Avatars of Story

In the second chapter of Marie-Laure Ryan’s Avatars of Story, one particular quote in the introductory paragraph caught my attention: “…fiction differs from other modes of virtual thinking in that it contemplates the virtual for its own sake, rather than using it as an instrument to shape the real.” This concept of “virtual thinking” is intriguing because it introduces the idea that one has the “ability to detach thought from what exists and to conduct mental experiments about what could be or what could have been” but also because, for me, the terms ‘virtual’ and ‘thinki
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In Avatars of Story, Marie Laure Ryan provides the reader with tools by which to analyze the elements of any specific narrative. She speaks about the dimensions of a narrative as well as the "narrative modes". She also discusses what she feels specific media can and cannot due. This particular segment contained a couple of points with which I did not agree, and I am sure is the source of contention with many readers as it is imposing limitations upon the scope of narrative certain media's can achieve.
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Having just completed reading the Introduction to Avatars of Story, I find myself brimming with questions about it. Of particular interest are the 4 types of "current" theories concerning the impact of the computer on the idea of narrative.
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