Assessing the Roles of the Narrator in The Verse Novel: A Look at Pushkin`S Eugene Onegin

Abstract

When mention of the narrator in fiction is made, the point that immediately comes to mind is the voice that speaks the story into the reader`s ears. But the narrator does much more than just tell the story. Narratologist such as Gerard Genette and Monika Fludernik discuss other roles that the narrator plays even as it narrates the story. The narrator articulates its ideology, commenting or expounding on events in the story and in the process raising moral concerns. The narrator may also engage narratees in discussions on the direction of the story. It may also offer testimonies to confirm the truth of the story, express his conviction concerning the events or state the degree of precision of the narrative. Finally, the narrator may say things purposely to maintain contact with narratees. This study finds out which of these roles the narrator in Alexander Pushkin`s verse novel Eugene Onegin plays and the extent to which these functions support the plot. It is assumed that: the narrator in this novel plays roles other than just narrating the story: these other roles support the plot: and these roles are blurred by the narration of the story. It is realised in the study that the narrator in Eugene Onegin actually plays roles other than just narrating the story. It is also realized that these other roles to a large extent support the development of the plot. The third assumption, that these other roles get blurred but the story falls flat in the face of evidence in the story, which shows that the other roles that the narrator plays are clearly marked out rather than blurred by the story.