ASSIGNMENT SHEET.
Topic:
To what extent does each of the following excerpts qualify as a narrative according to H. Porter Abbott’s definition? Your answer should consider both “narrative units” and “narrative wholes”, and the relationship between the two. Use Abbott’s discussion in chapters 1, 2 and 3 to support your assessment.
Example A
Communal cultivation could allow for capital investments in improvements without sacrificing the interests of commoners. There was land enough to maintain ten times the present population, abolish begging and crime, and make England the ‘first of nations.’
This was the programme which Winstanley conceived in the cruel winter of 1648-9. It seemed to him so novel and so important that he attributed it to a divine command. The vision he had in a trance told him to declare abroad his message […] Winstanley’s conclusion, that communal cultivation of the commons was the crucial question, the starting-point from which common people from all over England could build up an equal community, was absolutely right […] Collective cultivation of the waste by the poor could have had the advantages of large-scale cultivation, planned development, use of fertilizers, etc. […] The Diggers sowed their land with carrots, parsnips and beans - crops of the sort which were to transform English agriculture in the seventeenth century by making it possible to keep cattle alive throughout the winter in order to fertilize the land.
Example B
For two people you will need two pieces of salmon weighing about 175g each. Bring enough water to cover the fish to the boil, salt it generously. Turn it down to a simmer. Shudder would be more accurate. Slide in the fish, and cook for 3 minutes. Press the salmon with your finger; it should be firm rather than squashy and should be opaque. If not, cook it for another minute and test again. Remove the fillets with a fish slice and drain, briefly, on a tea towel or kitchen paper. Place on a warm plate and serve with tiny new potatoes and whatever takes your fancy.
Example C
LORD ILLINGWORTH: You have grown hard, Rachel.
MRS ARBUTHNOT: I was too weak once. It is well for me that I have changed.
LORD ILLINGWORTH: I was very young at the time. We men know life too early.
MRS ARBUTHNOT: And we women know life too late. That is the difference between women and men.
[A pause]
LORD ILLINGWORTH: Rachel, I want my son. My money may be of no use to him now. I may be of no use to him, but I want my son. Bring us together, Rachel. You can do it if you choose (Sees letter on table)
MRS ARBUTHNOT: There is no room in my boy’s life for you. He is not interested in you.
LORD ILLINGWORTH: Then why does he write to me?
MRS ARBUTHNOT: What do you mean?
LORD ILLINGWORTH: What letter is this?
Takes up letter
MRS ARBUTHNOT: That - is nothing. Give it to me.
LORD ILLINGWORTH: It is addressed to me.
MRS ARBUTHNOT: You are not to open it. I forbid you to open it.
LORD ILLINGWORTH: And in Gerald’s handwriting.
MY ASIGNMENT
Abbott describes a narrative in his 2008 book The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative as being “the representation of an event or a series of events” (Abbott 13). He also gives us a definition of micro and whole narratives. For a sentence to be a micro narrative, also known as narrative units, an event has to be described; in Abbott’s book the example “I fell down” (Abbott 1) is used. For a text to be a narrative whole, also known as macro narratives, the text in its entirety has to represent an event. For the examples given this text will try to determine if each contains micro narratives or is a narrative whole.
“Example A”, is not a narrative whole by Abbott’s definition because “the presence of a narrative in a text does not qualify the text as a whole as narrative” (Abbott 34) and because only some sentences like “The diggers sowed their land with carrots, parsnips and beans…” and “The vision he had in a trance told him to declare abroad his message” represent an event while the majority of the text is presenting an idea. Had the second example sentence, from “Example A”, only been –The vision he had in a trance- would not have been a narrative because like abbots example “My dog has fleas” (Abbott 13) nothing happens. However, with the addition of “told him to declare abroad his message” the sentence becomes a narrative because it tells us of an event.
“Example B” is a recipe, which in its current form is simply just a list of events. However, if the way the text is written so that it is an account of the person making the meal, for instance, Changing “Turn it down to a simmer” to I then turned it down so the fish could simmer, it would become a micro narrative. While the text is in its original form there is no micro narratives present therefore it is not a narrative whole.
“Example C” is an excerpt from a script, where two characters are having a discussion. Although the script is describing the scene and what is happening and by using dramatic conventions to describe what is happening, for example both “(Sees letter on the Table)” and “[A Pause]” use brackets, and italics to represent the action of the person doing. However, because the script is more telling us a story of two people’s conversation and because we have no context of why this conversation is taking place the text is not a narrative whole.
From the given texts, there is no narrative wholes but both “Examples A and C” contain narrative units/micro narratives. Whereas, “Example B” does not have any micro narratives and is not a narrative whole as a complete text, however, if it was changed to recount a person’s experience of making the meal it would be comes a narrative.
Reference List
Abbott, H. Porter. “The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative.” Abbot, H. Porter. The Camridge Intoduction to Narrative. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
