Ever since McEwan's first publications, his work has received considerable attention from critics and scholars. Thus, it is not surprising that McEwan has been awarded with a number of prizes for his work and that he has been praised to be one of the leading representatives of the young generation.
Despite the extraordinary praise of McEwan's work, it has been discussed most controversially. The fact that he often engages taboo subjects like masturbation, incest, regression, child abuse, dismemberment, sadism-masochism etc. earned McEwan the reputation of an author who writes to shock his audience. McEwan himself appears to be surprised about these attributions and objects them.
However, it seems to be undisputable that the narrations are extremely shocking but it seems that not only the choice of topics is responsible for the extreme response to McEwan's narrations. In my opinion, the shock value of McEwan's narrations is mainly caused by his particular way to present these topics. In keeping with this, I consider the form of McEwan's narrations to be as important as their content. McEwan seems to experiment with the employment of perspectives, subjective perspectives in particular. In fact, it can be argued that he taps the full potential of the employment of subjective perspectives in his narrations as the reader is confronted with the subjectivity of perspectives on all levels of textual communication. In my opinion, McEwan's most outstanding accomplishment is his ability of depicting subjective perspectives in all consequence. The absence of morality in many of McEwan's narrations, for example, which is usually regarded as an underlying topic, can also be seen as a result of depicting consistently a specific subjective perspective. Therefore, this paper will examine the subjective perspectives in McEwan's narrations in all detail.
The nature of the subjective perspective has not been examined at large in narratology, although parts of this issue have been discussed thoroughly e.g. "unreliable narration", "perspectives" or the "subjective novel", etc. An applicable structure for analysing the subjective perspective on all levels of textual communication is inexistent so far. However, such a structure is required for analysing the subjective perspectives in McEwan's narrations and therefore it will be developed in the frame of this thesis. This new developed structure could also prove to be valuable in textual analysis in general.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 The Thematic Focus
1.2 Outline
2. Narratological Context and Terminology
3. Subjectivity in Narration
4. Unreliability in Narration
5. Subjective Perspectives in Narration
5.1 Story-Internal Perspectives
5.1.1 Intrapersonal Dimension of Subjective Perspectives
5.1.2 Interpersonal Relation of Subjective Perspectives
5.2 Perspectives on the Mediation Level
5.3 Perspectives on the Textual Level
5.3.1 The Textual Perspective
5.3.2 The Perspective of the 'Implied Reader' or the Recipient's Role
6. Subjective Perspectives in Ian McEwan's Narrations
6.1 Intrapersonal Dimension of Perspectives
6.1.1 Aspects of the Intrapersonal Dimension of Perspectives
6.1.2 Morality and the Ordinariness of Actions
6.2 Interpersonal Relation of Perspectives
6.2.1 Understanding Other Perspectives
6.2.2 Misunderstanding Other Perspectives
6.2.3 No Understanding of Other Perspectives/Isolation
6.3 Subjective Perspectives on the Other Communication Levels
6.3.1 Mediation Level -> Level of Fabula
6.3.2 Textual Level -> Mediation Level
6.3.3 Reliability of Perspectives on the Textual Level
7. Conclusion
Research Goals and Themes
The primary aim of this work is to examine how Ian McEwan utilizes subjective perspectives across different levels of textual communication to create the characteristic shocking effect in his narratives. The research seeks to establish an analytical structure for these subjective perspectives, arguing that their coherent and consistent depiction is as crucial to the narratives' impact as their frequently repugnant content.
- Theoretical examination of subjectivity and unreliability in narrative structures.
- Development of an analytical framework for story-internal, mediation, and textual levels of communication.
- Analysis of intrapersonal dimensions, including morality and the ordinariness of actions in McEwan's characters.
- Exploration of interpersonal relations, specifically focusing on understanding, misunderstanding, and isolation.
- Investigation into how the textual perspective and the reader's role influence the perception of reliability.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction
The quality of [McEwan's] prose is so high that it is easy to sustain interest throughout many readings. It is terse, dry and evocative of powerful emotions. His grammar is meticulous, his words precise and his style direct. When writing about his work, it is almost impossible to précis anything without losing most of its impact, and one can seldom do better than quote paragraphs wholesale. (Byrnes, 2002: 1)
Ever since McEwan's first publications, his work has received considerable attention from critics and scholars. Malcolm claims that he is "certainly one of the most noteworthy of contemporary authors." (Malcolm, ix) The flood of reviews that welcome every one of his new publications and the number of publications about his work seem to acknowledge that most critics and scholars share this opinion.
Thus, it is not surprising that McEwan has been awarded with a number of prizes for his work. He received, for example, the Sommerset Maugham award for First Love, Last Rites (1976), the Evening Standard award for his screenplay "The Ploughman's Lunch" (1983), the Whitebread Prize for Fiction (1987) and the Prix Fémina Etranger (1993) for The Child in Time, and the Germany's Shakespeare Prize in 1999. Enduring Love was shortlisted for the Whitebread Prize in 1997, as were The Comfort of Strangers and Black Dogs for the Booker Prize for Fiction. In 1998, McEwan finally won the Booker Prize for Amsterdam. Atonement received the WH Smith Literary Award (2002), the National Book Critics' Circle Fiction Award (2003), the Los Angeles Times Prize for Fiction (2003), and the Santiago Prize for the European Novel (2004). For his novel Saturday, he won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2006.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes McEwan's literary success and controversial themes, setting the stage for an analysis focused on his formal employment of subjective perspectives rather than just his choice of topics.
2. Narratological Context and Terminology: This chapter establishes the theoretical foundation by defining key narratological terms and introducing a communication model that highlights the distinction between the levels of fabula, mediation, and text.
3. Subjectivity in Narration: This chapter defines subjectivity and explores the subject-object opposition, arguing for a moderate constructivist approach where perceived reality is central to understanding the "subjective novel."
4. Unreliability in Narration: This chapter re-examines the concept of unreliability, moving away from a narrator-focused definition towards a structural perspective where unreliability is determined by textual signals and the reader's role.
5. Subjective Perspectives in Narration: This chapter develops an applicable structure for analyzing subjective perspectives across different levels of textual communication, specifically addressing story-internal, mediation, and textual levels.
6. Subjective Perspectives in Ian McEwan's Narrations: This chapter applies the developed framework to McEwan’s canon, analyzing the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of his characters and evaluating their reliability on higher communication levels.
7. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the main findings, confirming that McEwan's consistent use of subjective perspectives across all levels of communication is fundamental to the disquieting effect his work has on readers.
Keywords
Subjective Perspective, Ian McEwan, Narratology, Unreliable Narration, Textual Communication, Fabula, Focalization, Mediation Level, Textual Level, Subjectivity, Reader's Role, Isolation, Compromisable Reality-Model, Literary Analysis, Postmodern Literature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic work?
The work primarily investigates the narrative technique of subjective perspective in Ian McEwan's prose, specifically examining how this technique contributes to the shocking and disquieting nature of his novels and short stories.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The research covers narratology, the philosophy of subjectivity, the theory of unreliable narration, and the analysis of literary textual communication systems.
What is the primary objective of this thesis?
The main objective is to develop a structural instrument to analyze how subjective perspectives function on different levels of narrative communication and to demonstrate that the shocking effect of McEwan's work arises from this formal narrative technique rather than merely from his controversial subject matter.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The thesis utilizes a narratological approach based on a structural analysis of textual communication, drawing upon models such as those of Mieke Bal and Ansgar Nünning, while adapting them to include a focus on the reader's role and the textual perspective.
What is treated in the main part of the work?
The main part systematically applies the developed analytical framework to McEwan's texts, examining the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of his characters, their isolation, and the evaluation of their reliability through mediation and textual levels.
What key terms characterize the thesis?
Key terms include "compromisable reality-model," "subjective perspective," "textual perspective," "recipient's role," "intradiegetic narrating authorities," and "unreliable narration."
How does the work explain the "shock value" in McEwan's stories?
The author argues that the shock value is not merely due to the repugnant topics (like incest or violence), but is primarily caused by the consistent, unwavering adoption of highly subjective perspectives that force the reader to experience events without the mediation of traditional moral norms.
What specific role does the 'recipient's role' play in this analysis?
The recipient's role is defined as a construction that presets an emotional attitude toward the narrative. The analysis shows that when this preset attitude is challenged or violated by the narrative, the reader experiences unreliability, which is a crucial mechanic in McEwan's storytelling.
- Quote paper
- Eva Maria Mauter (Author), 2006, Subjective Perspectives in Ian McEwan's Narrations, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/94392
