Research on the Reconstruction of Narratology Theory and Methodological Innovation of Jingdezhen Ceramic under the Perspective of AI
List of Authors
Wenjing Zhang, Zaidie Chen
Keyword
AI-Driven Narratology; Jingdezhen Ceramics; Post-Human Narrative; Dynamic Narrative Field; Digital Material Culture; Algorithmic Complicity
Abstract
This study proposes a theoretical reconstruction of narratology for Jingdezhen ceramic studies, innovatively framed through the lens of Artificial Intelligence. Moving beyond a mere instrumental view of AI, it posits an epistemological shift that fundamentally reconfigures our understanding of ceramic narratives. The paper first critically deconstructs the limitations of classical and post-classical narrative theories in addressing the material, processual, collective, and embodied dimensions of ceramics. In response, it constructs a new core framework comprising three interconnected paradigms: a shift in ontology from "narrative as text" to "narrative as data ecosystem"; the conceptualization of a "post-human narrative subject" where agency is distributed across human-artisan, material, and algorithmic actors; and the model of a "dynamic narrative field" as an explorable, computational representation of Jingdezhen's cultural complexity. This theoretical foundation is coupled with a suite of non-empirical methodological innovations—including algorithm-aided "thick description," AI-enabled genealogical inquiry, extended virtual ethnography, and speculative design—designed to activate previously obscured narrative dimensions. The discussion rigorously examines the framework's significant theoretical contributions while foregrounding its inherent boundaries and ethical challenges, such as algorithmic opacity, data bias, and the reconfiguration of interpretive authority. The study concludes that this AI-catalyzed paradigm does not offer definitive answers but opens a new, responsible hermeneutic space, enabling a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of Jingdezhen ceramics as a complex, multi-agent narrative system. It represents a critical advancement in digital humanities and material culture studies.