DOCSLIB.ORG

Alternative History and World War II

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

http://lib.uliege.be https://matheo.uliege.be Alternative History and World War II: Subversive or Conservative?A Case Study of Dick's The Man in the High Castle, Harris' Fatherland and Roth's The Plot Against America Auteur : Divoy, Aurore Promoteur(s) : Delville, Michel Faculté : Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres Diplôme : Master en langues et lettres modernes, orientation germaniques, à finalité didactique Année académique : 2018-2019 URI/URL : http://hdl.handle.net/2268.2/8341 Avertissement à l'attention des usagers : Tous les documents placés en accès ouvert sur le site le site MatheO sont protégés par le droit d'auteur. Conformément aux principes énoncés par la "Budapest Open Access Initiative"(BOAI, 2002), l'utilisateur du site peut lire, télécharger, copier, transmettre, imprimer, chercher ou faire un lien vers le texte intégral de ces documents, les disséquer pour les indexer, s'en servir de données pour un logiciel, ou s'en servir à toute autre fin légale (ou prévue par la réglementation relative au droit d'auteur). Toute utilisation du document à des fins commerciales est strictement interdite. Par ailleurs, l'utilisateur s'engage à respecter les droits moraux de l'auteur, principalement le droit à l'intégrité de l'oeuvre et le droit de paternité et ce dans toute utilisation que l'utilisateur entreprend. Ainsi, à titre d'exemple, lorsqu'il reproduira un document par extrait ou dans son intégralité, l'utilisateur citera de manière complète les sources telles que mentionnées ci-dessus. Toute utilisation non explicitement autorisée ci-avant (telle que par exemple, la modification du document ou son résumé) nécessite l'autorisation préalable et expresse des auteurs ou de leurs ayants droit. Université de Liège Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres Département de Langues modernes : Linguistique, littérature et traduction Alternative history and World War II: Subversive or conservative? A case study of Dick’s The Man in the High Castle, Harris’ Fatherland and Roth’s The Plot Against America Travail de fin d’études présenté par DIVOY Aurore en vue de l’obtention du grade de master en langues et littératures modernes, orientation germaniques à finalité didactique Promoteur : Prof. Michel Delville _____________________________________________________________________________ Année académique 2018-2019 Acknowledgments Contingency, uncertainty, chaos, were certainly words that I often encountered during the writing of this master thesis. Both literally, because of their obvious relevance to this field of research, but also in a more figurative light. Indeed, it took some time to take in all those new pieces of information, to analyse those novels and to, hopefully, succeed in writing a meaningful whole. Nonetheless, I derived much pleasure from trying to establish new connections and to add as many nuances as possible to this work. Of course, during this process, I had the chance to be guided by a Professor whose general and literary considerations have always awaken profound respect and admiration on my behalf. I address my thanks to Professor Delville, without whom this subject will not have been known to me. Your remarks always pushed me in new directions that I had left unexplored and I am grateful to have had many enlightening discussions and classes with you. My thanks also go to both jury members, Laura Gerday and Patricia Willson. I thank you for the effort you put reading this work and enabling this work to evolve through your useful and critical remarks. I know that this theme is not usual but I hope you enjoy the content and form of this master thesis and that it will open up new pathways for you. In this thesis there are traces of so many classes and Professors that have helped me to discover concepts and works which have left a lasting impression upon my mind. I would like to address special thanks to Mrs. Ledent whose influence has profoundly shaped my view of literature and without whom the reflection on “conservative/subversive” would not have come to be. Besides this academic support and the major impact of my professors, I also would like to thank people who have supported me on a more personal level. I thank my family and closest friends for believing in me, even when I doubted as to where this thesis would actually lead. I also thank all these classmates and acquaintances with whom I have talked and who have shared their insights. I thank those people and friends with whom I have spent so many hours at the library or those who simply helped me grow and become the person I am today. For once, let us not ask the question “what if” and just contemplate the fact that there is my work, and that it is just here for you to appreciate, comment and criticize. Can anyone alter it? he wondered. All of us combined… or one great figure… or someone strategically placed, who happens to be in the right spot. Chance. Accident. And our lives, our world, hanging on it. Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle CONTENTS 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 The Genres of Alternative history ............................................................................ 3 1.1.1 Alternative history – a broader context ................................................................. 3 1.1.2 Alternative history as a literary genre .................................................................. 10 1.1.2.1 Terminology: Uchronia, alternate history or alternative history? ................... 10 1.1.2.2 Uchronia and utopia ......................................................................................... 11 1.1.2.3 Alternative history’s link with science-fiction .................................................. 13 1.1.2.4 A matter of classification .................................................................................. 18 2 Corpus and genre meta-text ........................................................................... 24 2.1 Porosity and metafiction ......................................................................................... 24 2.2 World War II ..................................................................................................................28 2.2.1 Heroes .................................................................................................................. 29 2.2.2 Wars ..................................................................................................................... 30 2.2.3 Empires and Americas .......................................................................................... 32 2.2.4 World War II ......................................................................................................... 38 2.3 Corpus ............................................................................................................................ 41 3 Case study ............................................................................................................ 48 3.1 Paratext ........................................................................................................................ 48 3.1.1 Epitext................................................................................................................... 50 3.1.2 Peritext ................................................................................................................. 54 3.1.2.1 At the interstice of the text .............................................................................. 55 3.1.2.2 Author’s note, acknowledgments .................................................................... 60 3.2 Metafiction ....................................................................................................................64 3.2.1 The detective plot ................................................................................................ 65 3.2.2 Narrative and storytelling .................................................................................... 68 3.2.3 Mise en abyme ..................................................................................................... 73 3.2.3.1 The Grasshopper Lies Heavy ............................................................................. 74 3.2.3.2 Literature and the act of writing ...................................................................... 78 3.2.3.3 Counterfactual thinking .................................................................................... 80 3.3 Banal nationalism and cultivation of culture ........................................ 83 3.3.1 Namings, statues and portraits ............................................................................ 85 3.3.2 Propaganda, absorption and assimilation............................................................ 88 3.4 History ............................................................................................................................ 93 3.4.1 Historicity ............................................................................................................. 93 3.4.2 Losers and winners ............................................................................................... 96 4 Between subversive and conservative ......................................................... 98 5 Works Cited ......................................................................................................... 103 5.1 Primary sources: .....................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Socialist Fairy Tales, Fables, and Allegories from Great Britain

    Socialist Fairy Tales, Fables, and Allegories from Great Britain

    © Copyright, Princeton University Press. No part of this book may be distributed, posted, or reproduced in any form by digital or mechanical means without prior written permission of the publisher. ■ Introduction In 1974, I visited the mining area of South Wales to make a short educational radio programme about the nationalization of the mines, which took place under the Labour government of 1945– 50. One miner and political activist, Chris Evans, gave me a long interview ranging across the history of locality, mining, work, and his hopes for a socialist future. In describing the nature of life and work, he moved into recitation mode and said: I go to work, to earn money to buy bread to build up my strength, to go to work to earn money to buy bread to build up my strength to go to work . We laughed wryly. I enjoyed the way in which he had reduced the whole cycle of life and work into one rhythmic account. In literary terms, it turns the intricate interactions of existence into emblems, single vignettes that flow one to the other, contrasting with each other. It is, then, a particular kind of storytelling used with the in- tent of revealing or alerting a reader or listener to what the speaker thinks is an unsatisfactory state of affairs. The fact that the story doesn’t end with a conclusion hits the button because through its never- ending form (rather than through words themselves) it re- veals the folly, drudgery, and wrongness of what is being critiqued. 1 For general queries, contact [email protected] © Copyright, Princeton University Press.
  • Alternate History – Alternate Memory: Counterfactual Literature in the Context of German Normalization

    Alternate History – Alternate Memory: Counterfactual Literature in the Context of German Normalization

    ALTERNATE HISTORY – ALTERNATE MEMORY: COUNTERFACTUAL LITERATURE IN THE CONTEXT OF GERMAN NORMALIZATION by GUIDO SCHENKEL M.A., Freie Universität Berlin, 2006 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (German Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2012 © Guido Schenkel, 2012 ABSTRACT This dissertation examines a variety of Alternate Histories of the Third Reich from the perspective of memory theory. The term ‘Alternate History’ describes a genre of literature that presents fictional accounts of historical developments which deviate from the known course of hi story. These allohistorical narratives are inherently presentist, meaning that their central question of “What If?” can harness the repertoire of collective memory in order to act as both a reflection of and a commentary on contemporary social and political conditions. Moreover, Alternate Histories can act as a form of counter-memory insofar as the counterfactual mode can be used to highlight marginalized historical events. This study investigates a specific manifestation of this process. Contrasted with American and British examples, the primary focus is the analysis of the discursive functions of German-language counterfactual literature in the context of German normalization. The category of normalization connects a variety of commemorative trends in postwar Germany aimed at overcoming the legacy of National Socialism and re-formulating a positive German national identity. The central hypothesis is that Alternate Histories can perform a unique task in this particular discursive setting. In the context of German normalization, counterfactual stories of the history of the Third Reich are capable of functioning as alternate memories, meaning that they effectively replace the memory of real events with fantasies that are better suited to serve as exculpatory narratives for the German collective.
  • The New Cosmic Horror: a Genre Molded by Tabletop Roleplaying Fiction Editor Games and Postmodern Horror

    The New Cosmic Horror: a Genre Molded by Tabletop Roleplaying Fiction Editor Games and Postmodern Horror

    315 Winter 2016 Editor Chris Pak SFRA [email protected] A publicationRe of the Scienceview Fiction Research Association Nonfiction Editor Dominick Grace In this issue Brescia University College, 1285 Western Rd, London ON, N6G 3R4, Canada SFRA Review Business phone: 519-432-8353 ext. 28244. Prospect ............................................................................................................................2 [email protected] Assistant Nonfiction Editor SFRA Business Kevin Pinkham The New SFRA Website ..............................................................................................2 College of Arts and Sciences, Ny- “It’s Alive!” ........................................................................................................................3 ack College, 1 South Boulevard, Nyack, NY 10960, phone: 845- Science Fiction and the Medical Humanities ....................................................3 675-4526845-675-4526. [email protected] Feature 101 The New Cosmic Horror: A Genre Molded by Tabletop Roleplaying Fiction Editor Games and Postmodern Horror ..............................................................................7 Jeremy Brett Cushing Memorial Library and Sentience in Science Fiction 101 ......................................................................... 14 Archives, Texas A&M University, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, 5000 TAMU College Nonfiction Reviews Station, TX 77843. Black and Brown Planets: The Politics of Race in Science Fiction ........ 19
  • The Success and Ambiguity of Young Adult Literature: Merging Literary Modes in Contemporary British Fiction Virginie Douglas

    The Success and Ambiguity of Young Adult Literature: Merging Literary Modes in Contemporary British Fiction Virginie Douglas

    The Success and Ambiguity of Young Adult Literature: Merging Literary Modes in Contemporary British Fiction Virginie Douglas To cite this version: Virginie Douglas. The Success and Ambiguity of Young Adult Literature: Merging Literary Modes in Contemporary British Fiction. Publije, Le Mans Université, 2018. hal-02059857 HAL Id: hal-02059857 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02059857 Submitted on 7 Mar 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Abstract: This paper focuses on novels addressed to that category of older teenagers called “young adults”, a particularly successful category that is traditionally regarded as a subpart of children’s literature and yet terminologically insists on overriding the adult/child divide by blurring the frontier between adulthood and childhood and focusing on the transition from one state to the other. In Britain, YA fiction has developed extensively in the last four decades and I wish to concentrate on what this literary emergence and evolution has entailed since the beginning of the 21st century, especially from the point of view of genre and narrative mode. I will examine the cases of recognized—although sometimes controversial—authors, arguing that although British YA fiction is deeply indebted to and anchored in the pioneering American tradition, which proclaimed the end of the Romantic child as well as that of the compulsory happy ending of the children’s book, there seems to be a recent trend which consists in alleviating the roughness, the straightforwardness of realism thanks to elements or touches of fantasy.
  • HBO and the HOLOCAUST: CONSPIRACY, the HISTORICAL FILM, and PUBLIC HISTORY at WANNSEE Nicholas K. Johnson Submitted to the Facul

    HBO and the HOLOCAUST: CONSPIRACY, the HISTORICAL FILM, and PUBLIC HISTORY at WANNSEE Nicholas K. Johnson Submitted to the Facul

    HBO AND THE HOLOCAUST: CONSPIRACY, THE HISTORICAL FILM, AND PUBLIC HISTORY AT WANNSEE Nicholas K. Johnson Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in the Department of History, Indiana University December 2016 Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Master’s Thesis Committee __________________________________ Raymond J. Haberski, Ph.D., Chair __________________________________ Thorsten Carstensen, Ph.D. __________________________________ Kevin Cramer, Ph.D. ii Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank the members of my committee for supporting this project and offering indispensable feedback and criticism. I would especially like to thank my chair, Ray Haberski, for being one of the most encouraging advisers I have ever had the pleasure of working with and for sharing his passion for film and history with me. Thorsten Carstensen provided his fantastic editorial skills and for all the times we met for lunch during my last year at IUPUI. I would like to thank Kevin Cramer for awakening my interest in German history and for all of his support throughout my academic career. Furthermore, I would like to thank Jason M. Kelly, Claudia Grossmann, Anita Morgan, Rebecca K. Shrum, Stephanie Rowe, Modupe Labode, Nancy Robertson, and Philip V. Scarpino for all the ways in which they helped me during my graduate career at IUPUI. I also thank the IUPUI Public History Program for admitting a Germanist into the Program and seeing what would happen. I think the experiment paid off.
  • Construing the Elaborate Discourse of Thomas More's Utopia

    Construing the Elaborate Discourse of Thomas More's Utopia

    California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2006 Irony, rhetoric, and the portrayal of "no place": Construing the elaborate discourse of Thomas More's Utopia Davina Sun Padgett Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Rhetoric Commons Recommended Citation Padgett, Davina Sun, "Irony, rhetoric, and the portrayal of "no place": Construing the elaborate discourse of Thomas More's Utopia" (2006). Theses Digitization Project. 2879. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2879 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IRONY, RHETORIC, AND THE PORTRAYAL OF "NO PLACE" CONSTRUING THE ELABORATE DISCOURSE OF THOMAS MORE'S UTOPIA A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in English Composition by Davina Sun Padgett June 2006 IRONY,'RHETORIC, AND THE PORTRAYAL OF "NO PLACE": CONSTRUING THE ELABORATE DISCOURSE OF THOMAS MORE'S UTOPIA A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Davina Sun Padgett June 2006 Approved by: Copyright 2006 Davina Sun Padgett ABSTRACT Since its publication in 1516, Thomas More's Utopia has provoked considerable discussion and debate. Readers have long grappled with the implications of this text in order to determine the extent to which More's imaginary island-nation is intended to be seen as a description of the ideal commonwealth.
  • Cyclopaedia 15 – Alternate History Overview

    Cyclopaedia 15 – Alternate History Overview

    Cyclopaedia 15 – Alternate History By T.R. Knight (InnRoads Ministries * Article Series) Overview dimensions, or technological changes to explore these historical changes. Steampunk, Alternate History brings up many thoughts dieselpunk, and time/dimensional travel and feelings. To historical purists, this genre stories are good examples of this subcategory of fiction can look like historical revisionism. of Alternate History. Alternate History rides a Speculative fiction fans view these as “What fine line between Historical Fiction and If” scenarios that challenge us to think Science Fiction at this point. outside historical norms to how the world could be different today. Within the science Whatever type of Alternate History you fiction genre, alternate history can take on enjoy, each challenges your preconceived many sub-genres such as time travel, understandings and feelings for a time period alternate timelines, steampunk, and in history, perhaps offering you new dieselpunk. All agree that Alternate History perspectives on the people and events speculates to altered outcomes of key events involved. in history. These minor or major alterations Most common types of have ripple effects, creating different social, political, cultural, and/or scientific levels in Alternate History? the world. Alternate History has so many sub-genres Alternate History takes some queues from associated with it. Each one has its own Science Fiction as a genre. Just like Science unique alteration of history, many of which Fiction, Alternate History can be organized are considered genres or themes unto into two sub-categories that are “Hard” and themselves. “Soft” like Science Fiction. 80s Cold War invasion of United “Hard” Alternate History could be viewed as States stories and themes that stay as true to actual Axis victory in World War II history as possible with just one or two single Confederate victory in American changes that change the outcome, such as Civil War the Confederate Army winning the Civil War Dieselpunk or the Axis winning World War 2.
  • The New Order of Hitler: Virtual History, Fiction and Myth

    The New Order of Hitler: Virtual History, Fiction and Myth

    DEBATER A EUROPA Periódico do CIEDA e do CEIS20 , em parceria com GPE e a RCE. N.13 julho/dezembro 2015 – Semestral ISSN 1647-6336 Disponível em: http://www.europe-direct-aveiro.aeva.eu/debatereuropa/ The New Order of Hitler: Virtual History, Fiction and Myth Sérgio Neto Researcher of CEIS20, University of Coimbra E-mail: [email protected] Abstract At the intersection of counterfactual Historiography and literary fantasy, the triumph of the Axis powers in World War II has been one of the main issues. The resurgence of a hypothetical IV Reich also results extensive. Similarly, cinema has not failed to go over the old question of “if”. This article intent to analyse some virtual literature and historical works of reference about the New European Order in order to discuss possible inspiration that science awoke this genre and concepts revolving around the revisionism and determinism. Keywords: New European Order; Counterfactuals; Dystopia; Historiography; Fantasy When the German army completed the conquest of Poland in September 1939 the New European Order began to take shape. The euphemistic name of that brutal military occupation was in fact more incisive than the name given to the Japanese occupied areas: Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 1. But, the main issue was if Hitler’s projects achieved in a few years the degree of dehumanization promised by the propaganda with the so called Reich of a Thousand Years. Based on the assumptions outlined by Mein Kampf , as well as the improvisations made during the course of the war, the dreams and fantasies of world domination were analysed not only by the historiography, but widely widespread by the alternate story genre.
  • The Death of Genre: Why the Best YA Fiction Often Defies Classification

    The Death of Genre: Why the Best YA Fiction Often Defies Classification

    LoriScot Goodson Smith & Jim Blasingame The Death of Genre: Why the Best YA Fiction Often Defies Classification few years ago, I received a phone call from a adding a list called genre-busters, novels which do not desperate sixth grade reading teacher. “Help!” easily fit into a single category. The more I think about Ashe cried, “I have a literary mutiny on my my YA favorite titles of the past few years, the more hands. I need your help now!!” I immediately raced bewildered I become. Zusak’s The Book Thief— upstairs. historical fiction or fantasy? Anderson’s The Astonish- Our sixth graders read Louis Sachar’s Holes as a ing Life of Octavian Nothing—historical fiction or required novel. The teacher uses Holes as part of her science fiction? Rosoff’s How I Live Now?—realistic unit on fantasy. In a time where many middle fiction or science fiction? Shusterman’s The Schwa schoolers are steeped in Harry Potter and Paolini, Was Here—realistic fiction or fantasy? I have come to Holes just did not seem to fit into that the same the realization that genre might be dead, that many of category of fantasy. recently published YA novels no longer fit into the “Mr. Smith,” they argued, “It can’t be fantasy. It’s predictable categories we typically designate for too real.” books. Is it time to despair? I think not. Rather, let us What followed was a long discussion about the celebrate the innovative fashion in which today’s YA different types of fantasy. We debated over the effects authors are bending the traditional definitions of of rattlesnake nail polish, the existence of yellow genre.
  • The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

    The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

    2 Go The Plot Against America by Philip Roth Discussion Questions 1. In what ways does The Plot Against America differ from conventional historical fiction? What effects does Roth achieve by blending personal history, historical fact, and an alternative history? 2. The novel begins "Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear" [p. 1]. With this sentence Roth establishes that his story is being told from an adult point of view by an adult narrator who is remembering what befell his family, over sixty years earlier, when he was a boy between the ages of seven and nine. Why else does Roth open the novel this way? What role does fear play throughout the book? 3. How plausible is the alternative history that Roth imagines? How would the world be different if America had not entered the war, or entered it on the side of Germany? 4. When the Roth family plans to go to Washington, young Philip wants to take his stamp collection with him because he fears that, since he did not remove the ten- cent Lindbergh stamp, "a malignant transformation would occur in my absence, causing my unguarded Washingtons to turn into Hitlers, and swastikas to be im- printed on my National Parks" [p. 57]. What does this passage suggest about how the Lindbergh election has affected the boy? Where else does this kind of magical thinking occur in the novel? 5. Herman Roth asserts, "History is everything that happens everywhere. Even here in Newark. Even here on Summit Avenue. Even what happens in this house to an ordinary man --- that’ll be history too someday" [p.
  • Afrindian Fictions

    Afrindian Fictions

    Afrindian Fictions Diaspora, Race, and National Desire in South Africa Pallavi Rastogi T H E O H I O S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y P R E ss C O L U MB us Copyright © 2008 by The Ohio State University. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rastogi, Pallavi. Afrindian fictions : diaspora, race, and national desire in South Africa / Pallavi Rastogi. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8142-0319-4 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8142-0319-1 (alk. paper) 1. South African fiction (English)—21st century—History and criticism. 2. South African fiction (English)—20th century—History and criticism. 3. South African fic- tion (English)—East Indian authors—History and criticism. 4. East Indians—Foreign countries—Intellectual life. 5. East Indian diaspora in literature. 6. Identity (Psychol- ogy) in literature. 7. Group identity in literature. I. Title. PR9358.2.I54R37 2008 823'.91409352991411—dc22 2008006183 This book is available in the following editions: Cloth (ISBN 978–08142–0319–4) CD-ROM (ISBN 978–08142–9099–6) Cover design by Laurence J. Nozik Typeset in Adobe Fairfield by Juliet Williams Printed by Thomson-Shore, Inc. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the Ameri- can National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48–1992. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Acknowledgments v Introduction Are Indians Africans Too, or: When Does a Subcontinental Become a Citizen? 1 Chapter 1 Indians in Short: Collectivity
  • ELEMENTS of FICTION – NARRATOR / NARRATIVE VOICE Fundamental Literary Terms That Indentify Components of Narratives “Fiction

    ELEMENTS of FICTION – NARRATOR / NARRATIVE VOICE Fundamental Literary Terms That Indentify Components of Narratives “Fiction

    Dr. Hallett ELEMENTS OF FICTION – NARRATOR / NARRATIVE VOICE Fundamental Literary Terms that Indentify Components of Narratives “Fiction” is defined as any imaginative re-creation of life in prose narrative form. All fiction is a falsehood of sorts because it relates events that never actually happened to people (characters) who never existed, at least not in the manner portrayed in the stories. However, fiction writers aim at creating “legitimate untruths,” since they seek to demonstrate meaningful insights into the human condition. Therefore, fiction is “untrue” in the absolute sense, but true in the universal sense. Critical Thinking – analysis of any work of literature – requires a thorough investigation of the “who, where, when, what, why, etc.” of the work. Narrator / Narrative Voice Guiding Question: Who is telling the story? …What is the … Narrative Point of View is the perspective from which the events in the story are observed and recounted. To determine the point of view, identify who is telling the story, that is, the viewer through whose eyes the readers see the action (the narrator). Consider these aspects: A. Pronoun p-o-v: First (I, We)/Second (You)/Third Person narrator (He, She, It, They] B. Narrator’s degree of Omniscience [Full, Limited, Partial, None]* C. Narrator’s degree of Objectivity [Complete, None, Some (Editorial?), Ironic]* D. Narrator’s “Un/Reliability” * The Third Person (therefore, apparently Objective) Totally Omniscient (fly-on-the-wall) Narrator is the classic narrative point of view through which a disembodied narrative voice (not that of a participant in the events) knows everything (omniscient) recounts the events, introduces the characters, reports dialogue and thoughts, and all details.