CC BY
0УДК 82-32
Baltabaeva A.K.
Moscow Pedagogical State University (Moscow, Russia)
WHAT DOES FAULKNER ACHIEVE BY APPLYING AN UNCONVENTIONAL NARRATIVE STYLE IN THE STRUCTURE OF «AS I LAY DYING»?
Аннотация: As I Lay Dying is one of William Faulkner's most influential works. This article explores the impact of Faulkner's unconventional narrative style in the novel. The fragmented structure, characterized by multiple perspectives and shifting timelines, is not merely a stylistic choice, but rather a deliberate technique that serves to illuminate the complex nature of human consciousness and the ambiguous nature of truth. The article analyzes how this unconventional approach reveals the subjective nature of experience, deepens the emotional impact of the story, and shows the real image of South American multicultural society in destructive condition throughout the novel.
Ключевые слова: stream consciousness, modernism, multiple narratives, fragmentation, interior monologue.
The early 20th century witnessed a shift in the literary world. Modernist writers, being concerned with hanges brought about by war, technological advancements, and understanding of the human psyche, sought new ways to represent the complexities of human consciousness. Therefore, among the most innovative and permanent methods that emerged in this era was the stream of consciousness [1, с.72]. Characterized by its attempt to mimic the continuous flow of thoughts, feelings that are filled in inner lives, the literary device became a feature of modernist literature, revolutionizing the way writers explored the depths of human experience. Tracing its origins, examining the diverse applications, and analyzing its impact on the literary landscape, it is necessary to identify the work of pioneering figure such as William Faulkner's and his one of the key novel "As I Lay Dying" in which he
masterfully employed this technique to capture the fragmented, subjective nature of consciousness. Moreover, the peculiarity of this work is that there is not a word of the author's speech, on the contrary, the entire book is written in dialogues and stream-of-consciousness of multiple narrators and varying chapter lengths. By examining the nuances of the language, structure, and narrative strategies, it is plausible to gain a deeper appreciation for the power and versatility of the stream of consciousness, and its influence on shaping understanding of the human mind. Faulkner's work is often characterized by a profound sense of melancholy, exploring themes of loss, decay, and the burdens of the past. Therefore, this pervasive sadness can be linked to several aspects of his life and the historical context in which he lived. First of all, Faulkner was born and spent most of his life in New Albany, Mississippi, where he has written most of his novels [2]. As I Lay Dying, like many of his books, was greatly impacted by the author's childhood and his interactions with Mississippi and southern American society. Thus, the novel mostly focuses on Mississippi during the Great Depression and the issues that locals there experienced, such as racism, classism, and income inequality. It is applicable to the novel where Faulkner explores themes of human existence, mortality, and the futility of striving in a harsh world. This existential disillusionment contributes to the pervasive melancholic atmosphere. There are many other aspects of unconventional narrative style that are employed by the author and considered to be analyzed.
Firstly, the stream of consciousness conveys not only the thoughts and emotions of his characters but also the environment they live in by using the stream of consciousness point of view [2]. Faulkner presents characters' thoughts in a raw and chaotic manner. He is indeed supposed to be a successor of Joyce's technique of the stream of consciousness but with a modified narrative method in which the structure, point of view, and style of the novels are all integrated into a single, fundamentally cohesive whole, each of whose constituent parts gains strength and importance from the others' mutual dependency [3]. This technique provides direct access to their innermost feelings, fears, and desires, painting a vivid psychological portrait. Each character's internal monologue reveals their personal struggles and
motivations, making them more relatable and real. Furthermore, stream of consciousness emphasizes the subjective nature of reality in the novel. Each character's thoughts and perceptions are filled with their individual experiences and emotions. This subjectivity highlights the isolation and miscommunication within the Bundren family, as they often fail to understand each other's true feelings and intentions. The technique also allows for a non-linear progression of time, reflecting the fluid and often disjointed nature of human memory and thought. A complicated temporal framework that enhances the story is created by characters constantly shifting between memories and present experiences. Thus, the flexibility highlights how the protagonists' current lives are still affected by the past. Moreover, by immersing the reader in the characters' stream of consciousness, Faulkner intensifies the emotional impact of their experiences. As a result, the novel's dramatic impact is strengthened by this emotional intensity, which also makes the reader more immersed in the characters' circumstances. Overall, Faulkner's use of stream of consciousness in "As I Lay Dying" is a masterful narrative choice that provides profound psychological insight, emphasizes the fragmented and subjective nature of reality, and heightens emotional intensity.
Another most prominent structural aspect of the novel is certainly the multiple narratives technique that consists of 59 monologues by 15 characters in the course of the story covering only ten days. By using multiple narrators, Faulkner provides a range of perspectives, each offering a unique viewpoint on events and characters. This approach highlights the subjectivity of experience and the complexities of human perception. Readers gain a multifaceted understanding of the Bundren family's journey, seeing the same events through different emotional and psychological lenses. It also contributes to the characters' development since each of their feelings and thoughts are revealed creating more relatable and complex figures. By giving voice to various characters, Faulkner presents a nuanced portrayal of each character, making them more relatable and complex. For instance, Darl's philosophical viewpoint contrasts vividly with Jewel's action-oriented perspective, highlighting their different ways of coping with their mother's death. What is more,
particular narrative style allows for an intimate exploration of their motivations, fears, and desires that engine the plot. Although inconsistent statements may be viewed and questioned in the text, it is claimed that the characters now speak with authority and clarity, defending their presentations as a consequence of the first-person narrative. It has given the reading more credibility as the characters appear with their expressions free and intimate [4, ^ 70].
Nevertheless, the fragmented narrative structure reflects the Modernist literary movement's emphasis on disjointed and non-linear storytelling. Faulkner's technique mirrors the chaos and disintegration experienced by the Bundren family, aligning form with content and reinforcing themes of confusion and disarray. And by challenging chronological chronology and narrative coherence, the author shows the Bundren family as a fragmented and troubled social group characterized by betrayal, deception, and misunderstanding, and thereby this adds to the incomprehensibility of their experience [3, ^26]. Overall, the non-linear, multi-perspective storytelling mirrors the characters' fragmented psychological states and the instability of their world. Additionally, the use of multiple narrators introduces the element of unreliable narration. Every character offers a subjective, sometimes contradictory, and sometimes biased narrative of what happened, leaving the comprehensive picture of what happened. This method highlights the elusiveness of objective reality by making readers actively participate in the process of identifying the underlying truths from the various points of view.
As for the symbolism, it can be also correlated to the multiplicity of voices in the text similarly to the fragmented nature of human consciousness and the diversity of the truth. Faulkner, therefore, underscores the idea that reality is not solid but rather a combination of individual experiences and memories. The varying chapter lengths are not accidental, they contribute significantly to the novel's symbolic meanings as well. Firstly, short chapters often belong to the more simple or limited characters, like Vardaman, whose thoughts are fragmented and childlike, hence they capture the immediacy of their experience. Meanwhile, long chapters are typically associated with characters who are more complex or introspective, like Addie
Bundren. Thereby, the length allows for a deeper dive into their thoughts and motivations. Secondly, the physical journey becomes a metaphor for the characters' inner struggles, with each chapter representing a different stage of their emotional and psychological journeys. Thirdly, the changing voices and unequal chapter lengths also contribute to the novel's sense of ambiguity and the unreliability of each character's perspective, highlighting the difficulty of truly understanding another person's experience, and the subjective nature of memory. Thus, by intertwining these varied voices, Faulkner deliberately subverts traditional narrative structures to create a more immersive and fragmented experience. This unconventional approach challenges the reader to engage more actively with the story, collecting the narrative from diverse perspectives.
In conclusion, Faulkner intertwines different techniques such as stream of consciousness, multiple narratives so as to challenge conventional storytelling, and create a novel not based on a plot of action, but of characters. Faulkner shows the reader the obscure nature of reality, the complexity of human perception, and the enduring force of personal memory by drawing them into the broken subjective consciousness of the Bundren family. Moreover, the author proves that each character's narration is colored by their individual experiences, biases, and limitations, demonstrating that truth is always relative and shaped by perspective. By immersing the reader in the characters' raw thoughts and feelings, Faulkner also creates a more emotionally charged experience and intensifies the impact of their grief, their struggles, and their quest. Indeed, the author's unconventional structure, with its disregard for chronological order and linear progression, challenges the reader's expectations of a traditional narrative, and therefore this disruption compels him to actively engage with the text, working to piece together the story from broken fragments. Thus, through the experimentation with form and style, Faulkner reached a uniquely immersive and memorable reading experience with the help of the fragmented narrative, the diverse perspectives, and the emotional intensity of the novel.
СПИСОК ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ:
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3. Hussam Assaad DEPICTION OF THE 20TH CENTURY FRAGMENTARY SOCIETY IN W. FAULKNER'S AS I LAY DYING // Вестник Полоцкого государственного университета. Серия А. Гуманитарные науки. 2020. №2. URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/depiction-of-the-20th-century-fragmentary-society-in-w-faulkner-s-as-i-lay-dying (дата обращения: 06.06.2024);
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