Etymologically, narratology is a theory of narrative. Due to the popularization of the term by structuralist critics such as Gérard Genette and Mieke Bal in the 1970s, “the definition of narratology has usually been restricted to structural, or more specifically structuralist, analysis of narrative”. But in the 1980s and 1990s, the early structuralist analysis was to some extent neglected by poststructuralists. On one hand, they were “against the scientific and taxonomic pretensions of structuralist narratology”; on the other hand, they “open up new lines of development for narratology in gender studies, psychoanalysis, readerresponse criticism and ideological critique”. Now, narratology reverts to “the original structuralist core of the discipline”.
Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories which depict Irish people of middle- and lowerclass in the early twentieth century. As James Joyce said, “my intention was to write a chapter of the moral history of my country and I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis. […] I seriously believe that you will retard the course of civilization in Ireland by preventing the Irish people from having one good look at themselves in my nicely polished lookingglass”. Joyce makes use of “great skill both of observation and of technique” to present us an Irish society. According to Gerald Gould, “he [Joyce] has an original outlook, a special method, a complete reliance on his own powers of delineation and presentment”. Through the exploration into Joyce’s narratological techniques in Dubliners, we will have a better understanding of the series.
Based on this hypothesis, I will divide my term paper into three parts. First, I will build the theoretical framework. Three aspects are to be focused on: narrative, narrator, and point of view. Then I will analyze “Araby” - one of fifteen short stories in Dubliners, in terms of narrator and point of view, and illustrate how these narrative techniques contribute to emphasis of the paralysis and epiphany. Last but not least, I will make a comprehensive conclusion about my investigation of the narratology of “Araby”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Theoretical Framework: Narratology
2.1. Narrative
2.2. Narrator
2.3. Point of View
2.3.1 Omniscient Point of View
2.3.2 Limited Point of View
2.3.3 Camera Point of View
3. Narrator and Point of View in “Araby”
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Core Topics
This academic paper examines the application of narratological strategies in James Joyce's short story "Araby." It investigates how the shift between different narrative modes and perspectives—specifically the interplay between omniscient and homodiegetic narration—functions to construct the protagonist's experience of disillusionment, self-discovery, and the tension between romantic idealism and the reality of a paralyzed society.
- Theoretical foundations of narratology, narrative structure, and various types of narrators.
- Analysis of point of view categories including omniscient, limited, and camera perspectives.
- Examination of the boy-narrator’s personal perspective and his internal romantic development.
- Evaluation of the heterodiegetic narrator's role in emphasizing social paralysis and disillusionment.
- The role of "Araby" as a symbol of the friction between youthful fantasy and harsh societal reality.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Narrator and Point of View in “Araby”
In the opening paragraph of “Araby”, the heterodiegetic narrator, who is outside the world of the story, depicts North Richmond Street’s blindness, the garden’s barrenness and the priest’s worldliness. “An uninhabited house of two storeys stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground. The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces” (Joyce 25).The garden has only “a central apple-tree” and “a few straggling bushes” (ibid.); the priest had died and left behind some secular books, collected money and furniture. Through this depiction, the omniscient narrator emphasizes an atmosphere of decay, and self-absorption of neighborhoods. His rhetoric of ‘being blind’ is in fact an allusion of the vacuous lives of adults and the disillusionment of the boy’s romantic love. In addition, “set the boys free” hints at their lack of freedom (ibid.). This freedom is in effect the freeing of minds imprisoned by the paralyzed Dublin. There is hardly any such a freedom in Dublin. Through presenting the deadening atmosphere vividly to the readers, the narrator assumes a power of omniscience who has unlimited knowledge and authority.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces narratology as both a structural theory and a vital tool for literary study, while providing context on James Joyce's "Dubliners" as a portrait of early twentieth-century Irish life.
2. Theoretical Framework: Narratology: This section defines core narratological concepts, specifically the nature of narrative, the role of the narrator, and the distinct functions of omniscient, limited, and camera points of view.
3. Narrator and Point of View in “Araby”: This chapter analyzes how the specific narrative techniques identified in the theoretical framework are applied in Joyce's story to highlight the protagonist's journey from romantic idealism to disillusionment.
4. Conclusion: The concluding section synthesizes how Joyce’s narrative shifts between participation and observation serve to construct the boy's complex process of self-disenchantment within a decaying society.
Keywords
Narratology, James Joyce, Araby, Dubliners, Point of View, Narrator, Paralysis, Epiphany, Homodiegetic, Heterodiegetic, Romantic Idealism, Disillusionment, Literary Analysis, Narrative Strategy, Childhood
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work provides a narratological investigation into James Joyce's short story "Araby," focusing on how specific storytelling techniques shape the reader's understanding of the protagonist.
What are the central themes discussed in the study?
Key themes include the dichotomy between reality and romantic idealism, the paralyzing nature of social environments, the loss of childhood innocence, and the role of perspective in narrative.
What is the central research question?
The research explores how Joyce’s choice of narrators and perspectives contributes to the thematic emphasis on social paralysis and the epiphany of the protagonist.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author applies structuralist narratological analysis, examining the text through categories of narrative levels (extradiegetic/intradiegetic), participation (homodiegetic/heterodiegetic), and focalization (point of view).
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section analyzes the shift between the omniscient narrator and the homodiegetic boy-narrator, the use of limited point of view to convey personal desires, and the contrast between the romantic "chalice" imagery and the mundane reality of the bazaar.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Narratology, Point of View, Paralysis, Epiphany, and Disillusionment.
How does the narrator’s perspective change throughout the story?
The narrative shifts from an omniscient, heterodiegetic voice that establishes the setting's decay, to the homodiegetic perspective of the boy, which allows readers to experience his internal emotional arc and eventual disillusionment.
What significance does the author attribute to the "Araby" bazaar?
The bazaar represents a failed quest; it is portrayed not as a magical place but as a commercialized reality that shatters the boy's romanticized expectations.
How is the concept of "paralysis" linked to the narrative style?
Paralysis is linked to the narrative style through the bleak, observant descriptions of the heterodiegetic narrator, which contrast with the protagonist's futile, subjective attempt to escape his environment through romantic fantasy.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Nan Liu (Autor:in), 2014, An Investigation into the Narratology of James Joyce's "Araby", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/282211
