An Analysis Of Life Of Pi From The Perspective Of Postclassical Narratology

Life of Pi is a novel written by the Canadian writer—Yann Martel in 2001, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2002. In the novel, Martel applies dual narration to develop the plot by using the Canadian writer who is seeking the story and by the protagonist who is retelling the story. The story is about how the Indian boy drifts on the Pacific Ocean for 227 days with a Bengal tiger and finally survives. The uniqueness of this novel is the emergence of the second story, which overturns the first story by replacing the animals with human beings. Martel is a good story-teller, who has unique skills in arranging the story and narrative techniques.James Phelan, the representative figure of Postclassical narratology, thinks that narration is a dynamic progression with readers’involvement. Readers active participation is what postclassical narratolgy emphasis on. The narrative progression is subject to the textual dynamics and readerly dynamics from the beginning to the end. From textual dynamics, the narrative progression is proceeded with the instability of characters, circumstances and the narrative skills in discourse. From readerly dynamics, the narrative progression is conducted by readers’reaction towards the story and the changing attitudes when the story happens, develops and ends.Life of Pi is a typical text which fully embodies the characteristics of Postclassical narratology. The reliability of the two stories and the reliability of the narrator both influences readers’narrative judgments towards the two story. The novel takes advantage of the interaction between text and readers and brings readers to the second story. Readers’involvement becomes the dynamics of the novel and readers’ judgment decides which story is true. Through the analysis of unreliable narration and narrative progression, this thesis helps the readers to find the deep meaning under the surface structure and make their interpretation judgments on events, ethnical judgments on moral values and aesthetic judgments on the narrative techniques based on their own values, faith and knowledge. This thesis will analyzes Life of Pi from the perspective of Postclassical narratology to have a better understanding of Martel’s narrative techniques.