Narrative Techniques 2


(c) Direct speech leading to ordinary narrative.  In this technique, often used at the beginning of a story, the writer
creates a sense of surprise through the immediate use of direct
speech.  Then the writer moves on to ordinary narrative and develops this idea of surprise.  A good example of this is 
the opening of Ba Jin's short story "The Heart of a Slave."

     "My people were slaves!" Peng told me one day proudly.

     Many of my friends had told me their family background, all announcing equally complacently that their ancestors 
had hosts of slaves.  Most of their families still owned many slaves, though a minority had fewer than before or none 
at all, and their behaviour and talk made it clear that they looked back nostalgically to that golden age.  As for 
myself, I remember that my great-grandfather had four slaves, my grandfather eight, and my father sixteen.  I inherited 
those sixteen slaves from him, very pleased to be a slave-owner.  And it was my ambition to increase the number from
sixteen to thirty-two.  
But then Peng came into my life and did not scruple to tell me, even proudly, that his forbears had been slaves.  I 
thought he must be crazy.



(d) Ordinary narrative leading to direct speech.  With this technique the reader is surprised by the narrator who
suddenly inserts some direct speech after an often lengthy piece of ordinary narrative.  The effect is to 
"shock" the reader or to signal a change in the direction of the story.  A very good example of this is the opening 
of Zhang Xianliang's short story "Mimosa," a copy of which I have already given to you.

(e) Interrupted conversation.  Here, the writer uses conversation to cause one of the speakers to pause and think.
In effect, this is often a stream of consciousness technique in which the thought processes and fears/joys of one of the 
speakers is revealed to us before he continues speaking.  Here is an example.
 
     "How do you stop fleas biting?"
     "What?"
     "I said, how do you stop fleas biting?"  Peter Lim was worried about his wife.  She had been asking strange questions
all day.  What is the opposite of a flower?  Do fish sleep? What do you think about netting?  Very strange.  In fact, ever 
since the accident she had been behaving oddly.  He wouldn't have minded so much, except that now their friends and 
neighbours were beginning to notice.  Yesterday, Mrs Chan had asked him if everything was all right.  He had reassured 
her that it was.  
It was becoming a nightmare for him.  
     "I have no idea," he replied.  




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