The following term paper examines the text "Polarities" of Margaret Atwood using different types of focalization according to Gérard Genette and Mieke Bal. The work is based on Genette and Bal's theories, since Genette originally developed and coined the term focalisation and Bal revised and changed it to a large extent.
The first part of this thesis deals with the explanation of the three different focalization types according to Genette and the theory of Mieke Bal. The second part gives examples of text elements from the short story to show the different types of focalization according to Genette and Bal. In the third and last part a conclusion is presented, in which it is summarized, what the focalization types do with the reader and which advantages and disadvantages arise with the definition of the focalization types.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Defining Focalization
2.1 Gérard Genette’s Theory
2.2 Mieke Bal’s Theory
2.3 Difference between Genette and Bal
3. Focalization in `Polarities`
4. Conclusion
5. Works Cited
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This paper examines Margaret Atwood's short story 'Polarities' through the lens of narratological focalization theories, specifically comparing the frameworks established by Gérard Genette and Mieke Bal to analyze how these narrative techniques influence reader perception.
- Theoretical comparison of focalization models by Genette and Bal.
- Identification of internal focalization regarding the protagonist, Morrison.
- Analysis of external focalization applied to the character Louise.
- Investigation of the narrative's effect on reader empathy and interpretation.
- Evaluation of how shifting perspectives manipulate reader uncertainty regarding character stability.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Focalization in `Polarities`
The short story of Margaret Atwood’s ‘Polarities’ is about Morrison, an American professor who has just started working at a university in Canada. It’s about his own strange personality and his struggles with Everyday life and the love-her-love-her not relationship with his colleague Louise. The story is told by a personal narrator. A personal narrator is a mediating narrator and tells the story through a reflector. The reflector is a character who thinks, feels, perceives, but does not speak to the reader like a narrator (cf. Stanzel 16). This reflector is Morrison.
On the first page the narrator describes Morisson as "mind shambled from one thing to another, picking up, fingering, setting down" (Atwood 51). The personal narrator compares the relationship to Louise to Morrison’s general type of woman. Thus, the narrator knows something that only Morrison himself knows.
To Morrison […], she was a small model of kind efficiency he ought to be displaying more of. Perhaps that was why he had never wanted to touch her: he liked woman who were not necessarily more stupid but lazier than himself. Sloth aroused him: a girl’s unwashed dishes were invitation to laxity and indulgence (Atwood 51).
According to Genette, this section would be embedded the fixed internal focalization (cf. Ludwig 5). The definition of the focalization according to Bal is the “character bound focalization” (cf. Ludwig 9). The narrator lets the reader participate in the thoughts of the character, here illustrated by "perhaps [...] never wanted to touch her [...]" (Atwood 51). According to both theories, fixed internal focalization and character bound focalization, the reader learns more about the feelings and thoughts of the character. But not only does the reader feel closer to the characters, he can also identify with himself and question his personality. Morrison's point of view is not abandoned, it is about him and his thoughts. This makes the reading insightful and shapes Morrison as the main character of the story. There are a lot of other text passages which reflect the internal focalization.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the paper, detailing the intention to apply Genette’s and Bal’s focalization theories to Atwood’s short story to evaluate their impact on the reader.
2. Defining Focalization: This section provides the theoretical foundation, explaining the terminology and models of focalization as proposed by Gérard Genette and Mieke Bal, while highlighting their key differences.
3. Focalization in `Polarities`: This core chapter analyzes specific textual excerpts from Atwood's story, applying the previously defined concepts to demonstrate how internal and external focalization characterize the protagonist and the secondary characters.
4. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming how the strategic use of focalization directs the reader's empathy and shapes their subjective interpretation of character behavior.
5. Works Cited: This section lists the primary and secondary literary sources referenced throughout the analysis.
Keywords
Focalization, Gérard Genette, Mieke Bal, Margaret Atwood, Polarities, Narrative Theory, Internal Focalization, External Focalization, Point of View, Narrator, Reflector, Literary Analysis, Character Perception, Reader Response, Narrative Modes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores the narratological concept of focalization in Margaret Atwood's short story 'Polarities' and investigates how these narrative techniques affect the reader's experience.
What are the central thematic fields discussed?
The central themes are the definitions and applications of narrative theories by Gérard Genette and Mieke Bal, specifically internal and external focalization within a literary text.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine how the specific use of focalization regarding characters like Morrison and Louise influences reader empathy and the formation of character impressions.
Which scientific method is utilized?
The author uses a comparative and analytical approach, applying established narratological frameworks (Genette/Bal) to textual evidence in the short story.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers the formal definition of focalization, the differentiation between Genette's and Bal's theories, and a practical application of these theories to analyze Atwood's characterizations.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The primary keywords include Focalization, Narrative Theory, Point of View, Margaret Atwood, and Reader Response.
How does the author characterize Morrison through focalization?
Morrison is characterized through internal focalization, which allows the reader access to his thoughts, perceptions, and personal struggles, thereby establishing him as the story's focalizing anchor.
Why is Louise presented through external focalization?
Louise is presented through external focalization because the narrator provides no insight into her internal state, which enhances the story's ambiguity and supports the narrative impression that she may be losing her sanity.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2019, The effect of focalization on the reader in Margaret Atwood`s "Polarities", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1333710
