Introduction
In this chapter three, I point out some Narrative Techniques
used by Ravinder in his two romantic novels understudy, analyse them, and
examine how they help the author to underscope his message. After a very deep
investigation and reading,techniques of narration find here below have been
remarqued in the novels. But before that, let's undersdand what the meaning of
narrative, and a technique.
a) A narrative is a story, a succession of happening
involving a plot and a setting. Narrative as adjective is which is related to a
story, a narration.
b) A technique with a message and a style are the three
important factors in any creative writing.
- A message is something to say, thing the writer wants to
write about, the content of the narrative;
- A style is a manner of using words in the final expression
of the story;
- A technique is the ways and means of organizing and
manipulating the materials.
It is commonly called the structure of the story.
Etymologically, the word technique comes from Greek and it means, «crafts
manship». The classical philosopher Platoexplained it clearly «Ta
pragmatic technica» or «the affairs of craftsmanship».
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Nobody can give a writer a style; nobody can give a writer a
technique. Mental equipment forces the spirit to achive its purposes. A
technique is mastered and forgotten, and it becomes an unconscious part of
one's equipment, the writer has subject it during his formative years.
The Relevance of the Study of a Narrative
Technique
At this sense, the study of a narrative technique urges upon
each writer, critic and researcher. In other words, the success of a work of
art depends to a great extent upon its employment.
A writer has some materials: facts about life, with these, he
wants to do something, this is, his purpose. Therefore, to achieve his purpose,
he needs how to do it. To ignore a technique is to miss part of the substance
of a literary work.
Moreover, one way, probably the most important way in which
the study of literature can help us to read more perceptively and hence
increase our understanding and enjoyment of what we read is to acquaint us with
the literary techniques.
Narrative Techniques Used by Ravinder Singh 1. Use of
Short, Simple Sentences
Eckersley, C.E and Ackersley, J.M. in their book A
comprehensive
English Grammar for Foreign Students define a simple
sentence as «the
one that contains a finite verb. It does one of four things:
- makes a statement,
- asks a question,
- gives a commend or makes a request,
- makes an exclamation.
Here are some examples:
- Mr Kambasu studies Ph.D in Philippines (statement)
- Did you succeed? (Question)
- Please help me (Request)
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- Wow, too hot again! (Exclamation).
The two novels analysed in this dissertation like all other
Ravin novels are written in short sentences easy to read, simple in structure,
without complicated clauses and understandable.
`All right, guys
Pull your socks up.
We are going live in thirty seconds'
(CLHT, 8)
`So when did you join the club?' Arjun asked.
`Hmm?' Rupali was lost in her thoughts.
`Club. The music club,' he clarified.
`Oh! I joined last month only,' she replied.
`You sing?'
`Yes,' she said (YDAMN, 37).
Compared to The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Miller
Hemingway, Can Love Happen Twice and Your Dreams are Mine Now
are written in the form of dialogue. That is what makes a novel sweet and
easy to be read even by people who have not yet mastered theenglish
language.
`Who gave this to you?'
`Martin. The owner.'
`I must thank him.'
`I thanked him already,' the boy said. `You
don't need to thank him.'
`I'll give him the belly meat of a big fish,' the
old man said.
`Has he done this more than once?'
`I think so.'
`I must give him something more than the
belly meat then.
He is very thoughtful for us.'
`He sent two beers.'
`I like the beer in cans best.'
`I know. But this is in bottles,
Hatuey beer, and I take back the bottles.'
`Tha's very kind of you' the old man said.
(OMS, 13).
`Hello,' she wished the caller.
No response came from the other side. `Hello-o-o-o. Who is
this?' she asked
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This time a sweet voice replied,
`Hi Shambhavi, I am Ritika.'
`Hi Ritika, how are you doing tonight? (...)'
`I am doing very good, Shambhavi
I am so excited that my call got connected
(...)'
(CLHT,11)
`Don't worry we have the script with us' `What do you mean
you have the script?' `Allow us to speak to listeners and you will find
out.'
(CLHT, 14).
`All right,
Who is going to read it?'
`Hmm... Anyone among us,'
`Be specific. Who is going to start it?'
`I will,' asserted Happy. (CLHT, 16).
`You cook?' `Yes.'
`You know how to cook?'
(CLHT, 35).
The effect, better the literary effect of the use of short,
simple sentences is to be demonstrated here. It is commonly stated that simple
sentences express complete and full ideas at a time. The style is simple, but
very pure. The reader has not to think much to tackle the idea expressed by the
writer, and it helps both the writer and the reader to progress step by step
either in writing or in reading. Many writers such as Ernest Miller Hemingway
have devoted much of their time in writing fiction on short, simple
sentences.
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2. Use of Complex Sentences
Other group of sentences in the novels seems to appear longer
but even thought that, they are easy to understand. Let's consider these:
With the start of the second semester, campus politics
became the priority again. There had been a case of violence reported in which
a few students from student's union in power had clashed with another group of
students. The fight had erupted due to the alleged harassment of a girl outside
the campus by someone who was an active member of student's union. Two of the
boys from the other group were reportedly admitted to the ICU. When the police
had booked a few members of the students' union, the rest union had called a
trike in a few colleges asking the vice-chancellor to intervene and get them
out. Even though majority of students were not in favour of it, they all were
silenced. Rumours also alleged that a nexus of drug traffickers was flourishing
in the university and that they had the backing of members of the students'
union. This brought to light questions about how the union was spending its
funds. A demand was also raised to bring in more transparency in this (YDAMN:
75).
3. Use of SMS Language and Spelling
New generation, with the development of technology is
characterized by the fast usage of electronic materials. Among all, the
telephone is the most used in the world. People use telephone nowdays not only
to make a call, but it can be also to connect on internet, to take pictures to
record a video, to use radio, calculator... and besides all these, a phone is
mostly used by youngers to send and receive messages. Seeing that message chat
is very quick than a call, it is noticed that SMS has got its own language and
way of spelling words
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different from the usual usage. This change is understandable
in the way that some words in all human languages are very long. This length
can make the chat last while some one is spelling ideas from his thoughts.
In the two novelsI have analysed in this thesis, Ravinder
presents SMS language and spelling in a great part of each novel. Let's just
focus on whole night conversation Ravin had with Simar the night of his
birthday in Can Love Happen Twice?
`U appear angry. M nt sure if u actually
meant it 2 b ok. I only hope u forgive me'
`Cn forgive u only one 1 condition.'
`Wat condition?'
`Whose turn first?'
`U actually wanna play kya?'
`But I ws about 2 sleep.'
`Oh u need nt play it dear.
Jst simplify accept dat u lost n I
wil forgive u n thn we both cn sleep.'
`Yaar u knowI m scared of playin it.
I nvr played dis game wid a guy.'
`Same pinch! Even m scared. I nvr +
played this wid ny gal.
U still hv Tuna 2 help u. M all alone
n wer gonna play half d game,
jst d truth part n nt d dare s we can't
play it over the phone.'
`Go ahead.'
Hmmm... wer u actually annoyed by d
1st msg sent by Tuna?'
`No. In fact pass on my thanks
2 her if she is awake'
`LOL!! Ur turn.'
`Wer u nt afraid of sitting with
me in my dark balcony?'
`Y? do u bite? Well honestly,
I was, bt thn u made me confortable.'
`M glad u said tht. Ur turn.'
`Wat ws d best moment of ur bday 2 day?'
`Hmmm... best moment... wen u showed up.'
`Really?'
`Hey. U cn't ask 2 questions in one go.
It's my turn now.'
`Do u hv a gf either in Belgium or
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back in India?'
`No'
`It's diff 2 accept though, yet I wil assuming
dat we r playin this game honestly. Ur turn.'
`I m playin it with utmost honesty.
Do u hv a bf?'
`I knew u wud ask this. I had one long back.
We broke up. So the answer is no.'
`How many euros do u earn a mnth?'
`'oh so u are jumping on to questions
with numbers.
Ur makin it diff 4 urself!'
`So shall I understand that u lost?'
`4000 C a mnth'
`Wow! Ur rich! Ur turn!'
`Now dat u hv started let's cont with
numbers.
Wat r ur figure stats?'
`This is cheating'
'36-24-36'
`very honestly I appreciate your spirit of
playing!'
Thanks; hd u not made me conf,
I wudn't hv answered this one. My turn now'
`If dere is a gal walking in front of u,
l who has a gorgeous figure, wch part
of her body wud u most like to stare at?'
`Gorgeous figure... hmm... depends if she
is walkin towards me or away frm me.
Either way I wud hv sumthing to stare at.'
`That was hell of a smart answer Ravin.'
`If I ask u 2 cum to my place rite wow in
whatever u r wearing at this moment, so
dat we sit n spend the entire night playing
truth or dare in my balcony... wud u hv
wanted 2 come?'
`I am shy!'
`That's not the answer to my question...'
`Yes I wud hv wanted to come bt nt wearin
wt I am wearin rite now.'
`Btn wat r u wearin at this moment?'
`Haha. U cn't ask 2 questions in one go.
It's my turn now.'
`Hv u ever had ny naughty fantasies
for any fem who was far older then you?'
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`Yes. My computer me'am in college.
My turn now... U can answer my previous
ques!'
`A long white shirt till knees.'
`That's it?'
`I'm honest. Btn u r again askin 2 ques in one
go'
`You want to stop the game with a draw?'
`No! I don't mind winning or losing s
bt don't want 2 stop. If u wan 2 stop
lemme know.'
`Now dat for the last question u have
answered u r a virgin lemme gt back 2
basics. Hv u evr kissed a girl?'
`I wud love 2 tell u about dat girl, but it
is a long story and don't want to narrate
it over d phone.' (CLHT, 39-41).
Meaning of some SMS abbreviations:
- U: you - nt: not - hv: have
- Y: why - gal: girl - r: are
- Cum: come - wud: would - M: am
- gf: girlfriend - bfr: before - cn: can
- bf: boyfriend - btw: between - jst: just
- 4: for - diff: difficult - n: and
- 2: to, two, too - ur: your - thn: then
- bt: but - bday: birthday - nvr: never
- wid: with - ny: any - d: the
- wer: were - tht: that - ws: was.
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4. Use of Real Names
The use of real names charactereizes Ravinder's writings. In
both novels studied in this work, I noticed several time the usuage of real
place names, town names, country names, airports, streets,
etc. here below are some examples:
There was still enough time left for dusk. But the sky
over the city of Delhi was getting darker with every passing
minute. It was the end of May. Summere was at its peak. After breaking the
previous year's record, yet again, the maximum temperature in the city was at
an all-time high. To escape the hottest part of the day, in the afternoons,
people preferred to stay confined to the shelter of their offices and homes.
The air was dry (YDAMN, Prologue).
That day marked the arrival of new batch of students in
Delhi University (DU). Just like the thousands of students in
DU about to step into a brand new life was ready to welcome Rupali. And she was
ready to embrace this life (YDAMN, 1).
Dusk had fallen when Amardeep walked out of the gate of
the busy Chandigarh airport. A chilly winter welcomed him for
the very first time to `The City Beautiful'. The evening was even more
beautiful for it was Valentine's Day. Love was in the air and red was the
colour everywhere. The temperature must have been close to 4 degrees. Adding to
the winter chill was the cool brezee which was blowing that evening,
complelling the
By the time Simar actually came back to India
after her consulting assignment, things
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just-arrived passengers to pull out their jackets (CLHT,
1).
`I am doing very good, Shambhavi. I am so excited that my
call got connected. I had been trying every second, since the time you said
your lines are opening.' She giggled excitedly, indicating how unbelievable
this experience was far her. `So, Ritika, tell us what you do?'
`Shambhavi, I am pursuing BSc from Punjab
University' (CLHT, 11).
A year and half had passed since the tragic incident had
taken place. Unable to cope with the misery, I was looking for a big change.
Fortunately, an on-side opportunity for a project in Belgium
gave a ray of hope to that much-needed change. I availed that
opportunity.
It was the month of January and Brussels,
the capital of Belgium, was witnessing the last few weeks of
winter (CLHT, 18).
The next morning I was at my clients' office. It was on
Zandvoorstraata in Mechelen. Mechelen is
another city in Belgium and, unlikeussels, this part of the
country has a Dutch-speaking population (CLHT, 21).
Simar was bach in Gurgaon and she had
planned to make me meet her parents.
I boarded the Chandigarh-Delhi
Shatabdi and then took a metro which had recently started plying in
the city (CLHT, 79).
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had boiled down to a yes or no decision
(CLHT, 98).
It is important for a writer to use real names in his
bookbecause a work of art is composed of two great parts which are ficton and
non fiction.
Since the author imagines things and events to be written in
the work, his/her imagination is always impired by the facts which
characterizes the place where he/she is or where the scene took place.
5. Use of Flashback
It is not possible to understand the `raison d'etre' of some
events witount finding explaination in other events, which previously took
place in the past. The author therefore gives flashback in order to illuminate
the reader's mind and to restore the link in events.
Then, a flashback is a device that allows the writer to
present events that happened before the time of current narrative or the
current events in the fiction. The flashback techniques include memories,
dreams, and stories of the past told by characters to fill in the reader about
a character, a place or a background to a conflict. It may be a part of a film
that goes back in time to show what happened earlier in the story. It has the
purpose of enlightening the part of the story, to understand the next episode
of the story.
You're mad!, Rupali loughed and futher asked, `But isn't
Imran from science section?' seeing her roomie's level of interest increase,
Saloni replied, `Yes, he is! But how did you know?'
`I just know. But yoy first tell me, how did you guys
meet?' Rupali inquired... saloni loved telling stories. She also knew how to
make them spicy and extra gossipy. She derived a lot of pleasure in narrating
the whole episode of how she met Imran, for the very first time, at the
basketball court. It had happened in the first week of the semester. It wasn't
love at first sight for her. But she had definitely found Imran to be one of
the most handsome guys in the first year batch.
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While she was an amateur in the game of basketball, Imran
was a champion. Besides his good looks, Imran's sporty personality was like
icing on the cake. Saloni herself was a head-turner on campus. They'd met quite
by coincidence.
There weren't many girls who played basketball in the
first year. One evening, Saloni had jogged to the basketball court. But finding
no one there she decided to jog back to the hostel. Suddenly, she heard someone
shout, asking her to stop.
Saloni turned around to see Imran. He stood on the other
side of the court in the dark, holding the ball in his hands. It took Saloni a
few seconds to spot him in the darkness. Imran swichrd on the floodlights from
the corner of the court. The lights took their time to come on, only gradually
lighting up the court.
`You came here to play?' Imran asked (...) `Yes, but the
other girls haven't come today. I am not sure why,' Saloni said.
`That's strange, not many boys turned up today as well and,
those who did, left early. That's why I had just switched off the lights,
`Imran explained...
`I... I don't know. I am not very good at the game... And
we don't even have the team,' she blurted out. Of course she wanted to play
with Imran when no one was there. Then why had she given this silly excuse?
(...) Imran came to her rescue and offered a quick reason for Saloni to
play.
`Oh: we can just play a half words court three-poiner. And
don't worry, I'll help you,' he said and smile. Saloni nodded. She was looking
forward to Imran's company. They played for about half an hour, enjoying each
other's company (YDMN, p 17-18).
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6. Use of Indian words
To make readers feel at home while reading such novels,
especially in the case of English literature, writers of modern literature or
developing countries are nowdays characterized by the use of local language
words in their books.
This observation is not only noticed to this group of writers but
even to some most important American writers such as Ernest Miller Hemingway
whoseThe Old Man and the Sea contains also local words.
While reading an African writer from Kenyan for example, it is
very easy to be in contact with some Swahili words. The same for Ugandan and
Tanzania novels.
This fact is also observer in Indian Literature. Knowing that
this big country has itself more than twenty notional languages, the one which
is known and used by all Indians and classed among ten most spoken languages in
the world is Hirdu. That is the reason why Ravinder Singh has used Indian
words, more especially Hindi sentences, phrases or expression in his books.
Let's have a look at some of them:
- Muh mein chewing gum hai, agli baar kha loongi.
(YDAMN, 2). (I am chewing gum. I'll take it next time).
- Yeh gaddha kyun khod rahin hain aap?
(Why are you digging this hole?) (YDAMN, 7).
- Jab Hindi bhasha mein sawaal kiya hai Maine, to kya aap
Hindi mein uska uttar nahi de saktin? (YDAMN, 7).(When I have asked a
question in Hindi, can you not respond in Hindi?).
- Kahaan ki rahne wali hain aap? (YDAMN, 7).
(Which place are you from?).
- Ji hum Patna, Bihar ke rahne waley hain. (YDAMN,
7).
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(I am from Patna, Bihar).
- Lo bhai, to ab Patna, Bihar waley, Delhi mein harit-kranti
le ke aayenge! (YDAMN, 8).
(So, now the people from Parnan Bihar, will bring the green
revolution to Delhi!).
- Teri itni phatt ti kyun hai yaar? (YDAMN, 17).
(Why do you get so scared?).
- Udhar ho, phir sunaati hun saari kahaani (YDAMN, 17).
(Make some space, and I will tell you the whole story).
7. Use of Point of View
Narrative point of view or narrative perspective describes the
position of the narrator, that is, the character of the storyteller, in
relation to the story being told. It can be thought of as a camera mounted on
the narrator's shoulder that can also look back inside the narrator's mind.
First-Person Point of View
With the first-person point of view, a story is
revealed through a narrator who is also explicitly a character within his or
her own story. In a first person narrative, the narrator can create a close
relationship between the reader and the writer. Therefore, the narrator reveals
the plot by referring to this viewpoint character with forms of "I" (that is,
the narrator is a person who openly acknowledges his or her own existence) or,
when part of a larger group, "we". Frequently, the narrator is the protagonist,
whose inner thoughts are expressed to the audience, even if not to any of the
other characters.
A conscious narrator, as a human participant of past events,
is an incomplete witness by definition, unable to fully see and comprehend
events in their entirety as they unfurl, not necessarily objective in their
Traditionally, third-person narration is the most commonly
used narrative mode in literature. It does not require that the narrator's
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inner thoughts or sharing them fully, and furthermore may be
pursuing some hidden agenda. Forms include temporary first-person narration as
a story within a story, wherein a narrator or character observing the telling
of a story by another is reproduced in full, temporarily and without
interruption shifting narration to the speaker. The first-person narrator can
also be the focal character.
Second-Person Point of View
The second-person point of view is a point of view
where the audience is made a character. This is done with the use of the
pronouns "you", "your", and "yours." The narrator is trying to address the
audience, not necessarily directly, but rather to administer more of a
connection. Stories and novels in second person are comparatively rare.
Examples include the short fiction of Lorrie Moore and Junot Díaz. An
example in contemporary literature is Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big
City, in which the second-person narrator is observing his life from a
distance as a way to cope with a trauma he keeps hidden from readers for most
of the book.
"You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this
at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that the
terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy."--Opening lines
of Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City (1984).
Third-Person Point of View
In the third-person narrative mode, characters are
referred to by the narrator as "he", "she", or "they", but never as "I" or "we"
(first-person), or "you" (second-person). This makes it clear that the narrator
is an unspecified entity or uninvolved person who conveys the story and is not
a character of any kind within the story, or at least is not referred to as
such.
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existence be explained or developed as a particular character,
as with a first-person narrator. It thus allows a story to be told without
detailing any information about the teller (narrator) of the story. Instead, a
third-person narrator is often simply some disembodied "commentary" or "voice",
rather than a fully developed character. Sometimes, third-person narration is
called the "he/she" perspective.
The third-person modes are usually categorized along two axes.
The
first is the subjectivity/objectivity axis, with third
person
subjective narration describing one or more character's personal
feelings and thoughts, and third person objective narration not
describing the feelings or thoughts of any characters but, rather, just the
exact facts of the story. The second axis is the omniscient/limited axis, a
distinction that refers to the knowledge held by the narrator. A third
person omniscient narrator has, or seems to have, access to knowledge of
all characters, places, and events of the story, including any given
characters' thoughts; however, a third person limited narrator, in
contrast, knows information about, and within the minds of, only a limited
number of characters (often just one character). A limited narrator cannot
describe anything outside of a focal character's particular knowledge and
experiences.
Alternating person
While the tendency for novels (or other narrative works) is to
adopt a single point of view throughout the entire novel, some authors have
experimented with other points of view that, for example, alternate between
different narrators who are all first-person, or alternate between a first- and
a third-person narrative perspective. The ten books of the Pendragon
adventure series, by D. J. MacHale, switch back and forth between a
first-person perspective (handwritten journal entries) of the main character
along his journey as well as a disembodied third-person perspective focused of
his friends back home. Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace provides one
character's viewpoint from first-person as well as
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another character's from third-person limited. Often, a
narrator using the first person will try to be more objective by also employing
the third person for important action scenes, especially those in which they
are not directly involved or in scenes where they are not present to have
viewed the events in firsthand. This mode is found in Barbara Kingsolver's
The Poisonwood Bible.
Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife is a
love story, told in alternating first person. This novel alternates between an
art student named Clare, and a librarian named Henry. Henry's disorder called
Chronic-Displacement causes him to be put in the wrong time. He is then put in
emotional parts from his past and future, going back and forth in
time. John Green & David Levithan's novel Will
Grayson, Will
Grayson rotates between two boys both named Will Grayson.
It alternates between both boys telling their part of the story, how they meet
and how their lives then come together. Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down
has four narrators, who also are its main characters. These four
characters meet at the top of a tall building known as «the suicide
spot» and begin to talk instead of jumping.
Character Voice
One of the most common narrative voices, used especially with
first-and third-person viewpoints, is the character voice, in which a
conscious "person" (in most cases, a living human being) is presented as the
narrator; this character is called a viewpoint character. In this
situation, the narrator is no longer an unspecified entity; rather, the
narrator is a more relatable, realistic character who may or may not be
involved in the actions of the story and who may or may not take a biased
approach in the storytelling. If the character is directly involved in the
plot, this narrator is also called the viewpoint character. The viewpoint
character is not necessarily the focal character: examples of supporting
viewpoint characters include Doctor Watson, Scout in To Kill a
Mockingbird, and Nick Carraway of The Great Gatsby.
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Epistolary Voice
The epistolary narrative voice uses a (usually
fictional) series of letters and other documents to convey the plot of the
story. Although epistolary works can be considered multiple-person narratives,
they also can be classified separately, as they arguably have no narrator at
all-- just an author who has gathered the documents together in one place. One
example is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which is a story written in a
sequence of letters. Another is Bram Stoker's Dracula, which tells the
story in a series of diary entries, letters and newspaper clippings. Les
Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos,
is again made up of the correspondence between the main characters, most
notably the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont. Langston Hughes
does the same thing in a shorter form in his story "Passing", which consists of
a young man's letter to his mother.
Third-Person Voices
The third-person narrative voices are narrative-voice
techniques employed solely under the category of the third-person view.
Third-Person, Omniscient
Historically, the third-person omniscient (or simply
omniscient) perspective has been the most commonly used in narrative
writing; it is seen in countless classic novels, including works by Charles
Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, and George Eliot. A story in this narrative mode is
presented by a narrator with an overarching point of view, seeing and knowing
everything that happens within the world of the story, including what each of
the characters is thinking and feeling.[9] It sometimes even takes a
subjective approach. One advantage of omniscience is that this mode enhances
the sense of objective reliability (that is, truthfulness) of the plot. The
third-person omniscient narrator is the least capable of being unreliable -
although the character of omniscient narrator can have its
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own personality, offering judgments and opinions on the
behavior of the story characters.
In addition to reinforcing the sense of the narrator as
reliable (and thus of the story as true), the main advantage of this mode is
that it is eminently suited to telling huge, sweeping, epic stories, and/or
complicated stories involving numerous characters. The disadvantage of this
mode is the increased distance between the audience and the story, and the fact
that - when used in conjunction with a sweeping, epic "cast-of-thousands" story
- characterization tends to be limited, thus reducing the reader's ability to
identify with or sympathize with the characters. A classic example of both the
advantages and disadvantages of this mode is J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of
the Rings.
Third-Person, Subjective
The third-person subjective is when the narrator
conveys the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of one or more characters. If
there is just one character, it can be termed third-person limited, in
which the reader is "limited" to the thoughts of some particular character
(often the protagonist) as in the first-person mode, except still giving
personal descriptions using "he", "she", "it", and "they", but not "I". This is
almost always the main character (for example, Gabriel in James Joyce's The
Dead, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, or Santiago in
Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea).
Certain third-person omniscient modes are also classifiable as
"third person, subjective" modes that switch between the thoughts and feelings
of all the characters.
This style, in both its limited and omniscient variants,
became the most popular narrative perspective during the 20th century. In
contrast to the broad, sweeping perspectives seen in many 19th-century novels,
third-person subjective is sometimes called the "over the shoulder"
perspective; the narrator only describes events perceived and information known
by a character. At its narrowest and most subjective
91
scope, the story reads as though the viewpoint character were
narrating it; dramatically this is very similar to the first person, in that it
allows in-depth revelation of the protagonist's personality, but it uses
third-person grammar. Some writers will shift perspective from one viewpoint
character to another, such as in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, or
George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
The focal character, protagonist, antagonist, or some other
character's thoughts are revealed through the narrator. The reader learns the
events of the narrative through the perceptions of the chosen character.
Third-Person, Objective
The third-person objective employs a narrator who
tells a story without describing any character's thoughts, opinions, or
feelings; instead, it gives an objective, unbiased point of view. Often the
narrator is self-dehumanized in order to make the narrative more neutral. This
type of narrative mode, outside of fiction, is often employed by newspaper
articles, biographical documents, and scientific journals. This narrative mode
can be described as a "fly-on-the-wall" or "camera lens" approach that can only
record the observable actions but does not interpret these actions or relay
what thoughts are going through the minds of the characters. Works of fiction
that use this style emphasize characters acting out their feelings observably.
Internal thoughts, if expressed, are given voice through an aside or soliloquy.
While this approach does not allow the author to reveal the unexpressed
thoughts and feelings of the characters, it does allow the author to reveal
information that not all or any of the characters may be aware of. A typical
example of this so-called camera-eye perspective is Hills Like
White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway.
This narrative mode is also called the third-person
dramatic because the narrator, like the audience of a drama, is neutral
and ineffective toward the progression of the plot--merely an uninvolved
onlooker. It
92
was also used around the mid-20th century by French novelists
writing in the nouveau roman tradition.
Third-Person, Alternating
Many stories, especially in literature, alternate between the
third person limited and third person omniscient. In this case, an author will
move back and forth between a more omniscient third-person narrator to a more
personal third-person limited narrator. Typically, like the A Song of Ice
and Fire series and the books by George R. R. Martin, a switch of
third-person limited viewpoint on some character is done only at chapter
boundaries. The Home and the World, written in 1916 by Rabindranath
Tagore, is another example of a book switching among just three characters at
chapter boundaries. In The Heroes of Olympus series the point of view
changes between characters at intervals.
The Harry Potter series is told in "third-person
limited" (in which the reader is "limited" to the thoughts of some particular
character) for much of the seven novels. However, it deviates to omniscient on
occasions, particularly during the opening chapters of later novels in the
series, which switch from the limited view of the eponymous Harry to other
characters (for example, the Muggle mayor in the Half-Blood Prince).
93
Point of View in the Novels understudy.
In the two novels analysed in this dissertation, Ravinder
tells the story by using first person point of view in the first novel: Can
Love Happen Twice?and Third person point of view in the second novel:
Your Dreams are Mine Now. Whereas dramatic point view is used in both
books.
1. First person point of view:
It was a tender moment which had come after so long a
time. I was finally seeing my Simar. She too was impatiently
waiting for me. I ran towards her with the
flowers in my hand that I've brought for her. Simar was
visibly delighted to see me right in front of her eyes. After a run about
fifty-odd yards. I was breathing fast. It was a moment of
celebration for both of us- and a very emotional one too.
I satisfied the thirst in my eyes and looked at her front head
to toe. It was incredible to see her, to touch her and to hear herd next to me
once again. She was as beautiful as I had left her in Belgium.
She first looked here and there to check if anyone was staring in the
neighbourhood, then gave me a quick hug. I enjoyed that brief
unexpected surprise and last myself in the warmth of her touch which I had
missed so much in the past few months. I wanted it to last
longer. It was so unlike that of Belgium; and special because we
got together again after a long interval (CLHT, 79).
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2. Third person point of view:
Rupali loved singing. In Patna,
she had been an active member of her school's
music club. Having won a couple of prizes and lots of accolades in her
school, she had always dreamt of participating in one
of the music reality shows. Had it not been for the memory of her
mobile phone, she wouldn't have had to delete old
songs to accommodate new ones. Downloading songs to her phone
and managing the limited memory of her mobile had become her
biweekly routine. She had planned that the day she would earn
her own money she would buy a good multi-gig song storage
device for herself. Not just that, she had
plans to buy and install a Dolby surround sound system in her
house that she would switch on every morning while she
got ready for work. Music kept her going. Even when
she was alone in her room or busy doing something on
her own, she would keep humming her
favorite songs. A habit which her friends and family
found annoying at times because she completely lost
herself in the songs and refused to even hear them. So when
she saw the notice for the music club, she
didn't need to think twice about appearing for the auditions. On
her way back to her thinking of the song
she would sing (YDAMN, 10).
3. The Dramatic Point of view
We speak of dramatic point of view when the author uses
dialogues to tell the story.
`So when did you join the club? Arjun asked. `Hmm? Rupali was
lost in her thoughts. `Club. The music club,' he clarified.
`Oh! I joined last month only,' she replied. `You
sing?'
`Yes,' she said (YDMN, p 37).
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8. Use of Figures of Speech.
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that possesses a
separate meaning from its literal definition. It can be a metaphor or a simile
to provide a dramatic effect. There are several figures of speech I found in
the two novels analysed in this research paper, among them we have:
- Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sond of
neighbouring
words.
In one hand he
had his favourite Economic
Times and half-filled water bottle while in the
other he held the
handle of his whelled bag
which he rolled in tandem with
his wakl
(CLHT, 1).
I knew I wanted a
change and I left India
dor the same... (CLHT, 32).
...She had chosen for
herself when her father
had taken her... (YDAMN, 3).
Fresh for her first day at college (YDAMN, 1).
- Anaphora
Anaphora is a technique where several phrases or verses begin
with the same word or words.
I was yet to have my share of
alcohol. I was yet to speak from my heart (CLHT, 32).
I lived alone,
I cooked alone and I ate
alone (CLHT, 24).
I missed Simar. I missed
Belgium. I missed the combination of them the most
(CLHT, 76).
96
I thought of the Belgian driver
driving all the Indians back to their respective homes. I thought of
the taste of the kip sate sandwich that I had eaten for the first time
in that day. I thought of that girl in front of the sandwich
shop whom I had failed to see that afternoon. I thought of the
weird anxiety I had while trying to see her face. I thought of
how I seemed to have snow I had witnessed on my first day in Belgium
and I looked up to the sky wondering when it would snow next. I thought
of my mom back in India. I thought of my
past. I thought of Khushi...
(CLHT, 22-23).
A moment of silence passed. People took their time to
digest the logic behind what had happened. It still appeared illogical that
anyone could come and damage things just like that. Some of
them sipped the tea slowly, thinking about it all. Some of
them hing their heads in disappointment. Some played with the
empty tea glasses betxeen their hands on the table and kept staring in
disappointment. (YDAMN, 14).
- Hyperbole
An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the
purpose of emphasis or heightned effect.
She looked beautiful; more beautiful than pretty Belgian
girls in the queue (CLHT, 27).
- Enumaration
My house was fully furnished with a TV, sofa, dining table
and bed (CLHT, 24).
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- Interrogation
It is a question asked without need to be answered.
Can Love Happen Twice? (CLHT, 17).
For me love was just meant to happen once and it was
forever. How do I fill the same heart with love for someone else? (CLHT,
32).
Why was it so important to have a facebook account?
(YDAMN, 9).
- Inversion
When Amardeep walked out the exit gate of the busy
Chandigarh airport. A chilly winter welcomed him for the very first time to
`The City Beautiful' (CLHT, 1).
As per the track record of my previous conversations with
the local people, the subject this time was again Indian (CLHT, 27).
With a bag hanging across her right shoulder, she walked
down the paved path in between the green laws outside her hostel (YDAMN,
4).
- Personification
A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction
in endowed with human qualities or abilities.
It never got this dark so early in the day in the capital.
But that day, Mother Nature too had chosen to wear black
before time-perhaps as an act of solidarity; perhaps as a mark of
protest.
98
In no time, the sky appeared visibly
angry. Sudden intermittent bright flashed of lighning tore out from
behind the dark clouds. A wild sky roared in anger-loud and
clear
(YDAMN, Prologue).
A broadsmile took birth on her lips
as the sun streamed through the window, flooding her room in
abundant light (YDAMN, 2).
- Simile
A stated comparison (usually formed with «like» or
«as») between two fundamentally dissimilar things that have certain
qualities in common.
As per the track record of my
previous conversations with the local people, the subject this time was again
Indian (CLHT, 27).
A broad smile took birth on her
lipsas the sun streamed through the window,
flooding her room in abundant light (YDAMN, 2).
When sleep had still not come to her, she served
as a travelling ticket inspector (TTI) in the North Eastern Railways
(YDAMN, 2).
She looks like
a pampered child (YDAMN, 4).
99
Conclusion
This third chapter closes the dissertation. It was the
question of discussing some narrative techniques used by Ravinder Singh in the
two novels analysed in details in the second chapter.
Through the investigations and after deeply reading the two
novels cover-to-cover, eight narrative techniques have been stressed on, to
mention: the use of short, simple sentences, the use of long,
complex sentences, the use of Point of View, the use of Real Place Names, the
use of Figures of Speech, the use of Indian words and the use of
Flashback.
These eight techniques mentioned above have been very helpful
for a good understanding of Ravin's narrative skills.
It is important for me to notice here that besides these
eight, there are so many other narrative techniques in the two novels analysed.
Thus, I encourage the coming researchers and literature students interested in
love story telling and reading to analyse books written by Ravinder Singh, to
study other topics on one or both novels I analysed, or to study other
narrative techniques in some of the same author's novels in order to compare
result with what I found in my research.
General Conclusion
To write a research paper in literature, to present and defend
it in front of Jury composed of at least two PhD professors and one other
lecturer as a member of jury was one of my obligations in order to graduat at
university for a Bachelor of Arts in English (BA English) degree.
For this reason, I have been allowed by the director of my
dissertation to hold my research on Narrative Techniques in Ravinder
Singh't Can Love Happen Twice? and Your Dreams are Mine
Now.
The writing of this dissertation has been the search of
answers to the main question asked in the introduction of the work (What are
narrative techniques used by Ravinder singh in Can Love Happan Twice?
and Your Dreams are Mine now?).
Before studying techniques in these two books, I first wanted
to know which kind of books are they, i.e theycome from which literature. This
aspect of consideration sent me study Indian literature, though, the
dissertation went firstly to deepen Indian literature. That is the reason why
the first chapter of the work is intitled `Literary Survey on Indian
Literature'. In it - the chapter- I based on brief history of India,
Indian literature written in Indian languages, Indian literature written in
foreign lansguages, Indian English literature and Modern Indian literature.
This study has helped to situate Ravinder's novels in time and
space.
After anderstanding the origin of books, I could not directly
study techniques without understang the book. Thus, I was obliged to study
different elements of a literary genre, here, a novel. This is where the
appereance of the second chapter of this thesis intitled A Literary
Analysis of Ravinder Singh's Can Love Happen Twice? and Your
Dreams are Mine Now,comes from.
In the very first lines of the chapter, Life and Works of
Ravinder Singh are discussed before jumping to the analysis of the two novels.
In
101
the first novel, Can Love Happen Twice?, eight
literary elements are discussed, namely: Title, Plot, Characters and
Characterisation, Settings, Style, Mood, Tone and Intention; whereas only four
elements are studied in the second novel, Your Dreams Are Mine Now, to
mention: Title, Plot, Characters and Characterisation and Settings.
The analysis of the two novels has equipped me with knowledge
that made ready to discuss the main problem of the dissertation which is the
study of Narrative techniques.
Therefore, the last chapter, answers to the main question rose
by pointing out, explaining and quoting evidences from novels, eight narrative
techniques used by Ravinder.
- The Use of Short, Simple Sentences
- The Use of Long, Complex Sentences
- The Use of Flashback
- The Use of Point of View
- The Use of Real Place Names
- The Use of Sms Language
- The Use of Indian Words, and
- The Use of Figures of speech.
Seeing that this dissertation is just a simple thesis of
Bachelor degree, I could not write as much as I though or add more other
elements as if it was a Master or PhD thesis. If in coming years I will still
be interested in Ravinder Singh's romantic novels, I will do my best to deepen
this topic. For this, I aslo encourage other English literature students to
specialize in Indian literature where they can deal with new literary works
such these ones.
This Love that Feels Right. Gurgaon : Penguin Books
India Pvt, 2016.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I. Main Works
Singh, R. Your Dreams are Mine Now. Gurgaon : Penguin
Books India Pvt, 2014.
Can Love Happen Twice ?. Gurgaon Books India Pvt,
2011.
II. Literary Works
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. London : Longman,
1958.
A Man of the People. London : Longman, 1966.
Aluko, T, M. One Man, One Matchet. London : Heineman
Educational Books, 1976.
One Man, One Wife. London : Heineman Educational
Books, 1976.
Bhangat C. One Night at the Call Center.
One Indian Girl
Singh, R. I Too Had a Love Story. Gurgaon : Penguin
Books India Pvt, 2007.
Love Stories That Touched My Heart. Gurgaon :
Penguin Books India Pvt, 2012.
Like it Happened Yesterday. Gurgaon : Penguin
Books India Pvt, 2013.
Tell Me a Story. Gurgaon : Penguin Books India Pvt,
2015.
103
Will You Still Love Me. Gurgaon : Penguin Books
India Pvt, 2018.
Hemingway, E. The Old Man and the Sea. New-york :
Charles Scibner's sons, 1952.
III. Literature Books
Abrahams, M.H. A Glossary of Literaty Terms. Ney York :
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1957.
Baker, Sheridan. The Complete Stylist. New York :
Thomas Y., Crowell Company, 1968.
Barnet, Sylvain, Berman, Morton and Burto, William. A
Dictionary of Literary Terms. London : Constable, 1969.
Batson, F.W. The Scholar-Critic : An Introduction of
Literary Research. London : Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972.
Cocklreas, Janne and Logann Dorothy. Writing Essays about
Literature : A Literary Rhetoric. New York : Holt Renehart and
Winston, 1976.
Dickinson, Léon T., A Guide to Literary Study.
New York : Holt Renehart and Winston, 1959.
IV. Dictionaries
Dicos Dictionary. Hachette, Paris, 2009.
Le Robert Happer Collins, 2002.
Longman English La Rousse : Longman group, UK, 1968.
Oxford Advanced Learner's 7th edition, London, 2010.
Oxford Advanced Learner's 6th edition, London, Special
Press. Robert et Collins Bilingual French English Dictionary. Paris :
bnj
104
V. Thesis
Atelo, Y. Obstination in Ernest Miller Hemingway's The Old
Man and the Sea, Mémoire Unikis, 2012-2013.
Mongbolo, N. Narrative Techniques in Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's
Petals of the Blood and Devil on the Cross, Mémoire de DES UNIKIS,
FLSH, 2007-2008.
Protest and Baby `'D» : The Post Colonial
Africa's
Image in Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's Matigari and Wizard of the
Crow. Mémoire de Thèse de Doctorat, UNIKIS, FLSH,
20092010.
VI. Courses
Ilunga, N. Guided Research and Text Treatment G2 L.C.
Anglaises. Kisangani :Unikis, 2015.
Tsimpanga, B. Statistics, Unikis 2010.
Mongbolo, N. Analysis of a Literary Genre I, Unikis, 2018.
Literary Theory and Criticism I, Unikis, 2018
Muamba, K.
English Literature, Unikis 2018.
Bontambo, P. Modern Literature, Unikis 2018.
VII. Webography
www.google.com
CONTENTS
EPIGRAPH
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
0.1 Research Statement 5
0.1 Hypothesis 5
0.2 Methods 6
0.3 The Choice of the Topic 6
0.4 Aims of the Work 7
0.5 Sources of Data 7
0.6 Limitation of the Work 7
0.7 Division of the Work 8
CHAPTER ONE 9
LITERARY SURVEY ON INDIAN LITERATURE,
9
I. Literary Survey on Indian Literature 9
I.1 A Brief History of India 9
I.2 Indian literature in Other Languages than English
12
I.3 Indian Literature in Foreign Languages 14
I.3.1 Indian Persian literature 14
English Literature from North East India 15
I.3.2 English Literature 15
I.3 Indian English Literature 17
I.3.1 Later History 19
I.3.2. Critics on Indian English Literature
22
a. Poetry 23
b. Alternative Writings 24
Conclusion 34
CHAPTER TWO 35
A LITERARY ANALYSIS OF RAVINDER SINGH'S
35
CAN LOVE HAPPEN TWICE AND YOUR DREAMS
35
ARE MINE NOW. 35
Introduction 35
II.1 Ravinder Singh's Life and Work 35
A. His Life 35
B. His Work 36
A. Can Love Happen Twice? 37
II.1 Title 37
II.2 Plot or Story 38
a) Plot Diagramme. 49
II.3 Characters and Characterization 50
3.1 Characters 50
Main Vs. Minor 50
- Round Vs. Flat 50
- Dynamic Vs. static 50
- Protagonist, Antagonist and Tritagonist
51
- Regular, recurring and Guest Characters
51
3.2 Characterization 51
3.1.1 Main Characters 52
1. Ravin (Ptotagonist or the hero of story).
52
His Characterization 52
> Loving and Caring 52
> Serious 52
> Brave 53
> Solitary 53
> Disappointed 53
> Sad 54
> Atheist 54
2. Simar (Antagonist) 54
Her characterization 54
> Beautiful 54
> Loving and caring 55
> Rich 55
> Embitious 55
3.2 Minor characters 56
1. Happy, Amardeep and Manpreet (Tritagonists).
56
3. Shantuna 56
4. Ritika 56
5. Sanchit 56
6. Simar's Father 56
7. Simar's Mother 56
8. Ravin's Mother 56
(a) Diagram of Character's Relationship 57
II.4 Settings 57
II.4.1 Spatial Setting 57
II.4.2 Temporal Setting 57
II.5 Style 58
Some author's point of view about Style 58
1. Mathiew Arnold 58
2. Shopenhawer 58
3. Jonathan Swift 58
4. Edward Gibbon 58
5. George Louis Leclerc Buffon 58
II.5.1 Subject Matters Vs. Theme 58
II.5.1.1 Subject Matters 59
II.5.1.2 Theme 59
II.6 Tone 60
II.7 Mood 60
II.8 Intention 60
B. Your Dreams Are Mine Now 61
II.1 Title 61
II.2 Plot or Story 62
II.3 Characters and Characterization 68
A. Main Characters: 68
B. Minor Characters 69
II.4 Settings 70
A. Spacial Setting 70
B. Temporal Setting 70
Conclusion 71
CHAPTER THREE 72
NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES IN RAVINDER SINGH'S
72
CAN LOVE HAPPEN TWICE? AND YOUR DREAMS
72
ARE MINE NOW. 72
Introduction 72
The Relevance of the Study of a Narrative Technique
73
Narrative Techniques Used by Ravinder Singh
73
1. Use of Short, Simple Sentences 73
2. Use of Complex Sentences 76
3. Use of SMS Language and Spelling
76
4. Use of Real Names 80
5. Use of Flashback 82
6. Use of Indian words 84
7. Use of Point of View 85
First-Person Point of View 85
Second-Person Point of View 86
Third-Person Point of View 86
Alternating person 87
Character Voice 88
Epistolary Voice 89
Third-Person Voices 89
Third-Person, Subjective 90
Third-Person, Objective 91
Third-Person, Alternating 92
1. First person point of view: 93
2. Third person point of view: 94
3. The Dramatic Point of view 94
8. Use of Figures of Speech 95
- Alliteration 95
- Anaphora 95
- Hyperbole 96
- Enumaration 96
- Interrogation 97
- Inversion 97
- Personification 97
- Simile 98
Conclusion 99
General Conclusion 100
BIBLIOGRAPHY 102
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