Introduction to the analysis of narrative texts PDF

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Sommersemester 2019...

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Literary Studies: An Introduction to the Analysis of Narrative Texts 1. Basic FFe eatur atures es o off N Narr arr arrati ati ativve C Co ompos mpositio itio ition n

Novel -

Has a lot of subgenres classified according to subject-matter Education novel Crime novel Thriller Historical novel Science-fiction novel

Short story Characteristics: -

Narrative economy Careful selection Reduction and compression in the presentation of characters and the spatial and temporal frame(Rahmen) Concentration on the depiction(Darstellung) of individual events Tendency towards stylistic brevity and allusive(voller Anspielungen) prose

Question of narrativity What distinguishes the narrative text from other genres? Narrative theory/Narratology -

Focuses on the complex structures that constitute the narration of a story Give a precise, systematic and rational account of textual structures Are the foundation for the interpretation of narrative texts

Story vs. discourse -

Various levels of communication in the text Story: chronological sequence of narrated events (what is narrated?) Discourse: shaping of this material by the narrator (How is a story communicated narratively?) Fact: Story can be narrated in different ways, depending on the events selected, linguistic form and choice of narrative perspective etc. Analysis of discourse begins with the questions of who is narrating and from whose perspective the fictional world is presented

2. A Co Comm mm mmu unic nicati ati ation on M Mod od odel el for Narr arrativ ativ ative e TTexts exts exts:: Stor Storyyy-Ori Ori Orient ent ente ed Vs. Disco iscour ur urse-Or se-Or se-Orie ie iente nte nted d Narr Narratol atol atolog og ogyy Structure of communication -

Communication models provide a frame of reference for the analysis of narrative texts.

Extratextual level of communication

Levels and instances within the communication model -

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The model of communication for narrative texts is compatible with the binary distinction between the content level (story) and the level of narrative transmission (discourse). Here are three levels of communication. We can distinguish between the narrator and the historical author, as well as between the fictive addressee and the real reader of the narrative text

Embedded levels of communication -

How to identify an embedded narrative: At first there should be a transition from the level of narration to the narrative embedded within it Secondly, the inserted narrative should be subordinate to the other level, so that the two levels can neither be considered equal Thirdly, the superordinate and embedded narratives should be homogeneous to the extent that they both belong to the same category (in the case of a novel → category of fictional narrative)

Story-Oriented vs. Discourse-Oriented narratology -

Story-Oriented narratological approaches are concerned with the structure of the narrated tale, or with the question of what the narrative text depicts Approaches are classified as discourse-oriented, when they focus on how the level of narrative transmission, the structure of the plot or the temporal structure are fashioned in narrative texts

3. Char Charact act acter, er, Pl Plot ot and Narr arrate ate ated d Worl World: d: Categ Categor or ories ies in StoryStory-O Ori riented ented Narr Narraa tol tology ogy How sentences become characters (and narrated worlds) -

The characters and worlds created are generated by the information contained in the text, but also by the presuppositions (Voraussetzungen, Annahmen) and general knowledge of the recipient. → Recipient plays an important role in the process

Characterization -

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The terms used to describe explicit and implicit self-commentary and commentary by other characters in drama must be supplemented with categories that allow for further characterization by the narrator, who frequently contributes diverse kinds of information, commentaries and evaluations to the characterization Important: differentiate between a charact characteriz eriz erizaa tio tion n by tthe he n naa rr rrator ator and b byy anot another her ch chaa ra cter Further distinctions must be made by self-c self-char har haract act acterizatio erizatio erization n an and d char characteri acteri acterizatio zatio zation n by oth others ers ers, and between im implicit plicit an and d exp explicit licit ch chara ara aracteri cteri cterizatio zatio zation n Implicit and explicit: is character directly specified or must be specified by its behaviour

Character perspective and narrator perspective -

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Character perspective: spectrum of characteristics and attitudes of a particular character, and is composed of three elements→ knowledge of the character, its psychological disposition and values and norms Narrator perspective: our insights as readers into the psychological disposition, values and norms of the character

Story vs. plot -

Characters function as agents of the action Story: chronological sequence of events without consideration of casual events Plot: story is transformed into a plot, when the various events are also linked causally and logically to one another

Events -

Smallest plot unit Events propel (antreiben,vorantreiben) the action onward and bring about changes in the situation of the characters

Kernels vs. Satellites -

To classify the importance of one event within the plot Kernel (Getreidekorn) open narrative options Satellites refer to those events that merely embellish the central plot but not disrupt the logical sequence narrative

Beginning and exposition of novels -

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Beginnings are often with the birth of the protagonist (ab ovo beginning), somewhere in the middle of the action (in medias res), with the end of the story and gradually revealing the conditions to its beginning (in ultimas res) The exposition includes the information concerning time, place, characters and prehistory which is important for the understanding of the plot Distinguish between isolated and integrated exposition

Endings -

Closed → all problems solved Open→ conflict unsolved Expected ending → will be solved, to be continued Deus ex machina ending → unexpected intervention of an external agency, which has not been involved in the plot earlier

4. Char Charaa ct cteristics eristics of tthe he TThr hr hree ee ““Narrat Narrat Narrative ive Situati Situations”: ons”: Categ Categories ories of Dis Disco co course urse urse-Or -Or -Orient ient iented ed Narr Narratolog atolog atologyy I Terms for describing narrative transmission -

The structure of narrative transmission is described as “narrative situation” of a text

Frank K. Stanzel´s model of three typical narrative situations -

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Typology is based on “mode”, “person” and “perspective”, which can be divided further into the oppositions “narrator/reflector”, “first person/third person” and “internal perspective/ external perspective” The authorial narrative situation is characterized by the dominance of the external perspective The crucial feature (entscheidendes Merkmal) for the first-person narrative situation is an “identity of the realms of existence of the narrator and of the other characters” And the figural narrative situation is marked by the dominance of the reflector mode → person outside of the plot, but not omniscient

Criteria for identifying the narrative situation -

First you have to investigate the identity of the narrator Is the narrator involved in the action on the same level as the other characters? To tell this, one has to tell whether the narrated world is presented from the external perspective of the author or from the internal perspective of the characters involved in the action

First-person narrative situation -

Homodiegetic narrator The narrator is a first-person narrator, if he is inv involved olved in the narrated story Narrative I takes part in the action as a char charaa ct cter er or experien experiencing cing I Protagonist (I as a protagonist) or witness (I as witness) Has no insight in the other characters, no omniscient When they are not present they don’t have any information of the happenings or what is going on with the other characters

Authorial narrative situation -

Are situated outside the world of the character → no part of the story→ Heterodiegetic narrator Omniscient

Autodiegetic narrator: -

Homodiegetic narrator who is the protagonist of his/her own story

Privileges of the authorial narrator -

Insight in all happenings, thoughts etc. Omnipresence → knows everything but is invisible Temporal privilege → knows everything including the past, present and future

Figural narrative situation -

Fictional world is presented from the perspective of someone who is actually involved in the action, a “reflector” Not omniscient Narrating from the internal perspective, omniscient over the feelings of one character, which is like a medium

Storytelling frame vs. viewing frame -

Storytelling frame: Reader is given the impression of being told a story Viewing frame: Reader is given the impression of following the events through the eyes or experiential perspective

Hybrid forms -

Often between authorial and figural narrative situations

Historical development of the narrative situations -

Novels from the 16th through the 19th century were written in the first-person and authorial narrative situations Figural narrative situation developed out of the authorial narrative situation at the end of the 19th century

Dialogue novels -

Consist almost entirely of conversations between the characters reported in direct speech

Camera-eye technique - Impression that the narrator functions as a passive observer. Neutral and objective. ➔ Example for how media develops new narrative forms

5. Th The e str structu uctu ucture re of Narrat Narrative ive Tr Transm ansm ansmissio issio ission: n: Cat Categor egor egoriies of Dis Discoursecoursecourse-Orient Orient Oriented ed N Naa rr rratolog atolog atologyy II Narration vs. focalization -

Narration → narrative situation Focalization → point of view Is not optimal to differ the terms like this

Narrator vs. focalizer -

Differentiation takes into account that narrator and focalizer perform different functions Narrating and experiencing

Extradiegetic vs. intradiegetic narrators -

Extradiegetic refers to the narrative level, outside of the story Intradiegetic refers to characters who actually are in the story

Overt vs. covert narrator -

Overt: Narrator appears on the level of the narrative transmission as an individualised speaker and concrete persona. Covert: Narrator take the form of anonymous voice, reader has no information about him/her

Functions of the covert narrator -

Offer comments and value judgements on the perspectives and actions of the characters

Unreliable narrator -

Narrators who give the reader mistrust Reliability is compromised by their lack of knowledge, emotional involvement in the events and questionable norms and values

Signals for unreliable narrators -

Contradictions of the same event Contradictions in general Repeated occurrence of subjective comments Memory lapses

Gender of the narrator: feminist narratology -

Became a matter for consideration in both the approach to and the interpretation of literary texts

Fictive reader or narratee -

Overt narrator speaks to fictive reader

Focalization -

Non-verbal perception of the fictional world It encompasses all perspective, cognitive and emotional elements within the consciousness of the narrator or the characters

External focalization -

Subject is located on the level of the narrative transmission

Internal focalization -

Subject is located on the same level of the characters → if the focalizer is part of the story

Multiperspectivity -

Event, period or character is presented from two several different perspectives Happens when the narrative event is presented in different versions

6. Repr Representi esenti esenting ng Cons Conscio cio ciousness usness in Narr Narrati ati ative ve Representation of consciousness -

Way in which thoughts, feelings, perceptions and memories of the characters are mediated in narrative

Representation of consciousness in the three narrative situations -

First-person narrative: presentation of internal process Authorial narrators: have access to the internal process of all characters

Narrative modes for presenting consciousness -

Psychonarration→ third-person singular used, high level of narrator participation required Free indirect discourse→ character´s feelings and thoughts are generally reported in his or her own language Interior monologue→ mimetic form of presenting consciousness. First-person singular.

7. Categ Categories ories for tthe he R Repres epres epresentati entati entation on of Ti Time me and Sp Spaa ce Categories of representation of time -

Order→In chronological narrative the order of the narrative corresponds to the natural temporal sequence of the events. Discourse time→ Period of time required in order to narrate or read a text(or watch a film) Story time→ Temporal duration of the action that is narrated Dur Duration ation ation→ Relationship between discourse time and story time is important to analyse the duration.

Scen Scene e→match between story time and the discourse time. Example: Dialogue Stretc Stretch/Sl h/Sl h/Slow ow ow--down down→Discourse time is stretched to cover a greater expanse than the story time Sum Summary/ mary/ mary/Spee Spee Speeddd-up up up→ →Story is shortened up in discourse Ellipsis Ellipsis→ →Period of time which is left out between events Paus Pause e s→In narration when the story time stands still while the discourse time continues Frequency -

Singulative narration: individual events Repeating narration: several times Iterative narration: regularly but only narrated once

Presentation of place/space -

Place→ used primarily but not exclusively for drama Space→ used primarily but not exclusively for novel

Narrating techniques for representing space -

The most common: description, modes of presenting consciousness (narrative situation, focalization) and the use of various figurative tropes (metaphors, metonymy and synechdoche)

Functions of space -

Mood-invested space→ spaces and objects are expressive (atmospheric or symbolic) Space of action→ setting for the action Observed space→ panoramic overview...