The expertise that has evolved in literary studies through the 20th century now finds applications in every corner of culture, wherever thought and representation operate in the mode of storytelling. This book is a summary of the often over-complex theories that have transformed the study of narrative in recent decades. In its theoretical discussions and critical readings, the book plots the connections between fiction, criticism and ideology that represent the contribution of narrative theory to an understanding of postmodern culture. This text is aimed at undergraduate students of English Literature, and those on courses in literary theory/contemporary literature/postmodernism/intellectual history/narrative/popular culture.