A Study Of Covert Narrative Progression In Raymond Carver's Short Stories

Raymond Carver is the leading figure of the American short story renaissance in 1980s.He abandoned grand narrative and turned to family narrative and little narrative for family life or living conditions of the working class.Thus Carver is often regarded as the spokesman for the blue collar.Carver's works are plain,contracted and full of paralipsis.However,there are many seemingly inessential or even irrelevant details in his works,which,in my view,constitute covert narrative progression,which parallels the major plot and often subverts or supplements the work in thematic significance.This thesis,based on the theories of covert narrative progression of Shen Dan and narrative progression of James Phelan,attempts to interpret Carver's short stories in terms of their seemingly digressive or irrelevant details,and to explore the form,function and aesthetic effect of covert narrative progression involved by close reading.The study finds that those seemingly digressive or irrelevant details constitute another narrative progression with a different and often deeper layer of meaning.Among those short stories,They 're Not Your Husband,Fever,So Much Water So Close to Home have submissive covert narrative progression,which contradicts the plot and complicates the readers' responses.Neighbors and Why Don't You Dance have supplementary covert narrative progression,which greatly enriches thematic significance and contributes to shape multi-level characters.It is hoped that this study provides another perspective for the study of Carver's works and helps the reader better analyze and appreciate Raymond Carver and his works.