A Research On The Narrator In Truffaut And Godard's Films

The thesis is based on the concept of narrators in the narrative theory.According to different classification standards, the thesis will analyze howFran?ois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard put the auteur politics into practicethrough different sorts of narrators, and how they succeed in pervading theirindividual styles into films through different presenting forms. So thatthrough the comparison of their different styles under the same definition ofauteur politics, the thesis emphasizes the diverse presenting forms of theirindividual styles to re-recognize and re-appraise the value and prospect ofthe auteur politics. According to whether the narrators participate in the story, and the degreeof participation, we sort the narrators in Truffaut and Godard's films intoheterodiegetic narrators and homodiegetic ones. From the aspect ofheterodiegetic narrators, Truffaut tries to build up "the forth wall" to keepthe closeness and self-reliance of films between audience and films, narratorsand other non-film factors. While Godard attempts to use the alienation effectto break "the forth wall". From the aspect of homodiegetic narrators, Truffautactuates the audience to be "into" the roles and response sympatheticallywith films. While Godard encourages the audience to keep certain aestheticdistance from films so as to ponder independently. The narrators of Truffaut and Godard can be classified into overtnarrators and covert ones according to the extent of perception. From the aspectof overt narrators, Truffaut is good at using poetic language, while Godardis skillful in using essayistic language to express . From the point of covertnarrators, Truffaut tries to realize his individual style by esteeming andfollowing the film tradition. Godard overturns the traditional aesthetics andrefines the film grammar, bringing the audience new point-of-view with films. On the basis of the relationship between the narrator and the hidden author,we sort the narrators of Truffaut and Godard into reliable and unreliable ones.From the angle of reliable narrators, though both of these two directors arethe advocators and practioners of auteur politics, Truffaut seeks the balancebetween commercialization and individual style through compromising to thereality. But Godard defends his idea all along his life. From the perspectiveof unreliable narrators, the "polyphony" in Truffaut's films originates fromthe contradictions of his character and sorts, while that in Godard's hishumanity social criticism.