Frame Narratives and Epistolary Novels!

What is a FRAME NARRATIVE?

• In a nutshell, a frame narrative is a “story within a story”

Examples of FRAME NARRATIVES...

• Titanic – (the movie) the story of “Old Rose” revisiting the site of the Titanic “bookends” the love story of Jack and “Young Rose” onboard the ship in 1912

• Forrest Gump – Forrest (in the present on the bench) is telling his life story (of Forrest in the past) to various citizens on the park bench

• Can you think of any others?

Another way to view FRAME NARRATIVES...

• We can look at frame narratives as a diagram• For example, with Titanic:

“Old Rose”

Love story of “Young Rose” and Jack

Forrest’s Stories

Forrest on Bench

US AS READERS/VIEWERS

MORE FRAME NARRATIVES...

• “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”• Frankenstein• The Canterbury Tales

• Be sure to take note when we switch between “the frame” and the interior narratives.

• Ask yourself, why the interruption?!

FRAME NARRATIVE in Frankenstein

• Shelley uses a FRAME NARRATIVE• Walton’s letters to his sister– Frankenstein’s recollections to Walton• The monster’s recollections to Frankenstein

• Why do you think he may have done this?

FRAME NARRATIVE in Frankenstein

• Now that we have all the layers or “voices” for our FRAME NARRATIVE, draw a diagram to represent them

Captain Walton

Frankenstein

The Monster

So what is the PURPOSE of a FRAME NARRATIVE?• The shifts in point of view (POV) serve to create a

sense of verisimilitude• Verisimilitude– the appearance of something to be

real or true – when what we are reading appears to be true

• e.g. A character in a book cuts his/her finger and the finger bleeds. We believe it is happening – if the book said the cut finger produced sparks of fire rather than blood, the story would NOT possess verisimilitude

Epistolary Novel • A novel written as a series of documents• Could be letters, radio broadcasts, newspaper clippings,

diary entries, etc.• Subjectivity vs. Objectivity of Narration• Newspaper Articles vs. Diary Entries

• Important considerations: reliability of narrator, psychological approaches, intended audience of letter

• Examples: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Color Purple, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Screwtape Letters, World War Z

Application to Frankenstein

• Discuss the inclusion of frame narration and epistolary form in our current novel, Frankenstein. • Determine the effects and

implications of these narrative choices on larger meanings of the text.