Narrative Styles and Dialogue Techniques in Literature
Narrator Perspectives
- Third-Person Narrator: This narrator tells the story from an external viewpoint, using the third person. This approach conveys objectivity and detachment. There are two main types:
- Omniscient Narrator: Possesses complete knowledge of the story, acting as a god within the fictional universe. This technique was favored by 19th-century novelists.
- Observer Narrator: Only recounts what is perceived through the senses, limited to recording events. This film-like technique is common in American novels and social realism of the 1950s.
- First-Person Narrator: The narrator is an active participant or witness within the story, telling it from their perspective. This includes:
- Protagonist Narrator: The protagonist recounts the events, emphasizing subjectivity and authenticity. This style is characteristic of Romanticism and 20th-century psychological novels, allowing for deep exploration of inner thoughts.
- Witness Narrator: A minor character tells the story, offering an objective viewpoint and drawing the reader in as an accomplice.
Dialogue
Dialogue is a form of speech where two or more characters alternate in conversation.
Dialogue in Narrative
Character voices can be presented in three ways:
- Direct Style: The character’s exact words or thoughts are reproduced verbatim in the first person. This includes the dialogue itself and an introductory phrase.
- Indirect Style: The narrator paraphrases the speech in their own words in the third person, including an introductory phrase. This alters tenses and sentence structure.
- Free Indirect Style: The narrator blends the character’s thoughts and feelings into their own discourse, respecting the character’s mode of expression. This omits the introductory phrase and follows a pattern of narrator’s discourse + pause + cited speech + narrator’s discourse.
Dialogue in Theatre
Theatre is fundamentally based on dialogue. The speech consists of dramatic monologue (a character expressing emotions and conflicts) and aside (a comment not heard by other characters but by the audience).
Stage directions are the playwright’s instructions regarding the circumstances of the action.
Exposition
Exposition is a type of writing that develops a theme clearly and systematically for understanding.
Theme
Expository texts address knowledge and culture, using clear and precise language.
Structure
It is important to examine the organizational model chosen by the author to understand how ideas are articulated. The structure can take two forms:
- Deductive or Analytical Structure: Begins by explaining the main idea and then provides supporting examples.
- Inductive or Synthesizing Structure: Starts with specific details and builds towards a conclusion that aligns with the theme.
Types of Expository Texts
Based on the writer’s intention, two modes of exposition can be identified.