Perspective, Perception and the Modern Novel
Character and Plot Development in 20th Century American Fiction
Trends in traditional narrative fiction are inherited from Classic English Literature. They consist of stories told by one narrator in the first or third person, chronologically and straightforward. Elements of surprise are generated from shocking events during plot build up, which keep the reader interested. Characters are commonly flat and predictable, with clear distinctions between villain and hero.
The narrator holds a position that is objective and neutral, guiding the reader to accept his view as correct. This is done while subtly promoting some protagonist ideal, virtue or moral lesson which will be resolved in some way by the novel’s end. Classic writers such as Charles Dickens and Jane Austen are good examples of this kind of fiction.
The Modern Novel
Around the turn of the 20th century came the introduction of the modern novel. At this time, writers such as Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zora Neale Hurston and Ernest Hemingway, became less interested in expressing ideals, and more interested in conveying differences in character perspective. This brought both depth and variety to works as a whole, allowing for more complex character and plot development, which prompt the reader to ask more questions.
Such questions are derived in part from discovering that one perception isn’t the only reality. There are multiple realities, which vary according to each person. There are also no absolute boundaries between good and evil (and consequently, right and wrong), so defining such values becomes increasingly difficult. Now, the reader can see that black and white exist only as extremes between endless shades of gray--and that most of life’s quandaries (often with the best of intentions), get lost somewhere in the middle.
Willa Cather's, A Lost Lady
Willa Cather’s novel, A Lost Lady, illustrates this point. Here, the reader is given a glimpse into the life of the captivating and seemingly elegant, Mrs. Forrester—but only through the perspectives of other characters’ third person narratives. The most significant of these is Neil, whose feelings toward her mingle maternal longing with romantic sentiment. As a boy, the reader sees Neil as completely taken in by her warmth and charm.
The ideal he finds in Mrs. Forrester is lovely, dainty, completely feminine, witty, kind and loyal. As the novel progresses, the ideal which Neil has fashioned for himself in Mrs. Forrester is repeatedly shattered as he discovers more about her. Neil must learn to accept the less than perfect reality of Mrs. Forrester, reassess his new convictions, and control how much he allows them to impact his views. He experiences growth while observing growth in Mrs. Forrester.
Death of the Protagonist Ideal
Throughout it all, Mrs. Forrester (who unknowingly influenced Neil), remains a bit of an enigma, her true character and motives largely reduced to third party speculation. Cather limits her character's development to what is discovered through the testaments of other characters. Some of these characters are also narrators, and others are only introduced through the perspective of another character’s narrative. By using this technique, Cather is able to illustrate how people’s perspectives influence their perception.
This in turn drives individual emotions, motives and actions--often impacting the lives of the people surrounding them. At times, such impact is negatively felt for one person and positively felt for another, making it seem clearly black, or clearly white from the perspective of that person. For the reader though, the eventual resolution should fall somewhere in gray between, and should feel closer to a real life scenario.
Photo of Willa Cather
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Reading & Literature
Latest Articles