Novel or story in which the plot is not presented in chronological sequence; instead the background to the present situation is revealed as the narrative progresses.
AUKTORIALES ERZÄHLEN, das
characterized by the presence of an identifyable narrator who intervenes in and comments on the narrative. Although this authorial narrator may appear at first sight to be identical with the author, this is not the case. The narrator is as much a creation of the author as are the characters of the novel, and as much an integral part of the novel structure. As opposed to the "Ich-Erzähler," the authorial narrator is usually not involved in the action of the narrative, but relates events from a distance. As opposed to the "personale Erzählsituation," where the narrative voice is focused primarily on the characters, the authorial narrator has a personality which is revealed in his style of presentation and his comments on the narrative.
a person physically resembling another or an alter ego, ghostly double, a person who can be in two or more places at once.
In prose works a specific technique for rendering the mostly unuttered thoughts of a person. Compare the following examples, one for direct speech and one for reported speech: Sie sagte:" Muß ich das wirklich tun?"; Sie fragte sich, ob sie das wirklich tun müsse; in "erlebter Rede" this becomes: Mußte sie das wirklich tun? combining elements from direct speech and from reported speech, offering the author the advantages of both. The "erlebte Rede" enables the author to incorporate a character's innermost thoughts and feelings into his or her own discourse in a subtle way.
ERZÄHLER, der
The term is synonymous with the English "narrator" or "narrative voice," and refers to a fictional figure in a narrative, not to be identified with the author. This narrator figure can be a fully-drawn character participating in the action of the narrative, speaking in the first person singular or through the medium of his letters; in the third person novel the narrator can be at any point on a scale from a fully-developed figure to complete anonymity. The narrator figure can be used to control the point of view; he can claim omniscience or can admit the limitations of his knowledge; he can address the reader directly; he can comment on the action and can introduce material extraneous to the narrative. The narrator can also be to varying degrees conscious of his own function as narrator, and aware of his own abilities or weaknesses.
ERZÄHLUNG, die
This is the most neutral and general of the group of terms which refer to short or medium length fiction. It is not properly used for fiction of novel length nor for a story employing subject matter which is fantastic or supernatural ("Märchen"). But it is used freely over the rest of the spectrum of fictional works, when not displaced by one of the more restricted terms ("Novelle," "Kurzgeschichte," "Anekdote").
ERZÄHLZEIT, ERZÄHLTE ZEIT, die
"Erzählzeit" is the time taken to read a narrative, as opposed to narrated time, the time-span covered by the narrative. An investigation of the relationship between "Erzählzeit" and "erzählte Zeit" can illuminate aspects of structure and narrative technique.
The term "Kurzgeschichte" is a loan from the English "short story," but its meaning is nevertheless somewhat more restricted than the English term and means a brief often pointed story which has a distinct twist in its ending. The form has been extensively used by the younger, post WW II generation of writers while in the 19th century the "Novelle" was the most popular short fiction genre.
Originally a musical term, later applied to literature also. In literature it involved verbal repetition in different contexts thus attaining various associations. The "Leitmotiv" is essentially a structural device which enables part of a larger work to be linked through association, resulting in a more thoroughly integrated whole.
entered the German language at about the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries and is derived from the Italian "novella" ("something new"). Because of its length, characters and situations in the "Novelle" are more rounded out than those of the "Kurzgeschichte," but not developed in the extensive way characteristic of the novel. The "Novelle" is a highly artistic form with great attention to formal composition (it contains an "unerhörte Begebenheit" (Goethe), a clear turning point in the plot (Tieck), and symbolism and a sharp outline (Heyse).
A narrative technique in which the thoughts and emotions of the protagonist are related directly to the reader. The result is a sequence of associations and a diminished presence of the narrator. In its most radical form, which eliminates the narrator altogether, this technique is called interior monologue ("innerer Monolog").
The purpose of prefiguration can be achieved by the use of analogical sub-plots or the fate of minor characters, or through anticipatory symbolism. In most contexts, "Vorausdeutung" serves to heighten tension or create a sense of inevitability.