Introduction

This chapter will introduce the necessity and importance of paying attention to dual narrative dynamics and make clear how this book, a sequel to my earlier Routledge book, can break new ground in its own way. The chapter will start with a reference to the spring 2021 issue of the prestigious American journal Style devoted to the discussion of my target essay “‘Covert Progression’ and Dual Narrative Dynamics,” an essay that constitutes a sort of summary of this book. The chapter briefly presents a number of issues discussed in this special issue, which sheds significant light on the originality of my theory of dual narrative dynamics and on what contributions this book can make to the field. It will also provide a short introduction to the following chapters.