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By definition, the narrative is recounting of a story through the presentation of events in some logical or orderly way. ...
David Lodge in The Art of Fiction, discusses the narrative structure. He states, that:
The structure of the narrative is like the framework of griders that holds up a modern high-rise building: you can’t see it, but it determines the edifice’s shape and character. The effects of a novel’s structure, however, are experienced not in space but over time- often a long time (“The Structure of the Narrative” 216).
The narrative technique include such matters as the choice of the narrator and the narrative situation, selection and variation of perspective, and voice (or point of view), implied narrative medium, linguistic register (for example, the choice between colloquial and formal language), and the techniques such as “free indirect discourse” (Jeremy Hawthorne 87).
Having established the basic meaning of narrative and its function in a literary work, it remains to be applied. ... S. Byatt’s Booker winning prize Possession: A Romance, is the work to be examined at hand. ... Possession is one such case. ... What narratives basically do is that they inhabit and create and overlook events in a number of places to the extent that the narrative could turn into a different narrative, change focus and give a different perspective of the characters presented, according to the reader. ...
As attempt an answer to the question, what are the many narrative forms that takes place in Possession, the following points may serve insightful:
1. Byatts Possession, presents narrative as a concept which structures perception, action, and language. ... Byatts novel presents several intertwining narratives: Romance, Quest, Chase and Race. However, within these narratives are others, one being Byatts discussion of critical theory and its place or function in the narratives which structure reality. ... We cannot help imposing the narrative structures of the present on our interpretation of past events, because we have no way of exiting our positions in the present and entering subjectivities reconstructed with other forms of knowledge. ... Possession examines the intertextuality of our constructions. ... It gives them a context within the construction of reality. ... They become integral parts of the construction of reality, of our subjectivities and our narratives. ... Even though Christabel attended séances, was a member of the Vestal Lights and professed to have some powers of "scrying," no one thought to consult a medium to contact Christabel or Ash. This sort of investigation is not a legitimate means of investigating the past because it does not produce concrete evidence or evidence considered legitimate by other scholars, thus it is not part of the narrative of their investigation. However, we might think of the possession of Maud and Roland by the spirits of Christabel and Ash as a form of communication. ... Critical theory can draw attention to narrative as a structure; it can examine that structure and through examination perhaps change it somewhat.
Approximate Word count = 2413
Approximate Pages = 9.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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