On Narrative Focalization And Narrative Voice Of The Blind Assassin

As a contemporary poet, novelist, and literary critic, Margaret Atwood is reputedas “The Queen of Canadian Literature”. Diligent, prolific and respectable, she hasearned wide attention in Canada and the world. Her works have won all kinds ofinternational awards. In2013, along with Alice Munro, she was nominated as one ofthe hottest candidates of Nobel Prize in Literature in Canada. In2000, her tenth novelThe Blind Assassin won The Man Booker Prize (known as “Nobel Prize of the UK”).The Blind Assassin gives an account of a family history in nearly one hundredyears. Noticeable is that the main characters in it are female. Up to now, researches onThe Blind Assassin mainly pivot on themes, images, sexuality, ecology and politicalthoughts. Few have gone deep into artistic methods such as narratology art, prominentin revealing the themes. Deep down, narratology manifests itself best by twostrategies—narrative focalization and narrative voice in this novel. On one hand,through the first-person and other narrative focalization—indispensable compared toblindness of male characters, the truth of the society is exposed via portrayal of thedetails in daily lives and characters’ inner activities. People’s eyes covered are nowfixed on women’s condition of being neglected, forgotten and oppressed. On the otherhand, the narrative voice, from female characters, sticks to female consciousness,speaks out women’s language and personalities, and builds up the authority of femalenarrative voice. These two strategies complement and correspond with each other,highlighting women’s status and consciousness.In accordance, this thesis will study The Blind Assassin in five chapters. Chapter1makes a brief introduction of Margaret Atwood’s life, the studies on her worksabroad and at home, the main idea of The Blind Assassin, and the research value,research methods, and the frame of the thesis. Chapter2generally introduces theoriesof narrative focalization and narrative voice, to lay a basis for the further study of TheBlind Assassin. Chapter3analyzes narrative focalization and narrative voice in this novel. On one hand, narrative focalization in The Blind Assassin will be specified intofive points; on the other hand, narrative voice including personal voice and authorialvoice applied in The Blind Assassin will be discussed in four aspects. In Chapter4,the significance of narrative focalization and narrative voice will be explored. At last,Chapter5concludes the major findings from this novel, implications and inadequacyof the thesis.All in all, through analyzing the narrative focalization and narrative voice inThe Blind Assassin, this thesis displays Margaret Atwood’s excellence of narrativestrategies to perform the theme of The Blind Assassin. Due to the novelty of this noveland lack of adequate materials, this thesis is inadequate in some places. To makegreater progress, more original and deeper work needs to be done.