Retrospective First Person Narrative is the telling of a story from the main character's persepective, looking back on a life gone by. Both Hartley and Salinger employ this narrative structure.
The effects of this are:
A question over reliability
Ironic positioning - the audience are able to see through the narrow-mindedness; or limited perspective of the protagonist; a closer relationship formed between protagonist and reader (or, potentially the reverse)
The reader becomes analytical
A stronger sense of character
Can you see any examples of this in 'The Go-Between'?
The First Person, in the case of Leo, is an honest character. In Chapter 12 his obsession over order comes out further with his distress over the lack of symmetry created by the spire against the horizon. He suggests that if he moved he would likely find a position that offered the symmetry he seeks, however he doesn't. But why doesn't he?
Does this moment show that his perspective is narrow or limited, or even flawed?
Can you find any other examples of flawed perspective in the novel?
Add your ideas/responses in the comments box below and attempt to support your work with both quotation from the text and views from the quotations previously supplied.
The effects of this are:
A question over reliability
Ironic positioning - the audience are able to see through the narrow-mindedness; or limited perspective of the protagonist; a closer relationship formed between protagonist and reader (or, potentially the reverse)
The reader becomes analytical
A stronger sense of character
Can you see any examples of this in 'The Go-Between'?
The First Person, in the case of Leo, is an honest character. In Chapter 12 his obsession over order comes out further with his distress over the lack of symmetry created by the spire against the horizon. He suggests that if he moved he would likely find a position that offered the symmetry he seeks, however he doesn't. But why doesn't he?
Does this moment show that his perspective is narrow or limited, or even flawed?
Can you find any other examples of flawed perspective in the novel?
Add your ideas/responses in the comments box below and attempt to support your work with both quotation from the text and views from the quotations previously supplied.
Analytical - Leos reference to Ingre's and Goya's when thinking back to Mrs Maudsley can be explored by the reader. Their styles express an idyllic version of women, but Goya also painted dark and grotesque figures, so with intertextuality, we can identify Leo's link between her 'dark lustrous eyes' and the artist's work.
ReplyDeleteUnreliability - the beginning of chapter 2 demonstrates Leo's recognition of, upon reflection, his confusion between fact and visual accounts that are 'like the landscape of a dream'. Perhaps this is a pre-warning to the reader of his unreliable memories, consequently forcing us to question certain truths among the story.
Ironic positioning - this books audience has the ability to perceive Marian differently to Leo, who is immediately charmed by Marcus's statement, 'My sister is very beautiful', giving him a second hand impression which taints his initial meeting. Nonetheless, he describes her romantically with 'eyes...so deep and liquid', and 'hair...bright with sunshine', so much so that he's easily 'confused' by the 'idea of beauty', in ways of cloaking her own existence. But through Leo's limited perspective, the reader is given attributes such as 'hawklike' and 'hooded' which give her a slightly animalistic overtone, similar to that of a predator hunting. Irony is also shown in the atropa belladonna; the reader can easily associate it with Marian's deceiving intentions, and Leo identifies that 'every part of it is poisonous', yet he doesn't see this side reflected in Marian unlike how we can.
The point around the artists is a worthy one.
ReplyDeleteCertain truths??? Such as??? 'among' really?
Ironic positioning - yes. Leo's retrospective narrative isn't a reflective process, it's a re-living of events interspersed with rhetorical moments. At no point does he suddenly declare: 'if only I had realised I was being USED and neither Marian or Ted cared a jot for me'. You might say that his redicscovery of these memories is as much a journey for him as it is the reader, thought the reader is able to appreciate the foreshadowing of events.
Read your comment back to yourself Jodie - for syntax. Well done! First again! Stamp for you.
I'm sorry for not picking out specific examples that could be questioned on their reliability!! Probably didn't want to bulk it up too much (if you want one you could say that he unnecessarily glorifies the purchase of clothes into a 'spiritual transformation', due to the admiration he receives from adults - also aristocrats - having a great impact on his childish outlook, when really he's just wearing new material).
ReplyDeleteI didn't obsess over this to be a perfect essay, just ideas being laid out!
And also I wasn't finished..
I love this idea Jodie (apropos the clothes). Does he only please the adults then because he looks the part?
DeleteInterestingly Leo clearly veers off from the lack of symmetry created due to the spire, and thinks of the 'enormous cloud' which none he 'had ever seen'. Perhaps this suggests his character is willing to forget or abandon challenges towards his beliefs, in order to pursue that of mystery and things of the unknown. This is reflected by his inquisitive attributes, shown for example by his first conversation with Trimmingham.
ReplyDeleteYes, great - I can't remember if you were there for the spire lesson. The spire is referred to using phallic language, making the cloud a phallic object, metaphorically, too. It shows up his confusion and inquisitiveness around sex and 'spooning'.
DeleteYeah I missed that lesson bu you briefly explained that point to me :) so thought I'd pop in something else for variety.
Deletethat took me 3 attempts to write because I kept clicking something and losing it
ReplyDeleteYou get a sweet.
DeleteIn the Go Between we see a more subtle unreliability to Leo's narration, compared to the Catcher in the Rye where Holden's unreliability is more evident as it becomes the main focal point; whereas Leo's is subtly dropped within sentences and is mainly brushed off. We notice his sudden change into a narrative from when he is young Leo to when he is an old man, which in some cases helps us notice his confusion or lack of ability to remember the full story, thus giving us a reason to question his reliability as a narrator.
ReplyDeleteWe find that Leo's retrospective allows and also persuades us in some cases to see, understand and sympathise with the character, such as the incident with the winter clothes; we feel sorry for Leo as he is made a mockery, and subsequently 'bursts into tears' from the embarrassment and fear of being an outcast. Yet his narrative also creates a negative effect on us, which makes us realise that Leo isn't the one to sympathise with but
An interesting comparison in the first paragraph - misuse of semii-colon and titles need to be italicised or in speech marks.
ReplyDeleteGood second paragraph and correct use of semi-colon - what happened to the end?