narraterecount

Narraterecount is a term occasionally used in discussions of narrative technique to denote the act or function of a narrator recounting events within a story. It is not a widely standardized term in mainstream narratology or linguistics, and its meaning can vary by context. In general, it refers to moments in a text where the narrator retells past events for the reader rather than presenting ongoing action or pure description.

In narratology, narraterecount emphasizes the mechanics of retrospective narration: how memory, perspective, and timing shape the retelling. Features may include retrospective focalization, non-linear ordering through flashbacks, selective detail, and evaluative commentary that frames interpretation. The term is sometimes used to analyze how a narrator reconstructs events after they have occurred, and how narrator reliability is influenced by the recounting.

In classroom or discourse analysis, a recount is a factual, chronological text type that retells past experiences, often in first person. A narraterecount would be the portion of a narrative that serves this function, helping to move from one event to another while preserving temporal sequence and causality. Because the label is not standard, scholars may instead discuss memory retention, retrospective narration, or narrative recounting.

Examples are situational: a character explains what happened during a day, starting with the arrival and ending with the outcome, while adding thoughts about motives or consequences. The term is best avoided in formal writing unless its definition is clearly stated and readers are directed to the conventional terms of narration, recounts, or retrospective narration.

See also: narration, narrative technique, focalization, narratology, recount (genre).