On The Narrative Style In The Hamlet By William Faulkner

This M. A. thesis is aimed to discuss the narrative style in The Hamlet, one of the representatives of William Faulkner's later works, and the impact of the author's life on his writing. Faulkner is famous for his consummate narrative technique all over the world and regarded as a great experimentalist among the twentieth-century novelists. Scarcely two of his works are similar technically. The narrative technique of The Hamlet is quite different from his earlier works. The seeming loose structure holds in store meticulous designs. Through the multi-focalized and multi-voiced narrative, Faulkner weaves different elements into a coherent unit. In this way, he delineates two contradictory parties, which reveals his paradoxical attitude towards the invasion of the new economic power. And he also conveys his anxiety and his exploration of the way to get out of the wasteland of modern world. The depiction of the contradictory characters with excessiveness is influenced by Faulkner's dilemma at that time. So based on the biographical study, the thesis argues that the contradictory characters in the novel are the representation of the conflicting self of the author.Chapterâ… discusses the narrative technique of the novel on the basis of Mieke Bal's theory on the multi-focalized and multi-voiced narrative. The cooperation between different focalizors and various narrators not only completes the images of the central characters but also reveals their own characteristics. In this way Faulkner paints a vivid picture of country life.Chapterâ…¡discusses the characters' concepts of time and the impacts of their time concepts on them. Faulkner develops Bergson's philosophy of duration which holds the past, the present and the future flow in continuum. The tragedy of the characters lies in their splitting of the interconnection among the past, the present and the future. The one that recognizes the interconnection can cope with the changes in life successfully.Chapterâ…¢explores the relationship between the author's life and his work on a biographical basis. Faulkner harbors a paradoxical view on Flem. On one hand he admires his success; on the other he despises his machination. So he creates Eula and Ike, who are embodiments of nature and love to confront with Flem, which indicates the author's faith in human virtues.The conclusion part is a summary of Faulkner's achievement in narrating the story and revealing the human conditions which are the sources of his innovations in narrative techniques. This part also has a brief review of the study of The Hamlet in China.