THE THE COLLECTORCOLLECTOR

by John by John FowlesFowles

•NARRATION AND THE NARRATION AND THE NARRATORNARRATOR

John Fowles (1926-(1926-2005)2005)

British novelist and British novelist and essayist.essayist.

Professor of French and Professor of French and English.English.

The Collector The Collector (1963) – (1963) – his first published novel his first published novel and an international and an international bestseller.bestseller.

Several of his novels Several of his novels were turned into films.were turned into films.

Types of NarrationTypes of Narration

First-person narrationFirst-person narration

Third-person narrationThird-person narration

Stream of Stream of consciousness*consciousness*

(not to be confused with (not to be confused with first-person narration)first-person narration)

*Stream of consciousness is a *Stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that imitates the narrative mode that imitates the character's process of thinking. It is character's process of thinking. It is characteristic for the stream of characteristic for the stream of consciousness to involve loosely consciousness to involve loosely connected sentences, sometimes connected sentences, sometimes lacking proper syntax and lacking proper syntax and punctuation. There is no clear logic; punctuation. There is no clear logic; links between phrases are not logical links between phrases are not logical but associative. It’s a form of interior but associative. It’s a form of interior monologue.monologue.

Stream of consciousness Stream of consciousness (example) (example)

““How fresh, how calm, stiller than this of How fresh, how calm, stiller than this of course, the air was in the early morning; course, the air was in the early morning; like the flap of a wave; the kiss of a wave; like the flap of a wave; the kiss of a wave; chill and sharp and yet (for a girl of chill and sharp and yet (for a girl of eighteen as she then was) solemn, feeling eighteen as she then was) solemn, feeling as she did, standing there at the open as she did, standing there at the open window, that something awful was about window, that something awful was about to happen; looking at the flowers, at the to happen; looking at the flowers, at the trees with the smoke winding off them trees with the smoke winding off them and the rooks rising, falling; standing and and the rooks rising, falling; standing and looking until Peter Walsh said, "Musing looking until Peter Walsh said, "Musing among the vegetables?"—was that it?—"I among the vegetables?"—was that it?—"I prefer men to cauliflowers"—was that it? ” prefer men to cauliflowers"—was that it? ” Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf, Mrs DallowayMrs Dalloway

Basic means of Basic means of characterizationcharacterizationin prose fictionin prose fiction

Characters being talked about by the Characters being talked about by the omniscient authoromniscient author (omniscient/limited) (omniscient/limited)

Characters talking about each otherCharacters talking about each other Characters talking for themselvesCharacters talking for themselves

What means of characterization are used What means of characterization are used inin

The Collector?The Collector? What do they do for the What do they do for the reader?reader?

Point of ViewPoint of View

Establishes the perspective Establishes the perspective from which the characters from which the characters are seen and the events are are seen and the events are presented.presented.

Determines the plot Determines the plot (succession of events), the (succession of events), the details, the style, the details, the style, the language, and more.language, and more.

How does the point of view in How does the point of view in The Collector The Collector affect other affect other elements of the novel?elements of the novel?

NarratorNarrator

Created by the Created by the author. A narrator author. A narrator alwaysalways differs differs from the actual from the actual author, even when author, even when certain certain biographical biographical details, including details, including the name, the name, coincide.coincide.

First-Person NarratorFirst-Person Narrator

First-person (“I” or “We”) narrator can be:First-person (“I” or “We”) narrator can be:

A participant of the story and its main character;A participant of the story and its main character;

A minor character;A minor character;

An observer who does not take part in the story.An observer who does not take part in the story.

What examples of different first-person narrators What examples of different first-person narrators can you remember?can you remember?

What possibilities does a first-person narrator give What possibilities does a first-person narrator give to the author? What are the limitations? to the author? What are the limitations?

Unreliable NarratorUnreliable Narrator

First-person narrators First-person narrators can be limited by their can be limited by their lack of knowledge or lack of knowledge or experience, by being experience, by being childish, deliberately childish, deliberately deceptive, insane, or deceptive, insane, or evil, etc. Perceptive evil, etc. Perceptive readers have an readers have an advantage in advantage in understanding and can understanding and can interpret the events interpret the events for themselves and see for themselves and see dramatic irony*.dramatic irony*.

* * Dramatic irony Dramatic irony

Dramatic irony Dramatic irony occurs when a character occurs when a character states something that they believe to be states something that they believe to be true but that the reader knows is not true. true but that the reader knows is not true. The key to dramatic irony is the reader's The key to dramatic irony is the reader's foreknowledge of coming events.foreknowledge of coming events.

Second readings of stories often increase Second readings of stories often increase dramatic irony because of knowledge that dramatic irony because of knowledge that was not present in the first reading.was not present in the first reading.

http://serc.sogang.ac.kr/erc/Literature/http://serc.sogang.ac.kr/erc/Literature/Irony.htmIrony.htm

PersonaPersona

Persona (“mask”) – a Persona (“mask”) – a first-person narrator first-person narrator radically different radically different from the actual author from the actual author in his/her opinions in his/her opinions and characteristics.and characteristics.

Personas are often Personas are often unreliable, creating an unreliable, creating an ironic distance ironic distance between their between their perspective and that perspective and that of the readers.of the readers.