Edith Wharton's "The Writing of Fiction" explores narrative techniques crucial for crafting compelling stories. Focused on her short story "Roman Fever," this essay delves into Wharton's emphasis on narrator control, concealment, and strategic revelation of story elements. Wharton advocates for revealing insights through specific fragments, constructing a captivating whole and maintaining audience interest.
Examining "Roman Fever," the essay argues that Wharton skillfully connects narrative construction with gradual character secret disclosure. The story unfolds on a Roman terrace, concealing secrets until a climactic revelation involving American women Grace Ansley and Alida Slade. Selected passages illustrate Wharton's deliberate shaping of perspective, emphasizing her preference for withholding closure.
The analysis centers on Wharton's use of an omniscient narrator and internal focalization on Alida Slade, exploring how the narrative voice mediates content, controlling readers' perspectives on events and characters. The essay delves into the intricacies of the second story construction, providing a detailed examination.
The goal is to draw insightful conclusions about Wharton's narrative techniques and their impact on temporal disclosure. This exploration promises readers a deeper understanding of Wharton's literary craftsmanship and an enriched appreciation for the interplay between narrative perspective and storytelling construction in "Roman Fever."
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Narrative Construction of "Roman Fever"
- Omniscient Narration and Internal Focalization
- First and Second Story
- Conclusion
- Works Cited
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This seminar paper analyzes the narrative techniques employed in Edith Wharton's short story "Roman Fever" to examine how the story's central secrets are concealed and disclosed. The paper explores the connection between Wharton's narrative construction and the temporizing revelation of the characters' hidden truths. It focuses on how the narrator's perspective shapes the reader's understanding of the events and characters.
- Narrative Construction in "Roman Fever"
- Omniscient Narration and Internal Focalization
- The Role of the First and Second Story
- Temporal Disclosure of Secrets
- The Significance of the "Surprise Ending"
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction examines Wharton's ideas about narrative techniques in her nonfiction work, "The Writing of Fiction." It introduces the central thesis of the paper, which argues that Wharton deliberately uses narrative construction to control the revelation of secrets in "Roman Fever."
Chapter 2 focuses on the narrative construction of "Roman Fever." It discusses the use of omniscient narration and internal focalization, particularly how the story primarily follows the internal perspective of Alida Slade. The chapter analyzes how this narrative strategy contributes to the delayed disclosure of the crucial secret, Grace's past relationship with Delphin Slade.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key focus of this paper lies on the use of narrative techniques in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever," specifically the role of omniscient narration, internal focalization, and the manipulation of temporal disclosure in the story. It explores the impact of these elements on the reader's understanding of the characters' secrets and the overall narrative arc.
- Quote paper
- Kim-Cheyenne Greiner (Author), 2015, Narrative Perspective in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1440770
