DECONSTRUCTING NARRATIVE AUTHORITY IN CONTEMPORARY FICTION THROUGH A POSTSTRUCTURALIST LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE POWER OF SOUND AND DISCURSIVENESS

Abstract

This research aims to deconstruct the concept of narrative authority in contemporary fiction through a critical synthesis of poststructuralist literature that discusses the relationship between sound and discursive power. Departing from a critique of the classical narrative paradigm that places the narrator at the center of epistemic meaning and authority, this study examines how contemporary literature conceptualizes narrative authority as a fragmented discursive construct. The method used is  a  non-Systematic Literature Review (non-SLR) literature review with a qualitative-theoretical approach to Scopus indexed journal articles relevant to issues of voice, narrative, discourse, and power. Data were analyzed through in-depth reading and thematical-critical analysis to identify conceptual patterns, theoretical tensions, as well as paradigm shifts in the understanding of narrative authority. The results show that narrative authority is not attached, but rather emerges as a relational effect of language practice, performativity, materiality, influence, and silence. Voices are positioned as the negotiating locus of discursive power, rather than as a stable source of narrative truth. This study concludes that the synthesis of poststructuralist literature allows for the formulation of deconstructive frameworks of narrative authority that go beyond traditional narrative approaches. The contribution of this research lies in strengthening the understanding of narrative as an arena of epistemic and political conflict in contemporary literary studies.