The expansion of the classic literary narrative towards an immersive experience and storytelling

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Predrag Sidjanin

 

The contemporary development of literary narrative is increasingly moving towards the expansion of traditional forms and their inclusion in the wider field of immersive experience and transmedia storytelling. While the classic novel is grounded in a linear, textually closed structure (Genette, 1980), today's forms of storytelling strive for a dynamic, interactive, and multimodal experience.

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In this context, the notion of immersiveness does not only mean the "immersion" of the reader in the fictional world (Ryan, 2001), but also multi-layered participation — emotional, cognitive and aesthetic. Digital technology and artistic practices of augmented reality (augmented reality, virtual reality) have enabled narrative to become an experience that transcends the boundaries of written text (Murray, 1997).

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The transition of literature from a linear, textual medium to immersive storytelling through virtual reality (VR) represents a significant evolution in narrative forms. While traditional text narrative creates mental images and spaces in the mind of the reader, VR offers a fundamentally different modality of experience – direct, spatial and immersive perception. This transformation raises new questions about the role of the author, audience participation and the essence of storytelling.

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Storytelling in the modern sense functions as a transmedia process, where the story is not confined to one medium, but develops through different platforms — literature, film, visual arts, digital games and performance (Jenkins, 2006). In this sense, the reader/user becomes a co-creator of meaning because he participate in the interpretation and connection of narrative segments that appear in different media environments.

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The main difference between the classic and the immersive approach lies in the elimination of mediation. In classical literature, the reader is an active participant in the process of deciphering symbols and creating a mental representation of the world of the story. VR, in contrast, moves the experience from the imaginative to the perceptual space. In a VR environment, the user is not just an observer, but an active entity within the narrative world. The narrative is not read, but experienced first-hand, and the spatial sounds, visuals and interactions with the virtual environment add to the sense of physical presence.

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Artistic and literary practices of recent decades testify to an increasing interest in "extended realities" of narratives, in which elements of fiction, science and philosophy are intertwined (Hayles, 1999). This is how the field between art and science emerges, where literature not only tells stories but also experiments with the very notion of reality, time and identity.

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This narrative transformation can be seen as part of a broader process of "remediation" (Bolter & Grusin, 1999), in which new media reshape and re-actualize old literary forms. While the novel remains the starting point, its expansion into immersive experiences and storytelling enables the creation of multi-layered worlds, which go beyond the classical boundaries of literature and enter the domain of interdisciplinary artistic research.

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This expansion of narrative space imposes new challenges for authors. Instead of solely manipulating words, authors must master the architecture of the story in three dimensions. Elements such as scenography, spatial soundscapes and interaction possibilities become key narrative tools. The concept of the "invisible author" gains importance, where narrative control is transferred from the words to the design of the environment. The narrative arc no longer relies solely on plot structure, but on how the user explores the world and creates their own path through the story.

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In this way, contemporary narrative is not only an aesthetic product, but also an ontological experiment: a space in which the limits of human experience and the potential of new forms of storytelling are questioned. VR as a new approach to storytelling is not a substitute for textual literature, but an extension of it. While literature remains a powerful tool for intimate introspection and inner dialogue, VR offers a collective, multisensory experience that changes the paradigm of interacting with a story. Hybrid models, which combine the depth of a literary text with the immersiveness of VR, open up new avenues for experimentation and redefine the boundaries of what a story can be.

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The case study as an experiment in the transformation of a literary narrative into a VR experience was done for the purposes of promoting the first novel of the 'Multilayered Reality' trilogy - SURPRISE MODE. The presentation was held on May 16, 2024 at the Bulevar Books bookstore in Novi Sad, Serbia. On that occasion, instead of the author reading parts of the novel, the audience had the opportunity to experience the narrative through an immersive experience, using Oculus VR equipment. One story from the novel, which relates to Picasso's dream and his work on the painting The Lady of Avignon, was prepared for VR as a desire to extend the textual narrative to the individual immersive experience of the audience present. The experience created as feedback from the audience resulted in a desire to further experiment in that direction. The team led by the signed author of this text, realized another VR experiment called 'Hamlet introspection'. In this VR work, Hamlet's rethinking, which he had in seven sequences in Shakespeare's play of the same name, is visualized. In that work, the VR user is at the same time Hamlet and the actor who plays Hamlet and the person who makes decisions about which segment of Hamlet's mental introspection to choose. The possibility of a non-linear narrative experience, which VR technology enables, is given here. More about this project, another time...

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References

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• Bolter, J. D., & Grusin, R. (1999). Remediation: Understanding New Media. MIT Press.

• Genette, G. (1980). Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method. Cornell University Press.

• Hayles, N. K. (1999). How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics. University of Chicago Press.

• Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. NYU Press.

• Murray, J. H. (1997). Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Free Press.

• Ryan, M. L. (2001). Narrative as Virtual Reality: Immersion and Interactivity in Literature and Electronic Media. Johns Hopkins University Press.