Sultan Moulay Slimane University Beni Mellal

Faculty of Arts and Humanities Department of English Studies Option: Literature

Narrative Structure in the Novel of Silas Marner by George Eliot

A monograph submitted to the English department in Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the B.A degree

Submitted by: Mohammed KARKOUB S.N:294 /210

Supervised by: Prof .Mohamed RAKII

Academic Year : 2012/2013

Table of Content

Acknowledgments Dedication

Introduction....3
The theoretical part I-Narrative plot
.4 ..5 ...10

II-The basic units of narrative structure II.1-Exposition

10

II.2-Setting ..10 II.3-Characters II.4-Conflict

...11

............11

II.5-Rasing action

.14

II.6-Climax ...15 II.7-Falling action II.8-Denouement

The practical part
....16

..16

17

III-Background of the author ..18 IV-Background of novel 19 IV.1-Plot

20

IV.2-Setting

...26

IV.3-Characters ..27 IV.4-Themes

....36 ..39

Conclusion

Introduction:
This research paper is going to talk about the narrative structure in the British novel which is called Silas Marner by George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans, and Marians. I selected this genre from the rest because I want to become aware of the novels characteristics which are embodied in its narrative structure. The novel is an extended fictional narrative, which is usually written in prose. It is unique because of its considerable length and it contains detailed treatments of characters and a complicated plot. This sort of literary work has historical roots in the fields of medieval and modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. Narrative structure is depicted as the way in which the parts of the narrative are put together, considering arrangement and organization in the shape of the plot and setting. It also refers to the setting of relations among the constituent parts of a narrative, as well as between those parts and the narrative as a whole. These parts can be divided into three sections which led to three acts structure: setup, conflict, and resolution. In setup, the reader can be presented with all of the main characters and their basic situation through characterization technique. Secondly, the conflict is the biggest part in the story, and it begins with the struggle between characters about a certain problem. In this stage, the main characters experience major changes in their daily life because of what is happening. Thirdly, resolution is the outcome of the conflict which characters confront, rendering all elements of the story to assemble together and inevitably driving to the ending. I shall divide this research paper into two parts. In the first one, I shall consider what characteristics give plot an order and structure. It will be basically concerned with a small number of narrative definitions and Gustav Freytags pyramid module. In the second part, I will provide a modest analysis of the novel of Silas Marner

structure, the background of author, the background of novel, the plot, the setting, and the major themes.

I-Narrative definitions
The plot is the series of events in a certain literary work. Despite the fact that some stories may be so short and direct that they fall short of having a plot as that term is being defined in literary circles. Form-critically these brief pieces would be better described as anecdotes, reports, and so on. But any story/narrative implies plot in classic sense of Aristotles core definitions: imitation of an action and also arrangement of the incidents1. Thus, classically, the plot signifies a causal completion by which a reader becomes aware of unity; it produces a synthetic whole carved from the infinite contingency of the world. It is the final end that all the parts are to serve2. This classical approach must be correct as far as it goes, and may be comprehended as a first level of abstraction from the text. This is a plot as skeleton. At an intermediate stage of abstraction, a plot is to be understood less in terms of the incidents or elements it organizes, and more in terms of the mind that does the organizing3. Herman, editing the fifth edition of Thrall and Hibbards standard Handbook, first insists on a causal/skeletal concept of plot, then gives the relevant observation that plot, at least in most modern writing ... focuses with one principal idea in mind_ character4.

1. 2. 3. 4.

Aristotle, the Poetics, 6, quoted in K. Egan, what is plot? in New York literary history 9:3 (1978), p. 472 n. 4. Egan. What is plot? p. 455. Egan. What is plot? p. 455. w. f. Thrall and A. Hibbard, a handbook to literature, (New York : odyssey, 3rd end, 1996) p. 358

This focus probably derives from Henry Jamess dictum: character is action 5. Mary Savage has expressed her disapproval of what she views as over-reliance among literary critics in general on the Jamesian model. In particular, her suggestive article aims the same disapproval at Coastss and Redfords treatment of Joseph story. For that reason, one must be aware of literary models other than Jamess and above all be sensitive to the text, attempting not to force a model upon it. One or more of the above definitions might be sufficient. However, Kieran Egan declares that the use of plot is still characterized by vagueness and confusion 6. He gives other, geometric definitions of plot beyond the skeleton level, then expres ses disagreement to say logic for the necessity of consisting of affective meaning with the concept of plot. This term involves reader response and for that reason should not be confused with the emotion of formalism which involves the feeling within the story/characters: effective meaning derives from following with our gut, as it were, the rhythms of emotion which resonate from the event7. Unlike Aristotles model, Egan declares that plot both determines and organizes meaning in the text in addition to ones response to it. He willingly agrees that the set of rules, by which such determination and organization is fulfilled and any irrelevancies are excluded, is not yet wholly comprehended.

5. H. James? The Art of fiction and other Essays, p. 83 6. Egan. What is plot? p. 455. 7. Egan. What is plot? p. 456.

Admitting also that one does not have the luxury of prescribing meanings, Egan suggests the following definition: plot is a set of rules that determines and sequences events to cause a determinate affective response8.

II-The basic units of narrative

Robert Alter apparently applies only two units or structural elements in his analysis of several Genesis narratives: exposition and narrative event9. Since he focuses more on vocabulary, style and pathos, the bipartite model is enough, but the Forms of Old Testament Literature (FOTL) volume on Genesis, which of course deals with narratives of many kinds, uses a more classical tripartite division_ exposition, complication, resolution_ for some of the same narrative covered by Alters two-part model. The tripartite exposition, complication and resolution may be seen to be correlative with Aristotles beginning, middle and end. The beginning initiates the main action in a way which makes us look forward to something more, the middle presumes what has gone before and requires something to follow, and the end follows from what has gone before but requires nothing more. Then we are satisfied that plot is complete10. Before further definition is undertaken, one can profit from reference to the wellknown Freytags pyramid which has been widely accepted as a means of getting at the plot structure of many kinds of fiction in addition to drama11.

8. Egan, what is plot ?, p. 470 9. R. Alter, the art of biblical narrative (New York : basic books, 1981) 10. M. H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms (New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 4th edn, 1981) 11. Holman and Harmon, A Handbook to Literature, p. 26

Figure: 1

This graphic, originally intended to describe tragedy, does not explain all plots. Nevertheless, it highlights a radical element found generally in narrative or storytelling _an element implies in the older three-part model: the phenomenon of tension and release. Freytags work (1863) may be presumed to underlie what Coasts felicitously summarizes by translating what he calls Westermanns key term: arc of tension12. One may accept this as a partial definition of plot or as a key principle among Egans set of rules _rules which of course are the focus of ongoing discussion. However, the need for precise definition and refinement enters with the application of the Greens and Coasts natural translation of Losung as resolving or reslution13. Coatss recent article on the tale builds on Westermann and applies the term as follows.

____________________________________________________________________ 12. Coasts (ed.) , saga, legend, tale, novella, p. 144

13. Used by D. Green in his translation of C. Westermann, the Promises to the Fathers : studies on the Patriarchal narratives (Philadelphia : Fortress Press, 1980), p. 29

Resolution

Complication

Denouement

Exposition

Conclusion

Figure: 2

In this scheme, resolution means the turning point of action, referring the term used for the apex of tension. According to the literary manuals, resolution is synonymous with falling action. The peak of tension is the crisis and may or may not coincide with climax14.Harman defines crisis and climax as follows: Crisis: in fiction or drama the point at which The opposing forces that create the conflict Interlock in the decisive action on which the Plot will turn the episode or incident where In which the situation of the protagonist is Certain either improve or worsen. Since crisis Is essentially a structural element of plot rather?

14. Abrams, A Glossary of Literature Terms, p. 138

An index of the emotional response that an Event may produce in a reader or a spectator, As climax is, crisis and climax do not always Occur together15. Unlike the rest of modern writers who distinguish crisis from climax, Gustav Freytag may have understood this distinction but rigidly lumped both into the third act of his five act pyramid for tragedies. He singles himself out to establish his accurate model. He considered the plot as a narrative structure that divided a story into five parts, like the five acts of a play. These parts include:

II.1-Exposition
It is just an introduction of story. It introduces important background information to the audience in order to understand who is who and which is which and where the events take place. This information is about setting, characters, and the problem, or complication. In this part, an author attempts as much as possible to give information about time and place. He carefully endeavors to select a specific time to a certain action, and he must also use appropriate place to a suitable work. Secondly, in the part of characters, the reader becomes acquainted with the characters through the kind of characterization the author uses. Thirdly, in the part of complication, the reader will know how the problem rises between the main characters, the protagonist and the antagonist.

10

15. Holman and Harmon, A Handbook of Literature, p. 116

II.2-Setting
It is the place and time of a certain literary work. Authors have to choose an appropriate location such as an urban, rural, or small town or a country. For example, when a literary work deals with an urban life, it should be provided with a suitable location in order to create a kind of harmony between a literary work and its location. As for time which is a very significant element, it should be chosen and used in a right way such as present, past, and future. For example, the contemporary settings ought to take place in the here and now, using the present tense while historical setting ought to occur in the past, using the past tense. Setting does not only refer to the time and place in which the action of the literary works unfolds, but it also indicates the social environment of the characters such as the manners, customs and moral values that control the characters, society and atmosphere which largely, but not entirely, affect the setting. A good adherent setting can give the reader reality and credibility. It must make the reader share some feeling with characters, and feel that he is involved. The significance of the setting differs from one literary work to another.

II.3-Characters
Characters do not only refer to the people in a narrative, but they are also meant to be persons, an animal or personified object that plays a role in the action of a literary work. They may be animals, robots, or creatures from outer space, but the author endows them with human abilities and human psychological traits. They are really people in all outward form. These characters can be divided into two categories which an author reveals through characterization technique. This technique can also be divided into direct and indirect characterization.

11

Round character and flat character are unique. They are both a participant in the story; on the contrary, they are different in motivation and traits. One of the most significant differences is traits. These attributes are the personal qualities that distinguish one literary character from another. A round character is one for which an author has created a fully developed physical appearance and personality. It has a multiple personal traits, and it is complex. The reader confronts difficulty to understand its features. Unlike round character, a flat character is simple; it has only one or two personal traits, and it is often recognizable as stereotypes about the lazy husband, the miser it has a direct description. The Reader does not make any effort to figure him out. Another very crucial difference is motivation which is the reason fictional character acts, thinks, or feels certain way. In intrinsic motivation, a round character is motivated to do a certain action internally. Some motives inside him push him to do that specific action. For example, the protagonist, always, has a good stimulus, wanting to do a good job, wanting to do right things, and to be a better person, whereas the antagonist is always harmful and intend to destroy, ruin, and spoil the environment. In extrinsic motivation, characters are tempted to do something by an outside force such as money, free time, jail.These elements mak e them either do or avoid to being a winner. As for flat character, the motivation remains related to the round character because they are just adjuvants. They only help the main characters.

II.4-Conflict
It is the struggle between opposing characters or forces that is central to the action of a literary work. It is also one of the exposition elements. It is a problem which rises between the protagonist who represents the good and the antagonist who stands for the evil. Each one of these opponents endeavors to defeat the other. It is considered one of the necessary elements of fiction. A Brooks and Warren said in understanding of fiction and as many others have mentioned, no conflict, no story. The complication stirs the mixture enough to suggest that the relationship is not

12

simple. On the contrary, there is some kind of problem, a crisis in relationships, a threatening turn of events, a hostile confrentation16. It creates tension and interest in a story by adding doubt as to the outcome. A narrative is not limited to a single conflict. It is defined as the problem in any story, and it is often classified according to the kind of the protagonist and antagonist. Conflict can be divided into two types, external and internal conflicts. External conflicts are those in which the main character struggles against another character, society, or force of nature. Character versus character is represented by the protagonist against antagonist. The protagonist is the character who steers the action of the story, and he is anticipated to achieve the story objective story goal. He is always a good and laborious character. He participates in progressing and developing the environment. He helps what is surrounding him. He does not hurt any creature. On the contrary, the antagonist who can be one character or a group of characters opposes the protagonist. He rarely succeeds in the end of a story.

13

16. Coasts (ed.) saga, legend, tale, navella, fable, p. 65

He is a villain, bad, and harmful person. He wants to achieve his purposes even if he can hurt other creature. He is mischievous. Because of his bad, abominable, and egoist behavior, the problem rises. Since the evil is always opposed with the good, we completely empathize with the protagonist and find the antagonist unsympathetic. Secondly, man against society is about social traditions or concepts. The protagonist can be a rebellious of situations, tradition, or laws of his or her culture. He or he strives desperately to reform them, either triumphing over a corrupt society, rejecting it or succumbing it. As an example of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, becomes rebellious against religion, education, language, and the antithesis of his name. Finally, character against a force of nature is the ones which can be found in Naturalism movement. In this kind of conflict, the protagonist is pitted against nature or one of its representatives. For example, the short story of to Build a Fire by Jack London, the protagonist tries to challenge nature, superpower which is snow and cool. In spite of his intellectuality, he is defeated, whereas his dog has survived because of its instinct. The instinct is supreme than intellect.

II.5-Rising action
It is the part of the story in which the conflict grows. It follows the exposition events and leads up to the climax. It is distinguished by its length and importance. It is very amazing and full of suspense. It displays the development of tension between characters. Each one performs the best skillful way to defeat the other. The rising action should not be confused with the middle of the story. It is the action right before the climax. In the rising action, the reader can be provided with two kinds of stages: incentive moment and episodes. In the incentive movement, the events gradually increase in tension between characters. A new event recurrently pushes the smoothness of things and sharps the seriousness of the atmosphere. In episodes, a story usually presents sequences of detached events in plot, contrasting

14

from one situation to the text. A new episode demands a change of time and place. With each successive episode, the conflicts sharpness must be more and more intense, requiring some sort of resolution. Rising action is something controversial. As far as Freytag is concerned, the rising action is the second stage of the five-act play; at this moment all the main characters have been introduced, their motives, traits, and points of view to the plot events and other character are established, and they now open their struggle action to one another. In this stage, either the protagonist or the antagonist becomes aware of his goals and starts carefully performing their unique roles to win at the end. Smallest problems begin to touch the protagonist calmness and his smoothness.

II.6- Climax
It is called the turning point in a story, or the point at which the conflict is resolved and the storys outcome is clear. It represents the events after rising action and before the falling action. It is considered as the moment when the main characters decide to define the outcome of the story. It is the moment when the protagonist stands before the antagonist to confront him face to face. It is a decisive point at which the reader cannot know what will happen, anticipating protagonist win because of the good behavior he did to the environment. In the dramatic structure, Gustav Freytag maintains that climax is the third of the five elements of narrative structure after exposition and rising action and before falling action and resolution, and situates in the middle of the story. In this stage, the protagonist finally determines to reject the preliminary fences to confront the adversary. In this confrontation, both the protagonist and the antagonist search and use the best means to win against the other. This is the first time the reader is face to face with big conflict which is decisive between these two main powers. This clash results no complete winning or losing. Each one of them gains a partial result because each characters plan is partially successful and partially prevented by his enemy. What is different between two characters is that the protagonist always makes a

15

decision which shows us his moral quality whereas the antagonist makes a bad action. He does not care about any creature.

II.7-Falling action
It is the part of a story that is framed to follow the climax and show the effects of climax and it leads up to the denouement. It is called so in the sense that the loose ends are being tied up. Here the consequences of the crisis/ climax begin to unfold or unwind gradually it addresses.. Plot.81

II.8-Denouement
Resolution or the ending is the fifth phase in Gustav Freytags pyramid. It refers to the unknotting of all mystery. In this stage, all patterns of events complete, artistic and emotional effect. denouement will move toward either a moment of last suspends from Freytags perspective or from excitement to calm at Olrik perspective.82 suffice it to say that the close or conclusion wraps up all the loose ends, rounding all the plot with observation (or action ) that bring the concerns of the audience to a nature conclusion.8

17. Coasts (ed.) saga, legend, tale, navella, fable, p. 65 18. Ibid 19. Ibid

16