In this thesis Ansgar Nünning's concept of multiperspectival narration is applied to Ian McEwan's Atonement in great detail. Hence, the thesis is of interest to everybody who is concerned with "perspective" or "multiperspectivity" in narrations as well as students of Ian McEwan's work.
In post-modern english literature, Ian McEwan has received considerable attention from critics and scholars and his writing is certainly most noteworthy. In his best-selling novel "Atonement", McEwan employs a multitude of subjective perspectives which is not only a key element for suspense and understanding the plot but also an instrument of reception control. In order to gain access to the narrational strategies of the novel and for a deeper understanding of McEwan's perfect controll of narratological and stylistic devices, Ansgar and Vera Nünning's concept to analyze multiperspectivity in narration is applied to "Atonement".
Although A. and V. Nünning's concept augments modern narratology with an extraordinary instrument to analyze perspectivity, it lacks application so far. Ian McEwan's "Atonement" provides an excellent field for exploring multiperspectivity. So this essay will use A. and V. Nünning's categories in order to analyze the structure of perspectives and its controlling functuin in McEwan's "Atonement".
Therefore, the general concept of A. and V. Nünning concerning multiperspectivity is introduced at first. It is necessary to have a close look at forms of multiperspectivity and the single perspectives first in order to analyze the structure of perspectives 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 more detail.
Then, this concept is applied to Ian McEwan's narration Atonement. Before the structure of the perspectives is explored in the paradigmatic and the syntagmatic dimension, the forms of multiperspectival narration in Atonement are stated. The various strategies to control the reception are summerized and the first impression of the effect of multiperspectivity in Atonement is briefly described.
This in-depht analysis of Ian McEwan's "Atonement" with A. and V. Nünning's concept of multiperspectivity establishes a fundamental comprehension of McEwan's use of perspectivity in narration and provides the reader with a profound narratological background for the understanding of "Atonement".
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Multi-perspectival Narration
2.1 Forms of Multi-perspectival Narration
2.2 Single Perspectives
2.3 Structures of Perspectives
2.3.1 the Paradigmatic Dimension
2.3.2 the Syntagmatic Dimension
2.4 "Perspektivensteuerung" – Control of the Reception/Controlling Strategies
2.4.1 Closed or Open Structure
2.4.2 "Integrationsfördernde und synthesestörende Strategien der Perspektivensteuerung" – the Controlling Strategies Support or Disrupt the Synthesis
2.4.3 Framing
2.5 Effect of Multi-perspecivity
3. Multi-perspectival Narration in Atonement
3.1 Forms of Multi-perspectival Narration in Atonement
3.2 Single Perspectives in Atonement
3.3 Structure of the Perspectives
3.3.1 the Paradigmatic Dimension
3.3.2 the Syntagmatic Dimension
3.4 Control of Reception/Controlling Strategies
3.5 Effect of Multi-Perspectivity in Atonement
4. Closing Words
Research Objectives & Key Themes
This essay explores the structural organization and controlling functions of multi-perspectival narration in Ian McEwan's novel "Atonement," utilizing categories established by A. and V. Nünning to analyze how different perspectives shape reader reception and narrative authority.
- Theoretical framework of multi-perspectival narration and Nünning’s classification categories.
- Application of paradigmatic and syntagmatic dimensions to analyze narrative structure.
- Control of reader reception through strategies like framing and the closed/open nature of perspectives.
- Evaluation of character reliability, authority, and the role of the narrator in creating a confessional atmosphere.
- Analysis of how the novel's framing chapters influence the interpretation of "fact" versus "fiction."
Excerpt from the Book
The Explicity of the Narrator
The intradiegetic narrator of the whole story is the aged Briony which only becomes apparent in the last chapter "London, 1999". This last chapter is an I-narration and Briony's position as author of the previous parts and the act of narrating itself reveals herself as a "self-conscious narrator". As the first three parts are focalized and focalizers apparently cannot be aware of the act of focalizing the question can only be whether the aged Briony as narrator of the whole story becomes apparent inside the focalized parts.
This is actually the case in chapter "Thirteen" of the first part. Some statements clearly cannot belong to the twelve year old Briony but to the older, experienced Briony, e.g.: "Within the half hour Briony would commit her crime." (156) From the perspective of the twelve year old girl Briony cannot judge her action as a crime nor can she see that she trapped herself: "[…] she marched into the labyrinth of her own construction, and was too young, too awestruck, too keen to please, to insist on making her own way back." (170) Another statement belonging to the perspective of the experienced Briony is the prediction that she will be haunted for years (167). The interference of the narrator is only discernible in the retrospective as the reader is, while reading the first parts, not aware of the existence of a narrator.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the focus of the study: applying Nünning's categories to analyze the structure of perspectives and the controlling functions within Ian McEwan's "Atonement."
2. Multi-perspectival Narration: This chapter establishes the theoretical foundation by defining forms, single perspectives, structural dimensions, and reception-controlling strategies of multi-perspectival texts.
3. Multi-perspectival Narration in Atonement: This chapter applies the previously defined categories to McEwan's novel, analyzing the paradigmatic and syntagmatic dimensions of the character perspectives and their influence on the reader.
4. Closing Words: This chapter summarizes the findings, concluding that while young Briony’s perspective is unreliable and discredited, the aged narrator's presence creates a confessional atmosphere that drives the novel's "atonement" theme.
Keywords
Atonement, Ian McEwan, Multi-perspectivity, Nünning, Narratology, Focalization, Paradigmatic Dimension, Syntagmatic Dimension, Controlling Strategies, Framing, Unreliable Narration, Authorial Authority, Reception Theory, Confessional Atmosphere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental subject of this academic paper?
The paper examines how multi-perspectival narration is structured and used in Ian McEwan's novel "Atonement" to control reader reception and establish narrative themes.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in the text?
The study covers narratological theory, specifically the categorization of perspectives (paradigmatic and syntagmatic dimensions), the reliability of focalizers, and the influence of narrative framing on the reader's interpretation of the plot.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The goal is to apply Ansgar and Vera Nünning’s narrative categories to "Atonement" to prove how the novel uses multi-perspectivity to construct a confessional atmosphere and explore the impossibility of achieving true atonement.
Which scientific method is employed by the author?
The author employs a narratological analysis, using the categorical framework provided by A. and V. Nünning to break down the text into forms, structural dimensions, and controlling strategies.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body focuses on the forms of multi-perspectival narration, the paradigmatic dimension (quantity, reliability, authority), the syntagmatic dimension (hierarchic, quantitative, and temporal relations), and the strategies of reception control including framing.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
The study is best characterized by terms such as Multi-perspectivity, Narratology, Focalization, Reception Control, Reliability, and Authorial Authority.
How does the framing of the novel affect the reader's view on reality?
The framing chapters, especially the final one, create a dissonance between the internal narrative events and the authorial meta-commentary, forcing the reader to constantly re-evaluate what constitutes "truth" within the fictional world.
Why is young Briony considered an unreliable character?
Young Briony is unreliable due to her limited perspective, naivety, and subsequent misinterpretation of adult interactions, which are explicitly questioned and discredited by the older, "superordinate" narrator in later parts of the book.
- Quote paper
- Eva Maria Mauter (Author), 2004, Multiperspectival narration in Ian McEwan's "Atonement", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/68235
