Defining narrativity as the enabling force of narrative, this is the first full-length exploration in English of the concept. It develops the notion of a 'logic of narrativity', and by this means tries to contribute a new critical strategy to the field of narrative theory. The book also takes issue with a number of critical approaches which in recent years have acquired near-orthodox status in the matter of textual interpretation. Most prominent amongst these approaches are deconstruction and a particular form of Marxist criticism. The author's own theoretical claims are substantiated by readings of major twentieth-century novels by Conrad, Joyce, Flann O'Brien and Arthur Koestler and the book concludes with an analysis of an earlier narrative, Maria Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent, which illustrates the wider premisses of the theory and its applications.