This comprehensive, accessible guidebook traces the ways in which human beings have used narrative to make sense of time, space and identity over the centuries. Particular attention is given to: * early narrative, from Hellenic and Hebraic * the rise of the novel * realist representation * imperialism and narrative * modernism and cinema * postmodern narrative * narrative and new technologies. With a strong emphasis on clarity and a range of examples from oral cultures to cyberspace, this is the ideal guide to an essential critical topic.