STUDIES AND RESEARCH
The Narrator and the Implied Author in Seymour Chatman’s Theoretical Model
This analysis of the narrative theoretical
model by Seymour Chatman focuses on the terms »narrator«
and »implied author« as seen through the development of
Chatman’s model from the book Story and Discourse to
the book Coming to Terms.
Special emphasis is put
on the problem of film. Attention is also given to the
controversial observations by Shlomith Kimmon-Kenan. Some
of Chatman’s thesises are tested (and confirmed) on film
materials somewhat different from the ones that they were
proven on. However, a theoretical analysis of the fundamental
assumptions and the starting point of Chatman’s model show
the justification behind Rimmon-Kenan’s succinctly produced
observations.
Namely, the narrator and implied author are totally different
types of instances. The first will serve us very well when
speculating on the expression of the story (in connection
with contemplation regarding the so-called grammar of narrative
text). The second cannot be recognized clearly above the
level of story content.
However, since content and expression are not easily
separated categories (their separation is mostly speculative),
the assertions in the instance of the author being implied
dictate the entire structure of the narrative text (depending
on point of view, it becomes certain because of it).
The deductions in this work are based not only on the observations
of Rimmon-Kenan and the thesises of S. Chatman, but also
on the practical examples with which the author simultaneously
proves the validity of his theories and the value of the
corrections suggested by Rimmon-Kenan.
Nikica Giliæ |
