The Strategy Of Spatial Narrative In Half A Life And Magic Seeds

V. S. Naipaul is regarded as one of the most creative, controversial, and excellent writers, also known as the “Mitsuo of British Immigrant Literature” with Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro. In 2001, Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and this award focused the attention of the literary circle to this post-colonial writer who owned the complicated national identities. Naipaul’s works were once awarded the Booker Prize, Somerset Maugham Award, and other awards.The living conditions of Asian, African and European are described and the confusions and pains of people in the third world are revealed in his works.Spatial issues are the crucial themes in the writing career and living state of Naipaul. In the construction of the space, Half a Life and Magic Seeds are based on the regional space, combined with the emotional, historical, and cultural factors, to represent the whole scenes of the space. In the setting of the plots, Naipaul makes use of the changing spaces to create the dynamic atmospheres, making it possible for the protagonist to experience different spaces and events. This thesis will analyze Naipaul’s novel from the view of space production and spatial narrative.This thesis consists of three chapters besides the Introduction and the Conclusion.The Introduction concentrates on the life and literary creations of Naipaul,domestic and foreign researches on Naipaul, the spatial theory and narrative theory used in the thesis, as well as the research questions and significance of this study.The first chapter discusses the space production in Naipaul’s novels. Firstly, the physical space, especially the typical districts and cities in Half a Life and Magic Seeds, are explored according to the physical location of the leading character Willie.Willie floats around Asia, Africa and Europe, from the jungle and village in India to the mansion in Africa, then to the city and streets in England. Secondly, it discussed the mental feelings of Willie, his sense of seeking for belonging and the disharmony between the two sexes. Finally, the social space in the two novels is discussed. Why does Willie have the rootless feeling and become a roamer to drift from one place to another? One of the main reasons is Willie doesn’t ever find his identity.The second chapter discusses the spatial relationships in Half a Life and Magic Seeds, including the opposite space concepts and the reappearances of space. The opposite space concepts mainly include the imaginary space and the realistic space,the two contradictory worlds and the contrast between the big cities and small villages. The reappearances of spaces discuss the second arrival of Willie in India and London. In the story, Willie comes to Africa and Germany once, and India and London twice. Willie is like one tourist who doesn’t have the sense of belonging even though he stayed there twice. The reappearances and contrasts of the two places reveal Willie’s rootless living state.The third chapter discusses the textual space from the choice of language, the lineal temporal logic and the points of view. The symbolic words and philosophical language are adopted to foresee the results of the events and the destiny of the characters. The narrative sequence of starting in the middle and ending in the middle is discussed in Half a Life and Magic Seeds. The first person and the third person points of view are adopted and the notions of “here” and “there” put forward by Gabriel Zoran are analyzed to tell the causes and effects of the events, the psychological changes of Willie. Readers are allowed to perceive and evaluate Willie’s life from both the participants and the outsiders.The conclusion points out that three kinds of spaces are revealed in Half a Life and Magic Seeds, including the physical space, the psychological space and the social space. The shifts of space in the novel promote the development of the plots in the course of Willie searching for self-identity and sense of belonging.