Abstract

By imagining postclassical narratology in general and transmedia narratology in particular from Gilles Deleuze’s and Félix Guattari’s philosophical “rhizome” concept, transmedia narratology can be considered an extensive and inevitable “rhizome” of narratology during the age of globalization and digital media. The flexibility, multiplicity, decentralization, and cross-genre medial frontiers of transmedia narratology are thus emphasized. On the basis of several classical theoretical works on transmedia narratology, I introduce several critical terms in this field (i.e., medium, intermediality, and remediation) and then analyze the mechanism and role of the transmedia practices of primary and secondary narratives in regenerating simulations and hyperrealities according to French theorist Jean Baudrillard’s interpretations. Transmediality can either strengthen or weaken the aura of originality or create an aura of againess. This article tentatively proposes a theoretical and methodological framework of transmedia narratology based on some Vietnamese artistic practices. In addition to Ryan’s critical theoretical works on transmedia narratology, this article uses other theories, including adaptation theory and intersemiotic translation, as its main theoretical frameworks.