The Narrative Arts In As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in1949and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in1954, is one of the most accomplished novelists in the20th century in America. In his novels, he probes into the root of the deconstruction of Southern America and explores the insistent problems of human consciousness. As one of Faulkner’s masterpieces, As I Lay Dying shows his talented narrative techniques to the fullest.William Faulkner is a master of narrative arts. His experimentation and innovation in narrative arts, such as the handling of the narrative point of view, the controlling of the narrative time and the selecting of the narrative language, have gained him much appreciation from the literary critics. In As I Lay Dying, Faulkner deploys unique narrative techniques including unique narrative time, multi-level narrative voices, multiple narrative perspectives, and the narrative method of stream of consciousness. The novel reflects his concern for the living state of the Bundrens and the ultimate destination of the human being.Based on the narrative theories of Gerard Genette, this thesis expounds the artistic charm of the experimental novel As I Lay Dying by analyzing its narrative techniques. In Introduction, this thesis first summarizes the main evaluation and research of Faulkner and As I Lay Dying at home and abroad, and briefly presents Gerard Genette’s narratology. Based on Genette’s narratology of narrative time and narrative voice, Chapter One starts with the non-linear narrative time in As I Lay Dying. To be more specific, it deals with anachronic time, interior monologue and narrative repetition respectively. In Chapter Two, the focus falls upon the multi-level narrative voices. The discussion emphasizes the multi-level language and the main narrator Darl in As I Lay Dying. Applying Genette’s theory of focalization, Chapter Three analyzes the multiple focalizations in As I Lay Dying by resolving internal focalization, external focalization and shifts of focalization separately. The conclusion summarizes Faulkner’s achievement in narrating the story and revealing the modern human conditions.The analysis of As I Lay Dying from the perspective of narrative arts may enhance the readers’ understanding of this novel and fortify the richness, profundity and readability of As I Lay Dying.