The Main Features of Modern Fiction - Essay Example

Modern Fiction Introduction This paper focuses on the main features of modern fiction as outlined and elaborated by Suzanne C. Ferguson's article,” Defining the Short Story: Impressionism and Form”. Two novels, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes are at the center of interest in bringing out the features. This paper is organized in three parts. Sectio1 is the introduction. The next section 2 relates to conceptualization of the term, modern fiction. Section 3 is the main body and present discussion pertinent to the topic. Section 4 gives a conclusion drawn from the rest of the paper. Modern fiction defined It generally describes the literal work(s) done in the first decade of the 20th century or anything written immediately after 1900. Modern fiction is derived from the term modern which simply means anything different from the traditional styles. Most modern fiction tends to employ the use of narratives with the point of view of protagonists taking centre stage. In addition, there is a lot of focus on senses and inner experiences as vital components reality and which is often expressed in the first person narration of their covert /subjective experiences of events (Ferguson, 1982:15). This is typical of Norwegian Wood taken from the point of view of Toru, a 37 year old who reflects back on his past in the late 1960s when he was still a student in Tokyo. His companion killed himself after which Toru gets in a relationship the deceased’s lover, Naoko. Later, Toru becomes involved in another relationship this time with Midori, who is quite different from Naoko. He is caught between two female friends but unfortunately is at high risk of losing both (Yeung, 2011: 3). The use of narration is quite important in the, Norwegian Wood as it brings to the forefront the feeling of reality in the fiction (Ibid). Furthermore, it gives anybody reading the book access to the speaker’s inner conflicts. In the context of this novel, the narrator adopts escapism as a way of self acceptance or identity (Gladding, 2005). Similarly, in Miguel Cervantes book, Don Quixote there is evidence of the use of limiting use of point of view of characters and the emphasis of inner experience. The author takes narrative strategy characterized by the voices of other characters in dialogue (Rivers, 1982). There is a very thin line between fantasy and reality when the Author imitates Amadis highlighting the various forms of wrongs or otherwise good reputation and undying fame (p.21). There are also voices emanating from behind the scenes where Cervantes, demonstrates the complexities of human identity particularly that of readers caught up by the modern fiction (Rivers, 1982). It also illustrates that reality an only by interpreted by the audience /readers. Just like in Haruki Murakami’s work, there is escapism as exemplified by one of the characters, Alonso who is unhappy with his current reality and therefore opts for an escape into a more conducive state of affairs (Brown, 2008: 49). Generally, the uses of narration help in bring out outward sign of an individual’s emotions projected either directly or indirectly as realms of the subconscious, where the ultimate source of the self is rooted (Vasil, 2012:112). In both novels, it is clear that people can deal with emotions imbalances differently. Others may decide to take escapism tendencies while other may decide to come to terms with the same all together. The second unique feature of the modern fiction is the tendency of going against the normal chronological time ordering (Ferguson, 1982:16). This is the case in the two books. In Murakami’s novel, there seems to be a big lapse in terms of the period of narration compared to the narrated events. In chapter one, the novel is introduced by 37 years old Toru in light of his yester years but with very little disruption of Toru as a mature person (Yeung. 2011:3). Later in the chapters, there is a back and forth movement. The audience is taken back in the older days, when all the key characters were in still in high to the sudden death of Kizuka. The period between the darkness and the present is distorted. This has been successfully achieved through the use of death to freeze up the 1960s in place. As observed, major protagonists seem to die at their youthful age. Kizuka and Naoko all dies at 17 and 21 respectively. The narrator here is 19 years old if extrapolated from Naoko who turns 20 in April 1961 since she is about seven months older than the narrator. It appears that there is a constant wavering in between 18 and 19 years thus becoming 20 in the 1960 tends to vanish. This can be attributed to the death that took place (Baik, 2010:67). Furthermore, in the final chapter, this a lot of loose ends with lack or insufficient solutions to various problems. Of course, this can only be linked to the non-chronological arrangement of events in the novel which eventually leads to various unanswered questions especially in relation to Toru’s love life. Although this irregular time ordering may be a challenge to readers, it is quite useful especially for the author. For instance, the story is organized in a mixed of past events, similar to and reflecting various episodes in human brain/memory. Yeung’s argues that there is a very close similarity in narratives and memory as the stream of period often takes non- linear, in a forward-moving manner and that recounting of the past is not a product of a successive or uninterrupted chain but rather a an array of fragmented moments derived from a stream of time Watanabe remembers his past as a chain of broken events connected by association ranging from the dormitory to his friend, then to Naoko and consequently to Kizuki (Yeung. 2011:3). Chronological time ordering is quite inconsistent in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes. Looking at sequence of various events in the novel, one cannot fail to notice the various distortions of episodes all through often by calculated pauses, stories, and vagueness in periods among others. The story is suddenly disjointed immediately after the first section with a simple reason of self excuse (70). Immediately, another author picks up the story once more. Well, Miguel Cervantes appears to prefer plot and characterization to the so called chronological time ordering. According to Gasta, this is well orchestrated plan to bring about some contentious elements in the novel. It is almost impossible to tie the loose ends as time and venue of events are vague (Gasta, 2011:52). To some extent, I must say Cervantes has succeeded in bringing out the theme of uncertainty in the contemporary society, through one who is in constant doubt with no ability to determine any truths or values, or coming up with an objective reality. The third feature is the modern fiction is the overreliance on the use of metaphors and metonymy in the staging of events and existence with the components of imaginary scenes represented fairly by use of imageries or unrelated sets of events linked to the different themes as found in a normal plot (Ferguson, 1982:18). Haruki Murakami’s novel, Norwegian Wood is used a metaphorically to represent the 1960s in which time has ceased. This decade is representation of a hole that used to shine a bright light on the board of time but disappeared into the darkness. However, according to Baik, the 1960s is a situation where time has stopped, and quite difficult to be interpreted because to other it may mean several years ago (Baik, 2010:68). A further use of metaphor can be seen In Cervantes’s novel, Don Quixote, where Don likens his own life to the sun which is only several second away from setting. He is afraid since he believes he is about to meet his own sunset totally blank and worse still, there is completely nothing to fill up the emptiness (p.571). The use of metaphors brings about intended impression the author wants the audience to get. They revolve around different emotional patterns; love, pain, sorry among others as experienced by different characters. Last but not least, modern fiction is often characterised by the tendency to delete or bring a gradually transform various components of the traditional plots (Ferguson, 1982:15). This may be linked to a focus on contemporary issues. A close look at Norwegian Wood reveals Toru’s efforts to adjust to the changes of modernity. With the cultural changes, he tries so hard to come up with a place where he can withstand the impacts of shifts and changes in the transforming society. In the wake of globalization, Toru is preoccupied with placing himself strategically in order to avoid or protect against anonymity which threatens to compromise the static sense of permanence he strives so hard to achieve. Again, the narrator in Murakami’s book attempts to integrate the traditional values and ways of life into the post -modernity. In the traditional society issues of identity and place are not under threat (Gladding, 2005: 81). Fujii argues that the Norwegian Wood experience spread to each city of East Asia, one after another. He attributes this to the changes transformation in human interaction manifested by high economic growth and high rates of urbanization (Fujii 2005: 182–185). Conclusion The main objective of this paper was to illustrate the unique features of modern fiction as outlined and elaborated by Suzanne C. Ferguson's article,” Defining the Short Story: Impressionism and Form”. With a special focus on the two novels Norwegian Wood and Don Quixote by Haruki Murakami and Miguel Cervantes respectively. From the paper, modern fiction is associated with the use narrative techniques placing emphasis on limiting point of view of characters and expressions of human experiences, non-chorological time ordering, extensive use of metaphors and tendencies to delete elements of traditional plots. Bibliography Baik, Jiwoon (2010) 'Murakami Haruki and the historical memory of East Asia', Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 11: 1, 64 — 72 Cervantes, Miguel de. (2003) Don Quixote. Trans. Edith Grossman. New York: Ecco, 2003. Print. Ferguson, Suzanne C., (1982) Defining the short story: Impressionism and Form, Modern Fiction Studies, 28:1. Fujii, Shz (2005) ‘China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Murakami Haruki: literature as a mark of urbanization’ Tokyo: Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai, 177–195 Gasta, Chad M. (2011). Cervantes’s Theory of Relativity in Don Quixote, Cervantes: Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America, 31.1 (spring, 2011): 51-82. Gladding, K. D. (2005). Negotiating Place: Multiscapes And Negotiation In Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood A Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfilment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Arts In The Department Of English In The College Of Arts And Sciences At The University Of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida(unpublished) Rivers Elias L. (Ed) (1982). Narrators, Readers, and Other Characters in Don Quijote: From: Cervantes: Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America 2.1 (1982): 96-98. Tompkins, Jane P. (Ed)(1980). Reader-Response Criticism: from Formalism to Post-Structuralism (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1980), passim Vasile, Adelina (2012).Subjectivity and Space In Haruki Murakami's Fictional World, Euromentor Journal, Vol.3 (114): 112-131 Yeung, Virginia (2011) A Narrative Study of Murakami Haruki’s Norwegian Wood and Sputnik Sweetheart. Transnational Literature Volume. 3 (2). Read More

Generally, the uses of narration help in bring out outward sign of an individual’s emotions projected either directly or indirectly as realms of the subconscious, where the ultimate source of the self is rooted (Vasil, 2012:112). In both novels, it is clear that people can deal with emotions imbalances differently. Others may decide to take escapism tendencies while other may decide to come to terms with the same all together. The second unique feature of the modern fiction is the tendency of going against the normal chronological time ordering (Ferguson, 1982:16).

This is the case in the two books. In Murakami’s novel, there seems to be a big lapse in terms of the period of narration compared to the narrated events. In chapter one, the novel is introduced by 37 years old Toru in light of his yester years but with very little disruption of Toru as a mature person (Yeung. 2011:3). Later in the chapters, there is a back and forth movement. The audience is taken back in the older days, when all the key characters were in still in high to the sudden death of Kizuka.

The period between the darkness and the present is distorted. This has been successfully achieved through the use of death to freeze up the 1960s in place. As observed, major protagonists seem to die at their youthful age. Kizuka and Naoko all dies at 17 and 21 respectively. The narrator here is 19 years old if extrapolated from Naoko who turns 20 in April 1961 since she is about seven months older than the narrator. It appears that there is a constant wavering in between 18 and 19 years thus becoming 20 in the 1960 tends to vanish.

This can be attributed to the death that took place (Baik, 2010:67). Furthermore, in the final chapter, this a lot of loose ends with lack or insufficient solutions to various problems. Of course, this can only be linked to the non-chronological arrangement of events in the novel which eventually leads to various unanswered questions especially in relation to Toru’s love life. Although this irregular time ordering may be a challenge to readers, it is quite useful especially for the author.

For instance, the story is organized in a mixed of past events, similar to and reflecting various episodes in human brain/memory. Yeung’s argues that there is a very close similarity in narratives and memory as the stream of period often takes non- linear, in a forward-moving manner and that recounting of the past is not a product of a successive or uninterrupted chain but rather a an array of fragmented moments derived from a stream of time Watanabe remembers his past as a chain of broken events connected by association ranging from the dormitory to his friend, then to Naoko and consequently to Kizuki (Yeung. 2011:3). Chronological time ordering is quite inconsistent in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes.

Looking at sequence of various events in the novel, one cannot fail to notice the various distortions of episodes all through often by calculated pauses, stories, and vagueness in periods among others. The story is suddenly disjointed immediately after the first section with a simple reason of self excuse (70). Immediately, another author picks up the story once more. Well, Miguel Cervantes appears to prefer plot and characterization to the so called chronological time ordering. According to Gasta, this is well orchestrated plan to bring about some contentious elements in the novel.

It is almost impossible to tie the loose ends as time and venue of events are vague (Gasta, 2011:52). To some extent, I must say Cervantes has succeeded in bringing out the theme of uncertainty in the contemporary society, through one who is in constant doubt with no ability to determine any truths or values, or coming up with an objective reality. The third feature is the modern fiction is the overreliance on the use of metaphors and metonymy in the staging of events and existence with the components of imaginary scenes represented fairly by use of imageries or unrelated sets of events linked to the different themes as found in a normal plot (Ferguson, 1982:18).

Read More