The Issue of Authorial Surplus in Narrative Research

Advocates of narrative research often contend that it is superior to nonnarrative research, both qualitative and quantitative, because they believe it is better able to represent multiple perspectives and foster multiple interpretations. The author of this comment article on Coulter and Smith (2009) draws on literary theory and an analysis of the cultural expectations of narratives to argue that, although narratives have the capacity to represent multiple perspectives, many do not. As a consequence, he urges narrative researchers to work to reveal the constructedness of their stories so that readers have the information they need to question the researchers’ perspectives and construct their own.