Specificity of narrative space presentation in T. Capote's nonfiction novel «In Cold Blood» | Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta – Tomsk State University Journal. 2012. № 359.

Specificity of narrative space presentation in T. Capote's nonfiction novel «In Cold Blood»

This paper focuses on TrumanCapote's nonfiction novel «In Cold Blood». By example of the first part of the text called «The last to see them alive», the authoranalyses the specificity of the narrative space presentation in the nonfiction novel. Narrative space is a space, in which parallel events,unified by a narrative thread, occur at the same time. These events are presented in the text from different points of view. The total ofrhythmically organized individual points of view forms a spatial net. It functions in the narrative as a lineal and cognitive category. As alineal category, the spatial net divides the text into individual perspectives. The structural elements of an individual perspective are asfollows: 1) the deictic centre; 2) focal objects; 3) verbs of movement, adverbs and prepositions of place and direction. The individualspatial perspectives of the first part of ''In Cold Blood'' can be organized into four groups: 1) the murderers; 2) the victims; 3) thewitnesses; 4) the narrator. They are rhythmically interlaced. Interchange of the individual perspectives belonging to different groupscreates the effect of simultaneous actions and causes suspense; interchange of the individual perspectives within the same groupemphasizes a common emotional atmosphere. The segments of the spatial net are also rhythmically organized in accordance with theirlength: the rhythm of shortening segments creates tension. As a cognitive category, spatial net divides the narrative space into frames. Aframe is a possibly minimal amount of information about the essence of an object, phenomenon, event, situation, process. A frameconsists of a name and slots. Often, smaller frames act as slots, so the frame takes the form of matryoshka. Frames are connected intoa net through ako (a kind of) links. The top frame of ''The last to see them alive'' is Kansas: from Olathe to Holcomb (about 400 km).The narrative space of the text coincides with the real space of the Kansas state. This spatial frame is filled with three smaller frames(slots): 1) Holcomb; 2) Olathe; 2) the way between the two towns. Each of these frames, in their turn, is filled with smaller frames, etc.The smallest spatial frames, coinciding with individual spatial perspectives, are called scenes. A scene consists of a focalizing subjectand focal objects. The shift in focalization marks the shift to the next scene. Presenting the narrative space of ''In Cold Blood'' in sceneshelped Capote to reduce the volume of the book from 8000 to 219 pages. Thus, as a lineal category, the spatial net divides the narrativespace of the non-fiction novel ''In Cold Blood'' into individual perspectives, as a cognitive category - into frames. Division intoindividual spatial perspectives contributes to the objectivity of the non-fictional narrative; division into frames allows reducing the text,preserving the adequacy of interpretation. Rhythmical interchange of the segments creates the desirable emotional atmosphere.

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Keywords

пространственная сетка, перспектива, ритм, фрейм, сцена, spatial perspective, rhythm, frame, scene

Authors

NameOrganizationE-mail
Bozrikova Svetlana A.Saratov State University (Balashov)bozrix@mail.ru
Всего: 1

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 Specificity of narrative space presentation in T. Capote's nonfiction novel «In Cold Blood» | Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta – Tomsk State University Journal. 2012. № 359.

Specificity of narrative space presentation in T. Capote's nonfiction novel «In Cold Blood» | Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta – Tomsk State University Journal. 2012. № 359.

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