Selected Narrative Techniques in James Joyce's 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'

Trabajo de Seminario , 2007 , 12 Páginas , Calificación: 1,7

Didáctica de la asignatura Inglés - Literatura, trabajos

In James Joyce’s novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" a variety of narrative techniques is used. In this research paper I want to explore how the use of different narrative techniques correlates with and indicates the protagonist’s development towards both an artist and an autonomous adult.
Except of the concluding diary entries, the novel is narrated by a third-person narrator who has got a limited point of view since he is focalized through Stephen. The narrator presents Stephen’s consciousness and activities in various ways; an important aspect about his narration is that he persistently adapts his style to Stephen’s idiom and mood. In some passages the narrator reports almost objectively on events, however, often he renders Stephen’s consciousness, for which he uses different narrative techniques.
Since Dorrit Cohn is thought to be one of the most important researchers on the field of narrative techniques concerning the presentation of consciousness, I will base this research paper on her definitions. Cohn distinguishes three ways a third-person narrator can use for rendering a person’s consciousness: psycho-narration, narrated monologue and quoted interior monologue, all of which are used in the novel. I will focus on psycho-narration and narrated monologue since these are the techniques predominantly used. Psycho- narration is the narrator’s description of a character’s thoughts and feelings, thus, it is the most indirect way of rendering a character’s consciousness. The third-person reference and the tense of narration are maintained. The presence of a narrator is marked since a verbum dicendi is always used. Narrated monologue uses the third person singular and the preterite as well; however, at the same time the syntactical structure remains that of direct discourse with exclamations, questions, repetitions, interjections and exaggerated emphases. The effect of narrated monologue is to reduce as far as possible the distance between the narrator and the character existing in all third person narrations. Since psycho- narration and narrated monologue use a third-person narrator and the same time span, the two techniques can alternate without perceptible transitions. As a result, the narrator can weave in and out of the character’s thoughts and the distance between narrator and character can be eliminated.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• The Sermons and Their Consequences as Mirrored in the Narrative Techniques
  • The Fragmentation of Narration During the Sermons and Stephen's Reactions towards Them
  • Psycho-Narration After Stephen's Confession
• Techniques of Presenting Consciousness During the Creation of the Villanelle
• Stephen's Dialogue with Cranly
• The Concluding Diary Entries
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This research paper explores the correlation between the use of different narrative techniques and the protagonist's development towards both an artist and an autonomous adult in James Joyce's novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The paper focuses on the techniques of psycho-narration and narrated monologue, analyzing how their use changes as Stephen matures and how these changes reflect his artistic journey.

• The impact of the sermons on Stephen's development and his struggle between church and modern life
• The role of narrative techniques in presenting Stephen's consciousness and its fragmentation
• The transition from traditional narrative modes to diary entries as a reflection of Stephen's search for his own writing style
• The relationship between the use of different types of writing (sermons, poems, diary entries) and Stephen's artistic growth
• The evolution of Stephen's autonomy and artistic aim as indicated by the changing narrative techniques and writing styles

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter analyzes the section where Stephen experiences the sermons and his reactions to them. This passage is crucial for Stephen's development as it highlights his internal conflict between religious dogma and his emerging artistic aspirations. The chapter examines how the fragmented narration, characterized by frequent shifts between objective description, psycho-narration, and narrated monologue, mirrors Stephen's own fragmented consciousness and his struggle with the church's influence.

The second chapter focuses on the final chapter of the novel, where Stephen has already decided to become an artist. It analyzes the creation of the villanelle, Stephen's dialogue with his friend Cranly, and the concluding diary entries. The chapter explores how the narrative techniques employed in these sections reflect Stephen's growing autonomy and artistic vision. It also examines how the shift to diary entries in the end signifies Stephen's search for his own unique writing style.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The key words and focus themes of the text include narrative techniques, psycho-narration, narrated monologue, consciousness, fragmentation, Stephen Dedalus, artistic development, autonomy, sermons, villanelle, diary entries, writing style, James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

• Universidad: University of Münster
• Calificación: 1,7
• Autor: Stefanie Jansing (Autor)
• Año de publicación: 2007
• Páginas: 12
• No. de catálogo: V130207
• ISBN (Ebook): 9783640362028
• ISBN (Libro): 9783640362356
• Idioma: Inglés
• Etiqueta: Selected, Narrative, Techniques, James, Joyce, Portrait, Artist, Young