Narratology 3

Question 1

focalization

Answer 1

= encompasses all perceptive, cognitive and emotional elements within the consciousness of the narrator or characters
= to identify: generally identify the subject of the verbs of perception, thinking, feeling and remembering –> if verbs refer to the narrator: focalization external ; if verbs attributed to the characters: internal focalizer

Question 2

Forms of focalization

Answer 2

zero focalization:
- narrative perspective can’t be attributed to someone in particular or has no restrictions

external focalization:
- focuses only on characters’ action or behavior, excluding feeling or thinks

internal focalization:
- locates perspective within a characte, limiting perspective this character’s thinking + feeling
- can vary between:
° fixed focalization which is restricted to one + the same perspective throughout the narrative
° variable focalization which presents different scenes trough different perspectives
° multiple focalization which invites comparison between several perspectives of the same event

–> external + internal can be mixed

Question 3

Representing a character’s mental processes + verbal utterances

Answer 3

• “Narrator has different options to represent a character’s mental processes + utterances, which can be ordered along a line that ranges from (diegetic) telling to (mimetic) showing”
• narrator thus has a choice between different forms of revealing character’s inner lines

1) narrative representation of character’s words + thoughts:
- siehe pictures notes

2) interior monolog:
- faithfully quotes the character’s thoughts
- narrative mediation gives way to the character’s psychological associations
- gives readers immediate + unfiltered insight into a person’s mind

3) Stream of consciousness:
- term was coined by William James + refers to the unbroken flow of perceptions, memories + thoughts
- while interior monologue relates a character’s thoughts as coherent, fully formed sentences, as if the character’s talking to him or herself, stream of consciousness seeks to portray the actual experience of thinking, in all its chaos + distraction

Question 4

Time

Answer 4

(pictures in notes)

• narrator has many options to shape the story my manipulating the temporal duration, order + frequency of relating story elements
• the duration of narrative (Erzählzeit) results from the relationship between the discourse time (Erzählzeit) + the story line (erzählte Zeit)
  ° discourse time covers the length of time that is taken up by the telling (or reading) of the story
  ° story time is the sequence of events + the length of time that passes in the story
  –> organization of time/order of narrative can be:
  ° chronological
  ° anachronic (non-chronological)
  ° flash forward (prolepsis)
  ° flashback (analepsis)
  ° circular