Lecture 10. Types of Narration

Lecture 7. Types of Narration and Compositional Forms

• I. Types of narration.
• 1. The author’s narrative;
• 2. The entrusted narrative;
• 3. The dialogue;
• 4. The interior speech: a) inner/interior monologue;
• b) short insets of interior speech
• 5. Represented speech:
• a) inner RS;
• b) uttered RS

• II. Compositional forms
• 1) Narrative proper (dynamic)
• 2) Description (static)
• 3) Argumentation (static)

1. The author’s narrative (the 3d person narrative) :

• A work of creative prose is never homogeneous as to the form and essence of the information it carries. Naturally, it is the author who organizes this effect of polyphony.
• Functions
• To unfold the plot;
• To characterize personages;
• To describe the time and place of actions;
• To create images

Third person narrative, limited

• Third person limited is where the narrator describes events in third person grammar but as if seen through the eyes of only one character (hence "limited"), the protagonist.
• The narrative will include the thoughts and feelings of only the protagonist, while other characters are presented externally. Since the reader learns the events of the narrative entirely through the perceptions of the protagonist, anything that the protagonist cannot perceive must be excluded from the narrative otherwise it "breaks" the point of view. Because of this, third person limited is sometimes called the "over the shoulder" perspective.
• Sh. Bronte “Shirley”, D.H.Lawrence “Sons and Lovers”,
• S. Maugham “Theatre”, R. Bradbury “451 Farenheit”

Third person, omniscient/dramatic

• An omniscient narrator is also disembodied; he takes no actions and has no physical form in or out of the story. But he witnesses all events, even some that no characters witness. The omniscient narrator knows all things past, present and future - as well as the thoughts of all characters.
• As such, an omniscient narrator offers the reader a bird's-eye view about the story. The story can focus on any character at any time and on events where there is no character. The third-person omniscient narrator is usually the most reliable narrator;
• This was common in the 19th century, as seen in the works of Jane Austen, W. Thackeray or George Eliot.