QUID EST ENIM TEMPUS? TEMPORALITY, CAUSALITY, AND NARRATIVE STRUCTURE IN SELECTED WEST INDIAN SELF-PORTRAIT NOVELS
Abstract
Purpose of the study: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the plot structure of six selected novels published in the mid-1950s onwards. The paper also seeks to understand the differences that exist between autobiographical fiction that were published in the 20th century and that published in the 21st century.
Research methodology: The paper is grounded on narrative theory and stylistics. The novels under study are V. S. Naipaul’s Miguel Street and A House for Mr Biswas, George Lamming’s in the Castle of my Skin, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, Merle Hodge’s Crick Crack, Monkey and Marcia Douglas’s The Marvellous Equation of the Dread: A Novel in Bass Riddim.
Findings of the study: The paper found that all of the novels share a similar type of narrative structure, regardless of the date of publication. This structure is characterized by a linear progression of events, with the narrator recounting their childhood and adolescence. The novels also share a focus on the themes of identity, colonialism, and migration.
Conclusion: The paper concludes that the similarities in the narrative structure of these novels suggest that they are part of a shared literary tradition. The paper also suggests that there are differences in the novels, such as the points of view of the narrators, reflect the changing social and cultural landscape of the West Indies.
Recommendations: The paper recommends that further research be conducted on the narrative structure of autobiographical fiction from the West Indies. The paper also recommends that scholars explore the ways in which these novels can be used to understand the experiences of West Indian people.
Keywords: Causality, Narrative structure, Plot, Self-portrait, Temporality
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