Application Of Major Narrative Techniques A Comparative Analysis Of Chinua Achebes Novels

This thesis tries to investigate the application of major narrative techniquesrnused in Chinua Achebe’s novels. The main objectives of the paper arernidentifying the narrative techniques used in Achebe’s novels and pointing outrnthe strengths and weaknesses of the novels in relation to the use of narrativerntechniques.rnIn accomplishing the aforementioned objectives, the writer of this study triesrnto review relevant literatures in relation to narrative techniques. Then anrnattempt is made to go through Achebe’s five novels in accordance with thernreviewed literatures by focusing on point of view and narrative time.rnIn the analysis, it is pointed out that Achebe’s first three novels are written inrnthe third person omniscient point of view. This perspective made the reader arnpassive recipient of information since he/she expects everything from thernnarrator. Achebe’s fourth novel, ‘A Man of the People’, is written from thernpoint of view of a first person narrator. With all its subjectivity andrnunreliability, this novel is appealing to readers because of the narrators’rnhumanly appearances. Achebe’s fifth novel ‘Anthills of the Savannah’rnemploys the third person omniscient and the first person point of views. Thernuse of the two points of views helps the author to minimize the gap that canrnbe created due to the limitations of both points of views.rnOn the other hand, no relevant difference can be observed among the fivernnovels in terms of narrative time, except the second novel ‘No Longer atrnEase’. The story in this novel is presented in the form of a long flashback.rnBecause of this, the reader might find him/her self, connecting pieces ofrninformation in the process of reading. There are also deviations from thernchronological order in the other four novels. Similar presentations can bernobserved when we look at the five novels in terms of duration and frequency.rn8rnFrom the analysis of the five novels, it is concluded that considerablernattention is not given to the way the stories in his first three novels arernpresented. On the other hand, in ‘A Man of the People’, the author used thernlimitations of the first person narrator to foreground the overall cynicism thatrnexisted in the country. In ‘Anthills of the Savannah’, the author succeeded inrnovercoming the limitations of the first person and the third person points ofrnviews by substituting the two points of views in presenting the story.

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