The Analysis Of Postmodern Narrative Techniques In Possession

Postmodernism is talked and written about everywhere in contemporary western society. But since its concept is ambiguous, it is not yet widely understood. Many postmodern writers try to experiment with some innovative narrative techniques, which are rather different from the traditional ones, to reflect their thoughts towards reality. A(ntonia) S(usan) Byatt, one of England's foremost writers, in her most successful book, Possession: A Romance (1990), uses some postmodern narrative techniques to tell the story. This thesis is intended to show the importance of parody, intertextuality and narrative ambiguity in the novel, and at the same time to provide Byatt's creative postmodern narrative interpretation and to explore her great concern about literature itself, and meditate on literary creation and criticism.The thesis consists of six parts. The introduction presents an overview of A. S. Byatt's life and her literary achievement. At the same time it gives a brief summary of the story of Possession and points out that Possession belongs to the postmodern novel genre because of its main postmodern narrative techniques: parody, intertextuality and narrative ambiguity. Part One provides a definition of postmodernism and explores main expressive methods of postmodern narratives, which will be analyzed in the parts that followed. Then it sums up the characteristics of postmodern narratives. Part Two focuses on the expression of parody in Possession. It is composed of three parts: parody of some representative literary figures, parody of old myths and fairy tales and parody of romance and detective story. The investigation focuses on the complicated and creative functions parody fulfills in Possession. Part Three analyzes the postmodern narrative of Possession from the perspective of intertextuality. By detailed study in the way of intertextual criticism, the thesis states that the meaning of the text is produced through the text's inter-action by the writer's applying consciously or unconsciously, techniques of archetype, quotation and allusion. In this sense, intertextuality makes a breakthrough of the traditional literary criticism and significantly widens its horizon in reading and interpretation in Possession. Part Four focuses on narrative ambiguity in Possession. It is composed of two parts: narrator's ambiguity and the change of reader's role. Instead of telling one continuous story from beginning to end, A. S. Byatt uses different genres including mythical epic, fairy-tale, correspondence, diary etc. to develop the story. Therefore, the narrator is an ambiguous one who can't provide the reader with a clear and believable story directly so that reader has to change his role from passive acceptance to active thinking. The conclusion is a summary of the thesis and a restatement of the main points of its argument, attempting to give an appropriate review of A. S. Byatt's literary accomplishment and offers further comments on its significance for postmodern narrative art.