Study On Nonlinear Narrative Techniques In Iris Murdoch's The Black Prince

Iris Murdoch is recognized as one of the most productive and influential novelists in English literature after the Second World War.She has written twenty-six novels,two poetry collections and a number of plays in 40 years,which constitute one of the most impressive bodies of fiction produced in English in the twentieth century.Iris Murdoch was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Black Prince in 1973.The Black Prince is the fifteenth fiction of Iris Murdoch,and is considered the best one among all others.The narrative in The Black Prince does not follow the tradition by dividing text into several chapters.The text is characterized by nonlinear narrative structure,which is a breakthrough of traditional linear narrative technique.This thesis is composed of five chapters.Apart from the introductory and conclusive parts,the thesis will analyze nonlinear narrative techniques in The Black Prince from the aspects of circular narrative,narrative time and narrative perspective.In chapter two,circular narrative structure will be researched in detail.Circulation of form and circulation of Bradley's psychological change reflect that Bradley shifts from a selfish man to a selfless one.In chapter three,the management of time of the theory of Genette's narration will be applied,and the rhythm of narration will be analyzed in terms of flashback,summary,ellipsis,pause and scene.Finally in chapter four,characters' discourse text will be analyzed from the aspect of multi-level perspective,thus readers may doubt about the reality of the novel.