The Narrative Art In Saul Bellow's Henderson The Rain King

Saul Bellow(1915-2005)is a preeminent American Jewish novelist who is characterized as a modern urban man,disaffected by society but not destroyed in spirit.His stature as a postwar American novelist can only be compared to that of Hemingway and Faulkner in the twentieth century.Henderson the Rain King is Bellow's fifth novel.This paper attempts to discuss the narrative art from four facets: narrative structure,narrative time,narrative space and narrative rhetoric.This thesis explores the narrative organism of the work,and discusses the narrative thoughts in the process of narration.Chapter one deals with narrative structure.Digressive structure in this novel includes two parts: the initial digression and the teeth digression.The application of digressive structure shows the chaotic psychological state of Henderson which displays the mental crisis of contemporary people in America.It combines changeable elements in time and space,breaks the traditional way of narration.The adoption of U-shaped narrative structure enables Bellow to unify the narrative form and thematic implications ingeniously which also reflects Bellow's religious beliefs.Chapter two and chapter three discuss the narrative time and space in Henderson the Rain King.Narrative structure unfolds in time and occurs in space.In terms of narrative time,this thesis analyzes the time order,time duration and time sequence as well as the unique narrative effects produced by them.Bellow achieves strong rhythm of narration by the adoption of temporal narrative techniques,such as summary,scene description and repetition.As for its narrative space,the author mainly focuses on topographical space,social space and psychological space and analyzes the meaning hidden behind them.Spaces are endowed with the symbolic meaning.The narration of space depicts the physically and spiritually suffering in American which makes Henderson find comfort in a dreamy space.Chapter four analyzes the narrative rhetoric in Henderson the Rain King.The four animal images and their symbolic meanings in the novel indicate that Henderson has come out of his spiritual crisis and gets spiritual renewal.Henderson the Rain King is also marked by the openness of its ending.Open-ending means that the writer hides himself to take readers horizon of expectation into consideration.In Henderson the Rain King,Bellow provides readers strong support to justify their judgment.Several clues indicate that Henderson has got rid of his crisis and realizes the importance of love.In conclusion,the narrative structure in Henderson the Rain King is organic.The narrative time and space settings and narrative rhetoric have profound meanings.The use of narrative strategies enables readers to know the narrative goals and ideas in this novel.