Style, Vol. 51, No. 2, 2017. Copyright © 2017 he Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Delving into the Narratological “Toolbox” Concepts and Categories in Narrative heory Paul Dawson University of new soUth wales aBstraCt: Narrative theory is habitually characterized as a “toolbox” or “toolkit” for the analysis of narratives. What does the prevalence of this metaphor tell us about the disciplinary aspirations of narratology? Whether explicitly or not, whenever the narrato- logical toolbox is invoked it operates as a methodological or metadisciplinary statement. This article traces diferent uses of the metaphor to establish how narratology has con- structed its disciplinary history and situated itself in relation to broader directions in literary and cultural studies, before addressing some of the paradoxes and limitations the reliance on this metaphor give rise to, particularly concerning the role of interpre- tation. It seeks to clarify our understanding of the methodological procedures involved in narratological analysis by distinguishing between theoretical concepts and formalist categories, and it addresses this distinction in the context of debates about the ontology of iction. KeyworDs: narrative theory, narratology, interpretation, close reading, ontology One of the most common ways to characterize narrative theory is that it ofers a “toolbox” for the analysis of narratives. I ind this to be an egre- giously banal dead metaphor, but what is interesting is how the prevalence of this metaphor tells us much about the disciplinary aspirations of narratol- ogy itself. his is because every time the narratological toolbox is invoked it operates as a methodological or metadisciplinary statement. Hence, in this article I plan to trace diferent uses of the metaphor to establish how narra- tology has constructed its disciplinary history and situated itself in relation to broader directions in literary and cultural studies, before addressing some of the paradoxes and limitations the reliance on this metaphor give rise to, particularly revolving around the role of interpretation. Ultimately, I hope to clarify our understanding of the methodological procedures involved