Mark Currie establishes direct links between the workings of fictional narratives and those of the non-fictional world, arguing that it is their inseparability which characterizes postmodern fiction, criticism and culture. The book charts the transition in narrative theory from its formalist beginnings, through deconstruction, various new historicisms and psychoanalysis, towards its current concerns with the social and cultural function of narrative. Through its two principal themes--the relationship of narrative to identity and the role of time in experience--the book plots the connections between fiction, criticism and ideology that represent the contribution of narrative theory to an understanding of postmodern culture.