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Narrative Techniques
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AZS210 : TMA01 Amutha Lechmee PI : U7481766 Question “Jane Austen ‘shows’ readers the clues for interpretation through the use of dialogue, free indirect speech and focalization whereas Turgenev ‘tells’ the reader what to think through his preference for direct narrative.” In an essay of not more than 1600 words, discuss i) How far the quotation above applies to the two passages below AND ii) How narrative presentation affects your reading of each heroine (Elizabeth Darcy and Anna Sergeevna) as both reassess their potential suitors in the passages. Authors often adopt various characterization techniques in their endeavor to enhance the reader’s understanding of the characters in a story. A writer can either use the ‘telling’ method to tell what happens, describing emotions and reactions of characters or use the more dramatic, ‘showing’ method which allows reader interpretations through ‘seeing’ and ‘hearing’ characters act and speak for themselves. At the beginning of the passage from Pride and Prejudice the narrator (using Elizabeth as the ‘focalizer’) is ‘telling’ the reader about Elizabeth’s reaction towards the Gardiner’s perception of Darcy’s character. We are also privy to Elizabeth’s reluctance to help clarify their wrong perception at this point in time. AZS210 : TMA01 Amutha Lechmee PI : U7481766 Following this is a dialogue by Mrs Gardiner, and here the ‘showing’ technique is used. Her speech shows her perception of Darcy, having met him for the first time. It also shows Mrs Gardiner’s willingness to change the initial opinion she had of Darcy hitherto. Her speech also reveals her to be a more perceptive person, in contrast perhaps to Mrs Bennet. Then, the combined use of free indirect speech and direct narration in the third paragraph works to tell the reader of Elizabeth’s emotional response to Mrs Gardiner’s opinion about Darcy, in particular, regarding his ill-treatment of Wickham. The effect created by the ‘telling’ technique here, helps to quickly appease the reader’s anxiety of expecting Elizabeth to share with the Gardiner’s the truth she has recently learnt about Darcy. Moreover, a touch of irony is also evident here when we remember how once Elizabeth would have been very forthcoming with a negative opinion of Darcy and a favourable one of Wickham! More ‘telling’ follows in the passage in the form of indirect speech and direct narration as the narrator gives us a brief account of Mrs Gardiner’s reaction to Elizabeth’s revelation, “Mrs Gardiner was surprised and concerned.” Thereafter we are told of Mrs Gardiner’s AZS210 : TMA01 Amutha Lechmee PI : U7481766 preoccupations for the rest the day at Pemberly. The final paragraph, the passage begins with direct narrative and ends with Elizabeth’s focalization that tells us of her increasing admiration for Darcy, “she could do nothing but think, and think with wonder, of Mr Darcy’s civility….”.
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