Multiperspectival narration in Ian McEwan's "Atonement"

  Introduction  

  Introduction  2

1.  Introduction  3

2.  Multi-perspectival Narration  4

2.1  Forms of Multi-perspectival Narration  4

2.2  Single Perspectives  6

2.3  Structures of Perspectives  6

2.3.1  the Paradigmatic Dimension  7

2.3.2  the Syntagmatic Dimension  8

2.4  Perspektivensteuerung Control of the Reception Controlling Strategies  11

2.4.1  Closed or Open Structure  11

2.4.2  Integrationsfördernde und synthesestörende Strategien der  

  Perspektivensteuerung the Controlling Strategies Support or Disrupt the Synthesis  12

2.4.3  Framing  13

2.5  Effect of Multi-perspecivity  14

3.  Multi-perspectival Narration in Atonement  16

3.1  Forms of Multi-perspectival Narration in Atonement  16

3.2  Single Perspectives in Atonement  17

3.3  Structure of the Perspectives  17

3.3.1  the Paradigmatic Dimension  17

  Conclusion of the Paradigmatic Dimension  28

3.3.2  the Syntagmatic Dimension  29

  Conclusion of the Syntagmatic Dimension  33

3.4  Control of Reception Controlling Strategies  33

3.5  Effect of Multi-Perspectivity in Atonement  36

4.  Closing Words  37

Appendix   41

  2  

Multi-perspectival Narration in McEwan's Atonement

1. Introduction

Sieht man einmal ab von einigen Studien zu einzelnen Autorinnen und Autoren […], so mangelt es […] im Hinblick auf viele AutorInnen und Romane an fundierten Untersuchungen, die die Formen und Funktionen von multiperspektivischem Erzählen unter Rückgriff auf erzähltheoretische Kategorien charakterisieren. Dieses Defizit betrifft sowohl Klassiker des polyphonen Erzählen […] als auch viele zeitgenössische englischsprachige AutorInnen (von Julian Barnes und Antonia S. Byatt über Ian McEwan und Iris Murdoch bis zu Fred D'Aguiar, […]). (A. and V. Nünning, 35)

In this way the following essay will use Nünning's categories in order to analyse the structure of perspectives and its controlling function in Ian McEwan's Atonement.

Therefore I will introduce the general concept of A. and V. Nünning concerning multiperspectivity in chapter two. It is necessary to have a close look at forms of multiperspectivity (2.1) and the single perspectives first (2.2) in order to analyse the structure of perspectives (2.3) which are explored in the paradigmatic and the syntagmatic dimension. Even if the structures of perspectives may function already as a controlling strategy, control of reception will be explained in 2.4 more detailed. In this chapter mainly three strategies will be shown: the open or closed nature of the structure of perspectives, supporting or disrupting strategies of reception control and framing. The concepts about framing are extracted from Werner Wolf's essay "Multiperspektivität: Das Konzept und seine Applikationsmöglichkeit auf Rahmung in Erzählwerken."(2000, 79-109).

In chapter three these concepts will be applied to Ian McEwan's narration Atonement, which is an excellent example for multi-perspectivity in narrations. The forms of multi-perspectival narration in Atonement will be stated in 3.1. The single perspectives in 3.2 will be omitted in order to spare the reader repetitions, which would necessarily occur. The reasons for this procedure are stated there. In 3.3 the structure of the perspectives will be explored in the paradigmatic and the syntagmatic dimension (3.3.1 and 3.3.2). Whereas usually the different aspects will be looked at in a general summerizing way the aspects of "Extent of Authority" and "Extent of Reliability or Credibility" will need to distinguish further between the different focalizers.

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The various strategies to control the reception will be summerized in 3.4, and in 3.5 I will describe briefly the first impression of the effect of multi-perspectivity in Atonement.

2. Multi-perspectival Narration

In their essay "Von 'der' Erzählperspektive zur Perspektivenstruktur narrativer Texte: Überlegungen zur Defintion, Konzeptualisierung und Untersuchbarkeit von Multiperspektivität" 1 A. and V. Nünning claim that multi-perspectival narration is a field of great importance which has been neglected so far:

Obgleich es sich beim multiperspektivischen Erzählen um ein erzähltheoretisch und kulturgeschichtlich gleichermaßen faszinierendes Phänomen handelt, besteht wohl bei kaum einem anderen Aspekt narrativer Texte ein ähnlich eklatantes Mißverhältnis zwischen der großen Bedeutung, die den jeweiligen Darstellungsverfahren auf der 'Objektebene' literarischer Werke zukommt, und dem Mangel an adäquaten Beschreibungsmodellen auf der literaturwissenschaftlichen 'Metaebene' wie bei dem Thema 'Multiperspektivität'. (Nünning, 4)

Therefore they name definitions and define categories, which might be helpful in the process of analyzing a multi-perspectival narration.

2.1 Forms of Multi-perspectival Narration

In order to categorize forms of multi-perspectival narration Ansgar and Vera Nünning state three basic forms of multi-perspectival narration:

- multi-perspectively narrated texts

- multi-perspectively focalized texts and

- multi-perspectively structured texts.

In multi-perspectively narrated texts the underlying events are narrated or commented on by at least two distinct narrators. In multi-perspectively focalized texts the different perspectives become apparent through at least two different "focalizers". 2 Multi-perspectively structured texts consist of at least two different types of texts, e.g. added newspaper articles, letters,

1 In "Multiperspektivisches Erzählen", ed. by A. a. V. Nünning, Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, 2000. S. 4-38. 2 A "focalizer" carries the perspective from whose point of view and level of information a story is narrated in a third-person-narration. Wolf calls it "figuraler diegetischer Perspektiventräger" and translates it as "focalizer". Wolf: 2000, 85.

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extracts from dictionaries, etc. These basic forms may be mixed. Multiperspectively structured texts hardly ever appear in their pure form, but usually consist of a multi-perspectively narrated or a multi-perspectively focalized structure.

These three basic forms of multi-perspectival narration can be further classified according to various characterisations. For multi-perspectively narrated and multi-perspectively focalized texts it is important to notice, whether the narrator or focalizer is part of the story – "intradiegetic" – or outside the story on a different level – "extradiegetic". Furthermore A. and V. Nünning distinguish, between bi-perspectively and poly-perspectively narrated or focalized texts.

These parameters do not apply to multi-perspectively structured texts. These are divided according to the fictional or non-fictional character of the texts and to the range of the selected genres ("homomorph" or "heteromorph", Nünning, 45). "Homomorph" structured texts consist of material belonging to the same or similar genres whereas "heteromorph" structured texts link material of various genres.

Concluding these classifications the following diagram illustrates the range of forms of multiperspectival narration:

extradiegetic bi-perspectively narrated

intradiegetic poly-perspectively focalized

________________________________________________________________

fictional "homomorph"

non-fictional

As a consequence, not to mention the various possible mixed forms, A. and V. Nünning distinguish 12 distinct basic classifications of multi-perspectival narration.

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2.2 Single Perspectives

A single perspective can be either a narrator perspective, a focalizer perspective or a

perspective of a fictitious recipient ("fiktiver Adressat", 51). Narrator perspective or focalizer perspective depends upon the fact if this perspective of the story is narrated or focalized. The recipient perspective is usually only of interest in stories in which the reader is explicitly mentioned or addressed or his existence is implicitly assumed. This is quite often the case in framed stories or when the narrator obviously functions as an agent between story and reader. (vg. Nünning 48-51) But at first it will be looked at the narrator or focalizer perspectives.

In order to explore single perspectives the following features have to be taken into account:

1. "den Informationsstand der Figur",

2. "die psychologische Disposition der Figur",

3. "die Werte und Normen der Figur" (Nünning, 48f)

These features can be found in the texts by looking into

- statements of the character (narrator or focalizer),

- his actions,

- the information given by the narrator or focalizer authority ("Erzählerinstanz"),

- and how other figures of the story characterise that character. 3

With this information about a character its perspective may be described to a point of classification.

2.3 Structures of Perspectives

The structure of the perspectives has to be examined in order to classify and to value the single perspectives. Therefore the single perspectives are to be fitted into the paradigmatic axis of selection ("paradigmatische Achse der Selektion", Nünning 52ff) and into the syntagmatic axis of combination ("syntagmatische Achse der Kombination", Nünning 55-60).

3 "Bei der Rekonstruktion der Figurenperspektiven sind sowohl die sprachlichen Äußerungen der Figuren im Dialog und deren Handlungen als auch alle von der Erzählerinstanz und durch Bewusstseinsdarstellung vergebenen Informationen über die Figuren zu berücksichtigen. Im Hinblick auf die Rekonstruktion der Perspektivenstruktur kommt allen Dialogäußerungen bzw. Repliken, die sich auf andere Figuren beziehen, insofern ein doppelter Informationswert zu, als sie neben der expliziten figuralen Fremdcharakterisierung immer zugleich implizit Aufschluss über die Disposition und Werte derjenigen Figur geben, die eine andere in einer bestimmten Weise charakterisiert." Nünning, 51.

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2.3.1 the Paradigmatic Dimension

The paradigmatic selection of single perspectives is concerned with a variety of parameters, which are:

- "der quantitative Umfang des Perspektivenangebots" – the quantity of perspectives

- "die Breite des Spektrums der Figurenperspektiven" – the range of perspectives

- "Grad an Konkretisierung der Figurenperspektiven" – the extent of specification

- "Maß an Ausgestaltung der Erzählerperspektive" – the explicity of the narrator

- "Grad an Repräsentativität" – the extent of individuality or collectivity

- "Grad an Zuverlässigkeit oder Glaubwürdigkeit" – the extent of credibility/reliability

- "Grad an Autorität" – the extent of authority (Nünning, 52ff) The quantity of perspectives gives a first hint to the complexity of the work. Whereas a small number of perspectives does not necessarily assure a less complex structure of the text, a high quantity though will most certainly guarantee a complex structure.

The range of perspectives defines the variation of the perspectives concerning the social, cultural, ethnical, religious and historical background including sex and age of the focalizers/narrators. The breadth of this spectrum conveys more about the paradigmatic structure than the pure quantity of perspectives.

The extent of specification informs about how detailed a character perspective is depicted concerning the level of information, the psychic disposition and the values and norms of the character.

Of great interest is the explicity of the narrator. The main difference in this matter is if the narrator himself is put into concrete terms or only the act of narrating ("self-conscious narrator"). On the other hand a narrator perspective can be very concrete without the narrator being aware of narrating. 4 Quite often the narrator undertakes the task of correlating the subordinate perspectives of the characters and guides the recipient.

The extent of individuality or collectivity describes how representative a perspective is in the context of a greater social group inside the fictional world and to what extent it corresponds to collective ideas, values and norms. Individual perspectives which contrast

4 This usually is the case in focalizer perspectives, which A. and V. Nünning unfortunately do not explore in this context.

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greatly to the general or collective view indicate a plurality of realities ("Wirklichkeitsmodelle").

The extent of reliability or credibility of a narrator/focalizer largely affects how a recipient values the statements, judgements and the fictional facts of this narrator/focalizer. In this subject matter is included the field of "unreliable narration" 5 . Still, concerning multiperspectival narration the reliability of a narrator/focalizer may influence the weight of its perspective. A recipient might be lead to build his opinion on the judgements of the more reliable figures.

The extent of authority measures to what extent the character is authorised and accepted inside the fictional world or by the recipient.

2.3.2 the Syntagmatic Dimension

The syntagmatic dimension is concerned with assignment and correlation of the perspectives which can be contradictory or correspondent. A. and V. Nünning examine the following variety of relations between the different perspectives:

- "hierarchische Relationierung der Perspektiven" – hierarchic relation

- "quantitative Relationierung der Perspektiven" – quantitative relation

- "syntagmatische Relationierung der Perspektiven" – syntagmatic relation

- "temporale Relationierung der Perspektiven" – temporal relation

- "lokale Relationierung der Perspektiven" – local relation

- "informationsmäßige Relationierung der Perspektiven" – relation regarding the status of information

- "normative Relationierung der Perspektiven" – normative relation

- "inhaltliche Relationierung der Perspektiven" – relation regarding the content (see Nünning, 55-60) The hierarchic relation

The perspectives may be organised on an equal level or they may be related in a status of superordination and subordination. (When a perspective is arranged on the same level as all the other perspectives than they are equally levelled.) Superordination or subordination is the case when a perspective is arranged on a higher or lower communication level, e.g. in framing. Usually internal focalizers are on a lower level than the superordinate narrator.

5 see Nünning, Suhrkamp, Zerweck (ed.): "Unreliable Narration. Studien zur Theorie und Praxis unglaubwürdigen Erzählens in der englischsprachigen Erzählliteratur." Trier: WVT, 1998.

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