Form- The novel takes the form of a metafiction narrative as the narrator is aware he is writing a novel. This is shown throughout the novel and is shown in chapter 1 says ‘only Gatsby the man who gave his name to this book’ showing that Nick is aware he is writing a novel which may create the effect of showing that Nick controls how the events of the story are told and so may not be an objective narrator as his opinion could have been blurred by the narrator’s opinion of the events. Characterisation- In chapter 1 we are introduced to many of the novel’s central characters. The first character we are introduced to is the novel’s first person intradigetic, retrospective narrator, Nick. Nick is first characterised as a trustworthy narrator as he says he is ‘inclined to reserve all judgements’ however the reader has to quickly judge whether this is true as Nick says Gatsby ‘represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn’ this signals to the reader that Nick may not be a reliable narrator as the reader will have to piece together some of the narrative for themselves as Nick may be
Through a close study of the narrative structure, relationships and detective fiction the reader will gain a better understanding of the distinctive elements of this novel. In the book “Curious” Mark Haddon has used an interesting narrative structure to convey the effects of Christopher Boone as the distinctive narrator. A distinctive feature we see in “Curious” is the use of Narrative Digressions. Haddon has structured this novel so that about every second chapter we see a Narrative digression which throws the story into pause and in these narrative digressions he goes into unneeded subjects such as Christopher listing all of his behavioural problems Christopher says “I used to think mother and father would get divorced” this digression had followed Ed Boone stating that he wanted to leave Swindon and live somewhere else. Christopher stating all these behavioural problems shows us his thought pattern.
The Stranger: Tone In Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, various rhetorical strategies are employed to more effectively enhance the novel. The main attitude the novel emits, the tone, dictates the way the piece is perceived by readers. The apathetic attitude radiating from the protagonist of the novel, Meursault, derives from the existentialist philosophy. This philosophy heavily focuses on indifference, detachment, and the irrationality of the universe. A sense of detachment is detected immediately at the start of the novel, when Meursault first hears word of his mother’s death.
Since “The Things They Carried” is a collection of short stories, it automatically has multiple meanings. For some the meaning may simply be viewed as a novel of one’s life during the Vietnam War, but it is in fact much more than that. This novel explores such topics as: love, war, relationships, and the reality of the things that not only the characters but we too carry. These meanings are not direct but after reading can be discovered. The next thing that qualifies this book as a classic is the fact that it uses effective, unique style appropriate to the purpose and content.
CUSTOMS AND BONDS A piece of writing, as in every form of art, is a manifestation of its creator. Authors include fragments of themselves, their history, and their experiences for either personal motive or simply to establish a moral connection with the reader. In The Custom House, Nathaniel Hawthorne's introduction to his novel The Scarlet Letter, an unnamed narrator establishes a connection with the reader through personal anecdote, history, and emotion. This anonymous customs officer is not Hawthorne himself, rather an idealized figment of the author's imagination, a vehicle to deliver personal motives and apprehensions. It can then be said that the purpose of this piece is to act as a bond to Hawthorne's past, present, and views toward his strong familial ties to an area so rich with religious fervor, giving a glimpse into the realities caused by his own family and past.
3. A The opening scene in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the setting of the sun going down over the sea as the narrator Marlow is riding on a ship I believe to be going to Africa based on the imperialism of the book. The setting of the sun is a symbol for both the British Empire and imperialism in general. Conrad’s choice of diction and imagery help set the stage for a beautiful scene but yet we know to be just the point of view of one man while others look towards a darker path. Conrad starts off this opening by saying, “The Nellie, a cruising yawl.” Which notably is the name of the ship and a description of how big and bold the ship is along with how it appears to maneuver.
In works ranging from fiction to nonfiction, plays to novels, and even pastoral to poetic, different literary techniques are implemented in different types of literature for the enrichment of each particular work. Of the numerous forms and styles utilized, a necessary style to any piece of literature is narration. Contingent on the particular form of the work, narration can either detract from or add to the overall piece. As we examine Kokoro, by Natsume Soseki, the novel’s use of first-person narrative will reveal the advantages and disadvantages that give the novel its distinct depth and form – the advantages being the understanding of, empathy towards, and relation to the character and the disadvantages being subjectivity and possible distortion of truth. We’ll also see that the primary narrator, the student, shapes the overall plot by emphasizing individualization.
Intro to Literature Dr. Jason Todd 7 November 2013 Darkness of Colonization Jason Conrad’s Heart of Darkness truly revealed the ugly truth of colonization. What allows us to get an even better perspective of what is going on is the fact that instead of telling the story through the eyes of the natives being oppressed and colonized, we see it through the eyes of Marlowe, a man who is working with the colonizers, allowing us to basically see things from the viewpoint of the oppressors themselves. The story being told this way also introduces the idea of “otherness” due to the fact that the colonizers see themselves so much better than the natives they are colonizing. (Achebe) This can easily be seen in the way that they treat them, in the stereotypical assumptions they make about them, and even in the way that they describe them. It may be this delusion of great superiority that causes the colonizers to believe that it is nothing wrong with them forcing their ways upon the natives.
The heart of darkness JOSEPH CONRAD Analysis Marlow’s story of a voyage up the Congo River that he took as a young man is the main narrative of Heart of Darkness. Marlow’s narrative is framed by another narrative, in which one of the listeners to Marlow’s story explains the circumstances in which Marlow tells it. The narrator who begins Heart of Darkness is unnamed, as are the other three listeners, who are identified only by their professional occupations. Moreover, the narrator usually speaks in the first-person plural, describing what all four of Marlow’s listeners think and feel. The unanimity and anonymity of Marlow’s listeners combine to create the impression that they represent conventional perspectives and values of the British establishment.
You don’t talk about fight club The short story “Fight Club” uses many different themes to portray what the narrator of the story is telling. The author, Chuck Palahniuk wrote this story as a fictional narrative and is written using a technique called in medias res where the reader is being put right into the middle of the story. While it is clear the story is being told from the perspective of one person, it is never made clear what the identity of the narrator is. The narrator is one of the main characters in the story along with another man named Tyler who would be considered the protagonist or main character. The narrator and Tyler are friends and it is between the two of them that the idea of Fight Club is invented.