Narrative Questions Week 6 Term 1 6/3/25 Flashcards
What is non-linear narrative?
It is not in a chronological order. it jumping between past and present. laying events in a way that gradually reveals key moments
How is this applied to the novel?
“A boy at a radio in a school basement. A girl opening a wooden model of a city. Ten years later, bombings falling over Saint-Malo”
What is Prolepsis (flash forward) and Analepsis (flashback)?
Flash forward - A moment where the narrative jumps forward in time, providing insight in future-events
Flashback - A return to an earlier moment in the story, often revealing background
How is this applied to the novel?
“Saint Malo will be bombed to the ground in a week. But Marie Laure does not know this yet.”
What is Multiple Perspectives (dual narrative structure)?
Alternating between Marie-Lauren’s and Werner’s perspectives, giving an insight into their contrasting yet parallel experiences of war
How is this applied to the novel?
“Marie-Lauren listens to the distant voice on the radio. Somewhere, across a continent, Werner turns his receiver and hears her.”
What is internal focalisation?
refers to who experiences the story and how much they know - a key element of narrative voice determines how information is filtered to the reader
How is this applied to the novel?
“Marie-Lauren hears the rattle of gunfire outside. She cannot see, but she knows the city is burning.”
What is short, poetic chapters (pacing and rhythm)?
Sometimes only a few paragraphs long creating a sense of urgency and fragmentation
How is this applied to the novel?
“Bombs fall. The girl crouches. The boy listens.”
