Novel Characterization from Perspective of Narratology

Wang+Siqi

【Abstract】The character is an indispensable part of literary works which have significant research value. Mansfields Miss Brill is one of the top works in the field of short story. This excellent article has reflected the protagonists complex characters with a unique way. With the help of the theory of narratology， the paper aims at analyzing Miss Brills characters from the perspective of “direct description” and “indirect expression.”

【Key words】Narratological perspective； Miss Brills characters； direct description； indirect expression

1. Introduction

“The event and the behavior of the narrative works will not occur without actors.”（Tan， 2008：62） The characterization of the main figures in the novel is related to the success of the article.

1.1 Narratological theory

After entering China， narratological theory has attracted the research and application of scholars of a variety of fields.

“In Narrative Fiction， Israeli fiction theorist has talked about the methods of the characterization in articles. In detail， there are two main kinds：direct description and indirect expression.”（Song， 2012：98）

Briefly， the former directly portrays personalities of figures in one novel with adjectives， adverbs and so on. However， the latter mainly presents persons characteristics and changes with the help of implicit verbal component or a variety of technique of expressions including the description of action， surrounding description and so on.

1.2 Miss Brill

Frankly speaking， the character image of the protagonist in his Miss Brill leaves a deep impression on people. In this classic short story， the protagonist named Miss Brill is an old lady and works as a teacher to maintain life. Based on the Narratological theory of characterization， the paper has a further study on the protagonists characters of Miss Brill.

2. Direct Description

In this excellent novel， these direct descriptions give people a clear impression on Miss Brill. Firstly， Miss Brill is glad that she had decided on her fur， which shows her affable character. Secondly， the author described her as an “expert” in listening to others conversations which displays her good at observing and careful character. In addition， in the ninth paragraph of this short novel， the adjectives in the sentence “why she had a queer， shy feeling” also reflect Miss Brills lonely and unsocial characters. Finally， readers can have an understanding that Miss Brill is a teacher from the sentence “her English pupils”. Above all， there are some examples that directly describe her image.endprint

3. Indirect Expressions

Based on narratological theory， this paper focuses on the analysis of Miss Brills personality from two aspects：inner activity and environment.

3.1 Inner Activity

“Weakening the plot and portraying the figures inner world is a prominent feature of Miss Brill.” （Yang， 2002：41） For instance， in the beginning of this article， Miss Brills automatic speaking to the old fur——“Dear little thing！ It was nice to feel that.” All that let readers easily feel fur is precious for her and Miss Brills nostalgic character. When the story came to the climax， she imagined herself as the leading actress in the life stage. In particular， the sentence——“Yes， I have been an actress for a long time” has presented Miss Brills imaginative character.

3.2 Environment

In particular， the author described the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light， which showed she is full of hope for life. Later， it is not difficult to see that the description of the environment has changed. Briefly， the author described the slender trees with yellow leaves down drooping and the blue sky with gold-veined clouds. In the end of the short novel， the writer told Miss Brills home is little and dark. From these， readers can feel that her hope for life shattered and her life is still desolate and lonely.

4. Conclusion

Its true that characters take a significant position in literal novels. From the perspective of nrratology， there are two main arts of characterization：direct description and indirect expression. With the help of this theory， this paper mainly analyzes and explains the characters of the protagonist in Miss Brill. In general， Mansfield has created an impressive figure that has complicated characters. Above all， a careful reading of classic works like Mansfields Miss Brill， which is a meaningful and benefit thing.

References：

[1]宋嘉港.敘事視角下的人物形象塑造-對魯迅《故鄉》中的閏土形象的分析[J].新西部，2014，26（21）：67-68.

[2]譚君強.敘事學導論[M].北京：高等教育出版社，2008.

[3]楊捷.短篇精品的藝術魅力-解讀曼斯菲爾德的《布里爾小姐》[J].重慶教育學院學報，2002，15（4）：41.endprint