grand narrative

— 1991 [Routledge], David Bernstein, 7: Grand Narratives, David Wood (editor), On Paul Ricoeur: Narrative and Interpretation, 2002, Reprint, Taylor & Francis (Routledge), page 102, Grand narratives, or meta-narratives as they are sometimes called, are second-order narratives which seek to narratively articulate and legitimate some concrete first-order practices or narratives. Typically, a grand narrative will make reference to some ultimate originating principle or ultimate telos; it will seek to place existing practices in a position of progress toward or regress from the originating principle or ultimate end.