Textual Analysis and Textual Theory

TextualAnalysis and TextualTheory Session Five Søren Hattesen Balle English Department of Culture and Identity

Agenda • Introduction: the summary assignment for today and next time • Introduction: today’s session • Presentation: • point of view • imagery • Classroomdiscussion: • James Joyce, ”The Dead” (1914) • the thematicfunctions of point of view and imagery in Joyce’s story

Narrative: point of view • What do westudywhenwestudy point of view? • Whose ”version” of events arewepresentedwith? • Why has the authordecided to present uswiththatparticular version? • Howdoeshepersuadeus and aboutwhat by designing the point of view in a particularmanner? • The creation of sympathy and antipathy

Narrative: point of view • First person points of view Third person points of view

Narrative: first person point of view • Witnessorminor participant: e.g., DrWatson • Central character: e.g., Robinson Crusoe, Bridget Jones’sDiary • The self-consciousnarrator • The unreliablenarrator: e.g., The Great Gatsby

Narrative: unreliablenarration Sunday 19 March 8st 12, alchohol units 3, cigarettes 10, calories 2465 (but mainlychocolate). Hurray. Whole new positive perspectiveonbirthday. Have beentalking to Judeabout book she has beenreadingabout festivals and rites of passage in primitive cultures and am feelinghappy and serene. (Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones’sDiary, p. 81)

Narrative: self-consciousnarration • Digressions, incontestably, are the sun-shine ; ---- theyare the life, the soul of reading ; -- takethem out of this book for instance, -- youmight as welltake the book alongwiththem; -- onecoldeternalwinterwouldreign in every page of it ; restorethem to the writer ; ---- he steps forthlike a bridegroom, -- bids All hail ; brings in variety, and forbids the appe-tite to fail. • (Lawrence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of TristramShandy, Gentleman. Vol I, p. 163(1759))

Narrative: the third person omniscient point of view • The intrusive point of view • ”telling” • The narratorcomments and evaluateson events in his ownvoice • The unintrusive point of view • ”showing” • The narratordescribes and reportsobjectively

Narrative: the third person limited point of view • The narrator limits himself to what is thought, felt, perceived, and remembered by a single character • Freeindirectdiscourse (’represented speech orthought’)

Narrative: an example • MrBennetwas so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastichumour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twentyyears had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind waslessdifficult to develop. Shewas a woman of meanunderstanding, little information, and uncertaintemper. Whenshewasdisconcertedshefanciedherselfnervous. The business of her lifewas to get her daughtersmarried; itssolacewasvisiting and news.” (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, p. 53)

Narrative: an example ”He did not complain. It was the way of life, and it was just. He had beenbornclose to the earth, close to the earth had helived, and the lawthereofwas not new to him. It was the law of all flesh. Nature was not kindly to the flesh. She had noconcern for thatconctretethingcalled the individual. Her interestlay in the species, the race. Thiswas the deepestabstractionoldKoskoosh’sbabaric mind wascapable of, but hegrasped it firmly. He saw it exemplified in all life.” (Jack London, ”The Law of Life”, p. 973-74)

Narrative: an example ”MrsTulliverwaswhat is called a good-tempered person – nevercriedwhenshewas a baby, onanyslightergroundthan hunger and pins; and from the cradleupwards had beenhealthy, fair, plump, and dullwitted; in short the flower of her family for beauty and amiability. But milk and mildnessare not the bestthings for keeping, and whentheyturnonly a littlesour, theymaydisagreewithyoungstomachsseriously.” (George Eliot, The Millon the Floss)

Narrative: an example • When the door had closed Charlie Stowe tiptoedupstairs and gotinto bed. He wonderedwhy his father had left the house again so late at night and who the strangerswere. Surprise and awekepthim for a littlewhileawake. It was as if a familiarphotograph had stepped from the frame to reproachhimwithneglect. He rememberedhow his father had held tight to his collar and fortified himself withproverbs, and hethought for the first time that, while his motherwasboisterous and kindly, his fatherwasverylike himself, doingthings in the dark whichfrightenedhim.” (Graham Green, ”I Spy”, p. 537)

Narrative: imagery and symbol 1. Broadestdef.: All the objects and qualities of sense perception • Literaldescriptions • Allusions • The vehicles of similes and metaphors = motif 2. Broaddef.: Specificdescriptions of visible objects and scenes = motif 3. Narrowdef.: Figurative language – the vehicles of metaphors and similes (= 1.3)

Narrative: imagery and symbol • Public symbols (culturalspecificsignification and value) • Private symbols (writerspecificsignification and value, i.e. usedconsistently by a particularwriter)

Narrative: imagery and symbol

James Joyce, ”The Dead” (1914) • The third person point of view. • Howmany points of viewarewepresentedwith? • Why? • Howdoes the point of viewproducesympathyorantipathy? • Identify images and symbols in ”The Dead” • How do theyhelp to produce the theme(s)?

Textual Analysis and Textual Theory