On The Symbols Of Angels And Demons From The Perspective Of Narratology

Dan Brown is a famous American writer of the detective novels,whose works Angels and Demons has attracted many scholars at home and abroad to make researches from the perspectives of thematic analysis,symbolic meaning,translation studies and comparison studies,but there have been few researches made on the symbols' analysis from the perspective of narratology.Influenced by the structuralism and the formalism,narratology was formally established as an independent discipline in the 1960 s,which is a theory to study the shared and individual narrative features of all forms of narration and describe the rule systems which are related to the narration in the narrative processes.This thesis tries to analyze the symbols in Angels and Demons from the perspective of narratology,and summarize and classify the symbols systematically,aiming to discuss how the symbols reflect the focused narration and how the symbols push the linear narration.The thesis generalizes the theoretical framework of narratology,two terms-the focused narration and the linear narration are explained in detail.In the thesis,the symbols in Angels and Demons are summarized and classified into three categories: the holy seat,indexed sculptures and word symbols.From the level of the focused narration,the cognitions and reflections of Langdon and Vittoria on the symbols embody the inner-focusing narration of the novel,the narrative blank of the symbol “Diamond” made by the narrator reflects the outer-focusing narration of the novel.From the level of the narrative structure,the symbols throughout the symbol-leading beginning,the suspense-setting development,the interlocking climax and the unexpected ending promote the plot development of the novel,and thus push the liner narration of the novel.The thesis makes a research of Angels and Demons with the employment of narratology,aiming to help the readers be clearer of the function of the symbols in thefocused narration and the linear narration as well as understand the narrative pattern better,and expecting to provide some reference for the research of the narrative pattern of the novel.