Storyworld, transmedia storytelling, and contemporary narrative theory: An interview with Marie-Laure Ryan

Marie-Laure Ryan is an independent scholar based in Colorado. She is the author of Possible Worlds, Artificial Intelligence and Narrative Theory (1991), Narrative as Virtual Reality (2001), Avatars of Story (2006), Narrative as Virtual Reality 2 (2015), Narrating Space/Spatializing Narrative (2016, with Kenneth Foote and Maoz Azaryahu), and over 100 articles on narratology, media theory, and digital culture. In October 2021, Dr. Jiayi Chen interviewed Ryan by email about possible worlds narratology, narrative across media, and the recent development of narratology. During the discussion, Ryan elaborates on the productive ways transmedia narratology can complement the language-based enterprise of narrative theory, as well as its position in relation to other strands of narrative inquiry. To conclude, Ryan points out the recent trends that have been enriching and expanding the territory of narratology before mapping out some areas that merit greater attention and future investigation.