AP English Literature AMSCO Guided Notes
7.4: Narrative Emphasis
AP English Literature Guided Notes
AMSCO 7.4 - Narrative Emphasis
Essential Questions
- How does a narrator's reliability affect the narrative?
I. Limitations of Narrators
1. What are the key differences between first-person, omniscient, and limited omniscient narrators in terms of what information they can reveal?
2. How can authors use speakers to augment or challenge a narrator's account of events?
A. Supporting Details and Information
1. How does the narrator's description of Mr. Das in 'Interpreter of Maladies' work with Mr. Das's dialogue to reveal his cultural identity?
2. What is the effect when character speech reinforces and expands upon the narrator's descriptions?
B. Contradictory Details and Information
1. How does the young couple's dialogue at the end of 'Miss Brill' contradict Miss Brill's earlier thoughts about her role in the park?
2. What effect does this contradiction have on the reader's assessment of Miss Brill's reliability as a narrator?
C. Multiple Speakers, Multiple Contradictions
1. In 'Cell One,' how do the father's and narrator's different interpretations of Nnamabia's jail experience call the narrator's reliability into question?
2. When multiple speakers contradict each other or the narrator, what must readers do to make sense of the narrative?
II. The Writer's Craft: Interpreter of Characters
1. What does Mr. Kapasi's comparison between Mrs. Das's problem and his patients' ailments reveal about his character and his values?
2. How does the theme of difficulty communicating function throughout 'Interpreter of Maladies'?
3. What is the significance of the title 'Interpreter of Maladies' beyond its literal reference to Mr. Kapasi's profession?
Key Terms
reliability
first-person narrator
omniscient narrator
limited omniscient narrator
speakers