Studies in Scottish Literature Volume 33 | Issue 1 Article 29 2004 Action at a Distance: Narrative Structure and Technique in lain Banks' Whit Stephen R. Jones Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ssl Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Jones, Stephen R. (2004) "Action at a Distance: Narrative Structure and Technique in lain Banks' Whit," Studies in Scottish Literature: Vol. 33: Iss. 1. Available at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ssl/vol33/iss1/29 This Article is brought to you by the Scottish Literature Collections at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Studies in Scottish Literature by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Stephen R. Jones Action at a Distance: Narrative Structure and Technique in lain Banks' Whit In Whit (1995) lain Banks, as he does throughout his work, employs nar rative structure and technique to layer his story with multiple themes and ma nipulate the reader's experience of the text. One of the most common ways he does this is through the use and manipulation of a traditional quest narrative. This type of narrative centers on the often physical journey of a protagonist in search of an object, the location and return of which will restore normality to the protagonist's world. Prior to Whit Banks has employed variations of this form in, among others, The Crow Road (1992), Against a Dark Background (1993), and Complicity (1993). In all of his novels the resolution of this movement involves the protagonist experiencing some form of personal enlightenment, such as Frank's discovery of his true identity in The Wasp Factory (1984).