Rhetorical Narrative Of The Brooklyn Follies

Paul Auster(1947-)is regarded as one of the most outstanding contemporary American writers.His numerous works reflect his deep concern for the life and spiritual state of modern man.The Brooklyn Follies(2005)is one of his representative works.At present,most of the studies on The Brooklyn Follies are from the perspective of thematic field,but few researches have analyzed this novel from the post-classical narratology.The thesis analyzes The Brooklyn Follies by using the rhetorical narrative theory of James Phelan.It aims to reveal Paul Auster’s deep concern for the living state of modern man,so as to provide a way for modern people in trouble to get out of the predicament and get salvation.This thesis consists of three parts: introduction,main part and conclusion.The first part introduces the purpose,significance,and the theoretical framework.James Phelan’s rhetorical narrative focuses on characters,progression and reader’s judgement.The implied author influences the reader by applying various techniques,means and strategies applied in the text,and finally delivers a kind of value to readers.The second part is divided into three chapters.Firstly,it studies the portraying of Nathan under the theoretical support of the three dimensional view of characters.Secondly,through the analysis of narrative progression,it reveals a kind of life value “the sense of ethical community”—We should not only accept people with the same moral values as ourselves,but also accept people with different values.Thirdly,from the perspective of narrative judgement,it aims to reveal the aesthetic value of the whole work—Paul Auster’s great concern about the community of common destiny for all mankind.Different values lead to a tension between readers and the implied author and narrator when they make narrative judgement.Readers understand and accept the sense of ethical community conveyed by the author through tension.It draws to the conclusion that the implied author transmits a sense of ethical community to the reader.It is through kinship,love and friendship that Nathan tries to return to the society,and finally gets redeemed by applying the sense of ethical community.The community of common destiny for all mankind is the theme that Paul Auster focuses on.The 9/11 event mentioned at the end of the novel deepens this theme.The sense of ethical community is not only applicable to people,but also applicable to regions and even countries,which is the realistic significance of the novel.Therefore,Paul Auster’s novel The Brooklyn Follies has its high aesthetic value and practical significance.