Postmodern Narrative Strategies In Winterson’s The Gap Of Time

The Gap of Time(2015),a novel about love,forgiveness and the infinite possibilities of future,is composed by Jeanette Winterson(1959-),a famous British pioneering postmodern writer.It has attracted wide attention since its publication with its skillful narrative strategies,speculative narrative discourse,rich themes and distinctive postmodern features.According to causality and the order from parts to whole,the present thesis analyzes the typical postmodern narrative strategies in The Gap of Time from the following three aspects: multiple narrative voices,fragmented narrative and narrative indeterminacy.Chapter One explores the multiple narrative voices in The Gap of Time.On the one hand,it investigates the voices of embedded narrative,including the first-level narrative in the real world and the second-level narrative in the virtual world of Xeno’s game.Embedded narrative breaks the boundary of time and space,with the helplessness of the reality intertwining with the hope for future in the virtual world.On the other hand,the thesis probes into the voices of diversified narrative focalizations,centering on its zero focalization,variable internal focalizations,and external focalization.The juxtaposition of various narrative perspectives opens the dialogue space inside the story,and readers can thus hear the voices of those neglected marginal figures,and confront more directly the spiritual dilemma of modern people.Chapter Two discusses the fragmentation of plot,time and space in the novel.Loose plot fragments interweave with each other,the past is entwined with the present,and the scene switches freely between London,New Bohemia,and Paris,representing the hybridity of different social ideologies and revealing the chaos and disorder of modern society.Chapter Three dissects the narrative indeterminacy that is reflected in the uncertainty of characters and the indeterminacy of its open ending,and examines Leo’s multiplicity and Xeno’s fuzziness,as well as the unknown feature of the future.Through the above analyses,the thesis finds that Winterson blurs the boundary between reality and fiction by setting up embedded narrative,subverts the linear narrative framework through multiple narrative perspectives,breaks traditional narrative coherence and eliminates the sense of time and space by means of fragmented narrative,and reveals postmodernists’ pursuit of pluralism by virtue of narrative indeterminacy.The thesis also finds that the utilization of these postmodern narrative strategies contributes to intensifying the narrative power,and demonstrating Winterson’s profound thinking on social reality and her deep concern for human destiny.Thus,this thesis digs profoundly into the microcosm of modern life,people’s void inner world,and ethical issues that the novel reveals,including marital relations and parenthood,as well as a series of social issues involving racial discrimination,economic crisis,and the gap between rich and poor.Furthermore,it digs into Winterson’s personal catharsis of social phenomenon and authentic expectations for modern society,and delves into the contemporary significance and practical value of The Gap of Time.