The narrator in Emma: The narrator is anonymous and narrates some time after the events of the novel take place. The novel is narrated in the third person by a narrator who tells the reader what individual characters think and feel, and who provides insights and commentary. The novel is narrated by using free indirect discourse, which means that the narrator step into and out of Emmas thoughts, sometimes using language that would be imagined to be used by Emma without placing it in quotation marks. For the most part, the narrator relates events from Emmas perspective. The narration, from the very beginning, creates a complicated portrait of Emma as a young, beautiful, clever, and confident character who exercises her influence in a constricted and complex environment and has much to learn about friendship, love, and the ways of the world. Emma’s affection for Miss Taylor and her kindness to her foolish and somewhat tiresome father reveal Emma’s capacity for true warmth and generosity. But, at the same time, the narrator quickly alerts us to the ways in which Emma is spoiled by her advantages and blinded by her own self-regard. The narrator also portrays Emma’s weaknesses in more subtle ways, such as through irony. For example, the narrator hints that although Emma’s friendship with Miss Taylor is clearly a pleasure to them both, a stricter and more authoritative governess might have been better for Emma’s moral education. Emma’s tendency to be self-serving in her choice of friends is shown contemptibly in her attraction to Harriet Smith. Emma likes Harriet for a purely superficial reason—her good looks—while recognizing that Harriet is not particularly intelligent. Most of all, she likes Harriet for being impressed with her, which she takes as evidence of Harriet’s “good sense.” When the narrator explains Emma’s commitment to Harriet’s betterment, commenting that the project “would be an interesting, and certainly a very kind undertaking; highly becoming [Emma’s] own situation in life, her leisure, and powers,” a narrative technique called free indirect discourse is used, for which Austen is well known. When using free indirect discourse, the narrator steps into and out of characters’ thoughts, using language that sounds just like what the character would say, except that the narrator does not place it in quotation marks. The narrator’s use of free indirect discourse creates irony, as it becomes difficult to tell when the seemingly approving narrator is actually pointing to flaws in her characters. For instance, in the preceding quote, the narrator seems to express approval of Emma’s decision to take on Harriet as a project. Yet, because the words are expressed in Emma’s language, not the narrator’s, it seems that we are meant to view the statement with skepticism and to note that Emma’s seeming selflessness stems from the desire to make herself look good, to fill her spare time, and to exercise power. The narrative structure of the novel complicates things further—the narrator is omniscient, qualified to pass judgment on Emma with commentary that is often tinged with irony, but the narrator also frequently takes up Emma’s point of view, sometimes almost merging the two.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 16:15:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015