A Plausible Story and a Plausible Way of Telling it: A Structuralist Analysis of Jean Rhys's NovelsAnalysis of Jean Rhys's novels in terms of A.J. Greimas' structuralist actantial model exposes patterns of dependence characterizing the relations between the female characters and their lovers and husbands. For certain passages, however, application of Greimas' model proves problematic, as the actantial roles gradually seem to disappear. These deviations ultimately lead to a critical reflection on the structuralist model itself and to a definition of its weaknesses and patriarchal bias. In the second place, Rhys's handling of narrative technique, more particularly the inclusion of numerous alternative views and versions, is discussed. |
Contents
PREFACE | 1 |
A Plausible Story and A Plausible Way of Telling | 25 |
Semantic Structure | 35 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
actantial model actantial structure ALMM Anna Anna's anti-destinator anti-object Antoinette Antoinette's characters Christophine cold colour complex term culture dark death deep structural deixis destinator direct discourse dream dress DYSPHORIA ellipsis embedded texts enact England English Enno EUPHORIA external analepses feel focalized object following passage Genette girl Greimas hand happened happy Heidler helper Hester heterodiegetic Horsfield idem identified immobility imprisonment internal focalization Jean Rhys Julia Letters London look Mackenzie main narrator Marya metonymies mobility mother movement narrative programme narrator's neutral term never non-death non-life Norah novel Paris present prolepses pursuit Quartet realized repeating narrating Rhys's Rochester Sasha secondary narrator semes semic and sememic semiotic square singulative sjuzhet speech Stephan story streets syncretism talk taxonomic core tell thing Thornfield Hall thought Uncle Griffiths value system voice walked Walter West Indian West Indies Wide Sargasso Sea woman women words