Story Deconstruction

Story Deconstruction Guidelines (Adapted from Boje & Dennehy, 1993)


1. Duality Search. Make a list of any bipolar terms, any dichotomies that are used in the story. Include the term even if only one side is mentioned. For example, in male-centered and or male-dominated organization stories, men are central and women are marginal others. One term mentioned implies its partner.
2. Reinterpret the Hierarchy. A story is one interpretation or hierarchy of an event from one point of view. It usually has some form of hierarchical thinking in place. Explore and reinterpret the hierarchy (e.g. in the duality terms how one dominates the other) so you can understand its grip.

3. Rebel Voices. Deny the authority of the one voice. Narrative centers marginalize or exclude. To maintain a center takes enormous energy. What voices are not being expressed in this story? Which voices are subordinate or hierarchical to other voices (e.g. Who speaks for the trees?)?

4. Other side of the story. Stories always have two or more sides. What is the side of the story (usually a marginalized, under-represented, or even silent)? Reverse the story, but putting the bottom on top, the marginal in control, or the back stage up front. For example, reverse the male-center, by holding a spot light on its excesses until it becomes a female center In telling the other side, the point is not to replace one center with another, but to show how each center is in a constant state of change and disintegration.

5. Deny the Plot. Stories have plots, scripts, scenarios, recipes, and morals. Turn these around (move from romantic to tragic or comedic to ironic).

6. Find the Exception. What is the exception that breaks the rule that does not fit the recipe that escapes the strictures of the principle. State the rule in a way that makes it seem extreme or absurd.

7. Trace what is between the lines. Trace what is not said? Trace what is the writing on the wall? Fill in the blanks. Storytellers frequently use "you know that part of the story." Trace what you are filling in. With what alternate way could you fill it in? (E.g. trace tothe context, the back stage, the between, the intertext).

8. Resituate. The point of doing 1 to 7 is to find a new perspective, one that resituates the story beyond its dualisms, excluded voices, or singular viewpoint. The idea is to reauthor the story so that the hierarchy is resituated and a new balance of views is attained. Restory to remove the dualities and margins. In a resituated story there are no more centers. Restory to script new actions.