Topic Three (1.3): Narration
Introduction
A ‘narrative’ is a story, and a story must be told by someone. The narrator (the person who tells the story) is therefore very important, because how they tell the story and what they include or leave out will govern how we relate to it.
There are many different kinds of narrator: first, second and third-person, omniscient, limited and unreliable, to name just a few. Sometimes they may be characters in the story; sometimes they are on the outside looking in; sometimes we trust them; sometimes we read between the lines to piece together the ‘truth’ of the story. Sometimes multiple narrators are used, and the writer will shift from one perspective to another in order to create a more developed understanding of the story (look out for this in Small Island, later on). Sometimes the story will be told, in part or wholly, through letters or diaries.
The choices a writer makes about who is telling the story and how they tell it are central to our understanding of any prose text and narrative voice is something you should always identify in any prose text you analyse.
This is a really important topic and contains some complex concepts and ideas, so read the materials that follow very carefully and make sure you understand each idea before moving on.
Read and Make Notes
- Read Chapter Three, ‘Narration’ on pages 26 to 42 in Mastering English Literature and make very careful notes.
- Pay close attention to new terminology and definitions.
Tasks
- A common choice for writers is third-person narrative, but even this can be broken down into further categories. Read the following article and add to your notes.
READ – Third-Person Point of View (ThoughtCo) Links to an external site.
- First-person narrative is another popular perspective in fiction. The following article is written for aspiring writers but gives a good overview of the strengths and weaknesses of this form. Read it and add to your notes.
- Second-person narrative is very rare in fiction, but it’s an interesting concept to reflect on when understanding the importance of narrative voice. The following article considers why it is a tricky form to work with. Read the following and add to your notes. (Please note you do not have to read the parts concerned with non-fiction texts).
- Free indirect discourse is a more complex narrative style. Read the following resources and make notes:
READ – Free Indirect Discourse (The English Review) Download READ – Free Indirect Discourse (The English Review)
Consolidate
- The following passages are all taken from the openings of prose texts.
- Read each one and make brief notes on the kind of narrator used, what this adds to the effects and the story and what we understand about the character(s) and narrator(s) from the narrative style.
READ – Extract from Persuasion (1818) by Jane Austen (Novel)
READ – Extract from Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker (Novel)
READ – Extract from ‘Miss Brill’ (1920) by Katherine Mansfield (Short Story)
READ – Extract from The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger (Novel)
READ – Extract from ‘The Company of Wolves’ (1979) by Angela Carter (Short Story)
READ – Extract from Bright Lights, Big City (1984) by Jay McInerney (Novel)
Stretch Activity
- The following three passages are taken from novels renowned for their experimental and unusual styles.
- If you’re interested in extending your understanding of narrative voice even further, try reading each one and making brief notes on the kind of narrator(s) used in each, what this adds to the effects and the story and what we understand about the character(s) and narrator(s) from the narrative style.
READ – Extract from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) by James Joyce (Novel)
READ – Extract from The Waves (1931) by Virginia Woolf (Novel)
READ – Extract from A Clockwork Orange (1962) by Anthony Burgess (Novel)
- Note that in the final extract, there are words you will not understand, as Burgess invented his own language – ‘Nadsat’ – for the characters! You could look these terms up online, but you don’t actually have to understand them to complete the exercise; it’s more important to consider the overall effect of the narrative voice and how this draws the reader in.
- If you are interested in finding out more about Nadsat, you may like to read more below, but this is NOT compulsory!
EXPLORE – Nadsat (Wikipedia) Links to an external site.
Terminology
Make sure you understand any new literary terminology covered in this topic. You may like to make flashcards of key terms now, to help you with revision later on.