The Birth of Narrative Out of the Spirit of the Excuse: A Speculation

Abstract

This article argues that the origin of narrative lies in the "excuse" and that the structure of the excuse marks what we nowadays consider as narrative. The defining feature of the excuse is that it provides a counterversion to the master story of the accusation and thereby opens a multiplicity of versions. Given an excuse, there is not just a plurality of possible plot developments but also a consideration of linguistic nuances when weighing responsibility. The excuse generates a context within which the acts of the speaker appear in a different light or as elements of a different story; hence, the excuse should be described as a contextgenerating act. The article considers the features of the excuse, links excuse and narrative, provides an evolutionary consideration of the function of the excuse narrative and indicates how the excuse narrative is a key feature of fiction.And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Genesis 3My thanks go, first of all, to Suzanne Keen for her many encouragements and to Meir Sternberg for not accepting half-baked excuses in the crafting of this text. Many others have commented on parts of this paper and I would like to express my special gratitude to