From Logagnosia To Heterogluossia:A Feminist Analysis Of Narrative Voice In Alias Grace

Margaret Atwood is crowned as the literature queen in Canada.In 1996,she published Alias Grace,the ninth novel in her career.Set in the 19th century,this novel fictionalizes one of the most controversial cases in Canadian history.Grace Marks,the female protagonist,was an Irish immigrant who was accused of murdering her master Thomas Kinnear and his secret lover Nancy Montgomery,a housekeeper in Kinnear House.This novel mainly develops in the form of memoir that brims with Grace's conversations with a doctor,Simon Jordan,who is authorized to investigate this case.There are various versions of this murder in Canadian history,and these different voices from authoritative institutions and celebrities about this murder case are cited and displayed in this novel by Atwood.Through the strategic interplay of various narrative strategies,Margaret Atwood positions Grace Marks as an image of social critique other than as a victim to be rescued."Voice" in feminist narratology serves as a key link between economic,political,cultural conditions and literary practice.In order to deal with some interesting problems posed by narrative voice in Alias Grace,this thesis mainly relies on Susan Lanser's theory of narrative voice,at the same time,intertextuality and polyphony will also solidify the theoretical foundation of this thesis.By analyzing and cormparing narrators'voice and narrative strategies in this novel,this thesis attempts to expose the power struggle and gender inequality in the process of story-telling.More importantly,the process of constructing women's narrative authority questions the authority of the monologic narrative under the patriarchal culture and considers the possibility of pursuing the historical truth.As a renowned novel,Atwood's Alias Grace serves as a good example to study the female narrative voice from various levels.This thesis contains five parts.Introduction reviews the literature career of Margaret Atwood and introduces some literary studies on Alias Grace.This part ends with the illustration of the thesis's theoretical basis.The first chapter focuses on the male characters' voice in this novel.This chapter analyzes the characteristics of the male voice,and then it discusses men's intentions to interfere with and distort women's image as well as voice,which are in vain.Their voice is continuously weakening,which results in their failure of narrative authority.The second chapter explores Grace's narrative voice and analyzes how she revives her voice and constructs her narrative authority through her crafty narrative strategies,such as self-silencing,double voice and unreliable narration.In the third chapter,this thesis discusses what the historical t:ruth is and uncovers how the patriarchal grand narrative masks females' voice in history.With the analysis of voice,this thesis attempts to shed light on the ways in which Atwood pursues the historical truth with her critical thinkings about women's dilemma in the development of social and scientific progress.Finally,this thesis concludes that Atwood's clever application of narrative voice not only reveals the important role of voice in gender relations,which helps women obtain narrative authority,but also deconstructs the monologic narrative within the male-centered culture,reflects and challenges the so-called official history.