Bakhtin's concept of the 'dialogic' novel means

Ever felt like a novel is just one person's story?

Imagine you're reading a novel where only one character's thoughts are shown. It feels flat, right?

Bakhtin's 'dialogic' concept means novels should have multiple voices and perspectives, not just one.

Example

Instead of hearing only Jane's thoughts, you'd hear Jane, John, and Mary talking and thinking.

Remember this

A 'dialogic' novel offers a richer, more complex view of the world.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related concepts

Mikhail Bakhtin

Bakhtin coined the term 'carnivalesque'

Existence of God

Can words mean the same thing every time?

Spivak's 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' asks

Can unheard voices shape history?

Waiting for Godot

Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" is a 20th-century literary masterpiece

Faust (paintings)

Nabil Kanso's Faust series depicts scenes based on Goethe's play

Stalker (1979 film)

Stalker explores a mysterious 'Zone' granting innermost desires

Swipe through 100 ML concepts daily