Insight into milan kunderas narrative

Insight into Milan Kundera’s narrative

This essay is specifically based on the narrative technique used by Milan Kundera in his book The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It is mostly focused in a personal critic supported with comments and critics made by important and distinguished authors. To sum up, it is an essay which main point is directed to the description of Milan Kundera’s narration as well as a personal opinion supported by critics of experts.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a work of fiction, that it is also combined with facts of history. Works of fiction can be told from the point of view of one of the characters, that means first person narration or it can be told by the author as narrator, that would mean third person narration. Most of the time, when the author is telling the story, he tries not to be perceived or to be noticed as less as possible. There is an exception to this rule called “the intrusive narrator”. This narrator addresses the reader and talks about issues concerning the narration. He tries to make his presence visible. (O’Brien 1).

Milan Kundera uses in his narrative technique the intrusive narrator. He interrupts the reading with his authoritarian voice that most of the time fell into disfavour for the reader because it distracts the mind and reduces the emotional intensity of the experience of reading by interrupting and calling attention to the act of narrating.

Mostly, this type of technique employed by Kundera leads to a different perception of the narrator. He gains power by interrupting the narration with his opinions, controlling the presence of the characters, his authoritarian voice and so on. The author has influence in the reading experience. The reader can drastically change his experience by getting to know the author and feeling his unwanted presence in the novel.

Furthermore, Kundera’s work in the narrative is constantly analyzed and questioned from a philosophical point of view (Corbett 1). However, it would be wrong to regard Kundera as a philosopher. He enjoys playing with his storylines and while analysing them rationally, he opens up an infinite way of interpreting the presented facts. Here is an example of how he plays with the storylines in the last pages of the book : “ And therein lies the whole of man’s plight. Human time does not turn in a circle; it runs ahead in a straight line. That is w...

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...ive technique.

To conclude, Kundera’s narrative technique is very complex and unusual, it is also very rich in history and fiction. It might being difficult the easy flowing of the reading, but I have to accept that he is a very good author, who knows what is doing. He uses the “intrusive narrator” technique, because he does not want to be a dissident writer. (Contemporary Literay Criticism-Select 1).

References:

Corbett, Bob. “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”. New York. October 2001. Retrieved from WilsonWeb, FSU libraries.

Doctorow, E.L. “Four Characters Under Two Tyrannies”. New York Times Book Review. April 29, 1984: 1. FSU Libraries. Literature Resource Center.

Kussi, Peter. “Milan Kundera: Dialogues with Fiction”. World Literature Today, Vol.57, No. 2, Spring 1983, pp. 206-209. FSU libraries. Literature Resource Center.

O’Brien, John. “Milan Kundera: Meaning, Play, and the Role of the Author.” Critique. Vol. XXXIV. No. 1. Fall, 1992: 3-18. FSU Libraries. Literature Resource Center.

“Milan Kundera: The Unbearable Stardom”. New Statesman. London England: 1996. WilsonWeb, FSU libraries.

“Milan Kundera”. Contemporary Literary Criticism-Select. WilsonWeb, FSU libraries.