Structuralism in Notebook: A Narratological Analysis

of Tahira Naqvi’s Short Story

Abstract

In this research paper, the researcher has tried to analyze structure of the Tahira Naqvi’s short
story. This research has been conducted by qualitative and analytical method because research
has not numerical data. After collecting data, the researcher has analyzed narratology in the short
story supported by particular idea of Gerard Genette theory. The researcher has chosen only one
short story of Naqvi from ‘Attar of Roses and Other Stories of Pakistan’ which is Notebook. The
analysis has focused on narration mode, focalization technique, time and mood (speech and
thought) in the short story. The present research concludes that writer is conveying her message
to the reader through the structure of the story.

Keywords: Narratology, Notebook, narration mode, focalization technique, time and mood.

1. Introduction

Structuralism is a movement of thought in human sciences that is widely spread in Europe. It

affected all fields of inquiry and knowledge (Cuddon, 2012, p.701). Saussure’s work is usually
considered the beginning point of structuralism. He stated that such comparison only answered
where a language comes from, but not what language is (DiMauro, 1993, p.364). Langue is a
way through structuralist analyse literature. A formal and grammatical language system is called
langue (Ritzer, 1997, p.151-169).

The study of the narrative structure and narration which effects the reader perception is called
narratology (Putatunda, 2012, pg.49). In principal, the word narratology refers to the organised
study of narrative but in practice it is more limited. Narratology is the branch of structuralism but
later it achieved the independence (Barry, 1995, pg. 222). It studies story’s nature instead of
individual tale in the isolation.
 Short story is a tale of fictional prose that has no specific length, but it is too short to be
published as its own like a volume (Baldick, 2001, p.236). Fictional piece of prose in short form
is called short story which is read in one sitting and it depends on oneself’s personal incidents
that effects on mood (Klarer, 2004, p.12). Short story is a prose writing which reflects the
Imagine events and characters. A self-contained or independent genre of literature is called short
story which inspires other writer to produce their work (Shaw, 1983, p.11).

Some of the Pakistani Writers are considered best short story writers and Tahira Naqvi is
one of them. Naqvi is a fictional writer, a professor and a translator who decided to do work as a
feminist. Naqvi is one of those writers who made a sensible effort to transfer myths of
oppression to liberty and self-confidence about Pakistani women. The researcher selected the
notebook short story from the ‘Attar of Roses and Other Stories of Pakistan’ which was
published in 1997. The story is about one year married couple which was turned to abusive
wedlock but in the end she stands up for her liberty with confidence. Narration of the story helps
writer to convey her message to the reader.

2. Literature Review
2.1 Structuralism

Cuddon (2012) in ‘A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory’ defines that
structuralism is a movement of thought in human sciences that is widely spread in Europe. It
affected all fields of inquiry and knowledge. DiMauro (1993) in his book ‘Twentieth Century
Literary Criticism’ explains that Saussure’s work is usually considered the beginning point of
structuralism. He stated that such comparison only answered where a language comes from, but
not what language is. Langue is a way through structuralist analyse literature. Ritzer (1997)
‘Postmodern social theory’ opines that A formal and grammatical language system is called
langue.

2.2 Narratology

Putatunda (2012) in ‘R . K. Narayan: Critical Essays’ explains that the study of the narrative
structure and narration which effects the reader perception is called narratology. In principal, the
word narratology refers to the organised study of narrative but in practice it is more limited.
Barry (1995) ‘Beginning theory An introduction to literary and cultural theory’ defines that
narratology is the branch of structuralism but later it achieved the independence. It studies
story’s nature instead of individual tale in the isolation.

2.2 Short Story

Baldick (2001) explains that short story is a tale of fictional prose that has no specific length,
but it is too short to be published as its own like a volume. Klarer (2004) defines that fictional
piece of prose in short form is called short story which is read in one sitting and it depends on
oneself’s personal incidents that effects on mood. Short story is a prose writing which reflects the
Imagine events and characters. Shaw (1983) opines that a self-contained or independent genre of
literature is called short story which inspires other writer to produce their work.

2.3 Critical Review of Previous Work

This section of the study explains and analyzes the works already done chronologically.

Ravari (2018) opines that both mode of narratology e.g. mimetic and diegetic are used in the
short stories of ‘A Rose for Emily’ and ‘The Dead’. She further explains that some parts of the
stories are explained in detailed while the other others of the stories are summaries of precious or
past events. In Faulkner story, two types of focalizations are noticed external and zero while in
the short story ‘The Dead’, internal focalization is used. In both stories, writers used direact and
tagged speech and flashback narratology.

Bhattacharya (2017) opines that Conan Doyleas introduced the technique of first person
narrative device through Waston character for effectiveness and sensational effect otherwise it
was common to write a story in third person narrative mode. There are different techniques of
narratology in the stories of ‘The Sherlock Holmes stories’. Mimic narrative mode is used in
mostly stories of that book.

Mansouri & Omer (2010) opines that the narratology is the study of narration which helps
the readers to change their perceptions about the reality. By examine the novel paradise, the
researcher defined that it is hard to find out even a sole reliable narrator omnipresent narrator by
the reader because the text has complex voice of narrators.
 This is how the works already done in the relevant area mentioned above generate the space
for the present research because most probably no significant work has been done on Tahira
Naqvi's short story regarding narratology with the Genette’s theory of narratology.

2.4. Theoretical Framework

Genette’s Theory of Narratology is the theoretical and analytical mode that examines the
time, focalization, narrator, speech and thought and mode of the story. Which is explained in
Narrative Discourse and completely elaborated in Barry’s book ‘Beginning theory An
introduction to literary and cultural theory.

According to Peter Berry (2002): Genette not only focuses a tale, he focuses how a tale
speaks, how the tale is told, which is to say in the tale and the process of telling itself. Genette
discusses six basic points in a tale which are mode, focalised narrative, narrator, time, story
packaged and speech and thoughts.

2.4.1. Mimesis or Diegsis

Berry opines that mimesis means dramatizing or showing while the diegesis means telling or
relating the story. The narrator tells the story very slowly in the mimesis mood and the reader of
the story creates the image of the characters and story in his/her mind. While in diegesis mood of
narration, the narrator explains the events of the story in rapid way and reader is unable to get the
idea about the story.

2.4.2. Focalized narrative

Berry opines about the focalization that it is the perspective or a view point in which story is
told to reader. Focalization has three types which are zero, external and internal focalization.
External or observable focalization means what a character says or does. The reader thinks that
he or she is the part of the story. In contrast of eternal or observable focalization, internal
focalisation focuses on characters what they think or feel and these things inaccessible to reader
that the reader is present at that time. While in zero focalization, the writer freely enters the mind
and emotions of the more than one character as the privy to the feelings and thoughts of them.

2.4.3. Narrator
 Berry opines that an author is not compulsory to be a narrator. He further distinguishes
between the types of narrators. A narrator can be an individual, a named character with personal
history, gender and a social position with different likes and dislikes. When a narrator
participates in the event, witnesses or learns about the events is called the overt or dramatized or
intrusive narrators. And when a narrator is invisible and voice tells the whole information about
the events is called covert, non-intrusive or non-dramatized or effaced narrator.

Genette introduced three kinds of narrators which explained by Berry as; hetero-diegetic,
(when the narrator is not a character in the story), extra-diegetic (when the narrator is from
outside and not introduced in the text.) and homo-diegetic (when narrator is the character of the
story). First person narrative is usually called homo-diegetic.

2.4.4. Time

Writer uses flashback and flash forward technique during the narration to explain the past
events or predict the future events in the story for the reader. Those techniques are called
'analepsis' and 'prolepsis' technique.

2.4.5. Mood (Speech and Thought)

Genette explained that a speech can be tagged or direct in a story or tale. Actual spoken
words which are given in inverted commas are called direct speech while in tagged speech;
phrases are attached to indicate the speaker.

3 Research Methodology

This research has been conducted by qualitative and analytical method because this research
has not numerical data.

Method of data collection: The researcher has chosen only the short story of Tahira Naqvi from
‘Attar of Roses and Other Stories of Pakistan’ which is ‘The Notebook’. After collecting data,
the researcher has analyzed short story and supported by particular idea of Gerard Genette
theory.

4 Analysis of Short Story

 Before analyzing the narratology in the short story, the researcher presented the plot
summary of the notebook.

Plot Summary

The Notebook opens with Salma’s husband is standing in the gali and people are staring
him that he is knocking the door and his wife is not responding at his knock. His wife opens the
door and after entering the house he shouts at his wife that this is third time when Salma was not
responding and her husband was waiting for opening the door. She answers that she was busy in
kitchen and making roti. And she moves to kitchen for making roti and thinks that when she
started lying to her husband first time.

Her husband gave her a notebook to write down the daily expenses. She writes daily
expenses in the notebook and her husband checks it but once by looking at the clouds, she got
inspired to write her name and a verse in the notebook and remembers that in her childhood she
used to write takhti, poems and letters to her friend Shahida who was moved to Dubai after her
marriage. She sometimes used to copy poems from magazine that poems are hidden in her red
suit which she wore at her marriage but now she doesn’t know about those poems. Now she has
note book and writes couplets in it against her husband’s will. One night when her husband
asked her about the notebook that does she note down daily expense in the notebook. She lied
very first time to her husband that she is performing her work honestly.

She doesn’t have magazine to copy poems. She closes her eyes and thinks and then writes
couplet into the note book. Her husband asks the notebook to check the account but she makes
lame excuses. This process goes on and she completes a ghazal in two weeks. She wrote many
couplets and poem into the notebook.

Once her husband asks Salma to show him the account then she replied that she has lost
the notebook. Her husband abuses her and says that ‘how have you been writing to your lover?’
she replies that how could he say this to his wife. This answer makes him anger and he beats his
wife. She knows the reason of her anger and harshness and she decides to visit the hospital. Next
morning she consults a doctor and doctor tells her that she is absolutely normal but her husband
needs a check-up.
 After reaching home, Salma writes a couplet in the notebook. The doorbell rings and her
husband reach home before his time. She hides her notebook under the pillow and opens the
door. Her husband asks her to bring one glass of water for him. When she enters in the room, she
sees the notebook is in her husband’s hand. Salma puts glass on the side table and leaves the
room and sit on the chair in the veranda. Her husband becomes anger on her and throws
notebook at her by calling her ‘barren slut’ and comes forward to beat her.

She replies to her husband that she is not barren slut. It is her husband, who needs treatment
and if he will beat her, she will leave the home and he will not see her again. Her husband
amuses on her reaction. She collects the notebook pages and goes to sabziwala and asks for fresh
vegetable.

4.1. Mimatic or Diagetic Narrative Mode

Berry opines that mimesis means dramatizing or showing while the diegesis means telling or
relating the story. The narrator tells the story very slowly in the mimesis mood and the reader of
the story creates the image of the characters and story in his/her mind.

In ‘The Notebook’ mimetic mode of narration is presented. The below lines shows the
mimesis modes as the narrator explains the each detail that how the character Salma gets
inspiration for writing the poems.

It was only ten thirty, her husband wouldn’t be home until one and the daal could simmer a
while longer. Feeling lazy, she stretched her legs on the bed and the notebook open in her
lap she stared out the window net to her bed. There was not much to see. Just some shiftless
black crows on a neighbour’s low wall, beyond that a pallid sky with small, inspired cloud
that gave promise of neither rain nor shade.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg. 85)

4.2. Focalization
Berry opines about the focalization that it is the perspective or a view point in which story is
told to reader. Focalization has three types which are zero, external and internal focalization.
External or observable focalization means what a character says or does. The reader thinks that
he or she is the part of the story.
 Standing for her husband’s charpai, her head buzzing, feeling hot all over her body as if in
the grief of a fever, she said, “its lost. It’s been lost for a long time. I didn’t tell you because
I thought you might get upset”.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg.89 )

The above quoted lines help reader to get inside the story as the scene is portrayed in front of
the reader. The writer inspired the reader by giving each and every detail of the scene so the
reader can feel that he or is the part of the story.

She was surprised she didn’t feel any pain. Theere was a warm, red blood on her hand
where she touched her forehead with it.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg. 89)
These lines show that Salma has no feeling about pain while blood is bleeding from her
forehead and her husband beaten her badly.

In contrast of external or observable focalization, internal focalisation focuses on characters

what they think or feel and these things inaccessible to reader that the reader is present at that
time. The internal focalisation is also seen in the short story.

“People in the street start wondering where your wife is, what she is doing when you have
been knocking and there is no sign of her,” he shouted, when he was inside the door. “ This
is the third time you’ve made me wait.” She avoided his gaze. “Why do you take so long?”
he barked as she turned on walk away from him toward the kitchen.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg. 84)

The above quoted lines help reader to get understanding that how the character of
Salma’s husband feeling embracement that people are staring at him that why her wife is not
responding at her knock.

4.3. Time

Writer uses flashback and flash forward technique during the narration to explain the past
events or predict the future events in the story for the reader. Those techniques are called
'analepsis' and 'prolepsis' technique.

Naqvi used analespsis or flashback technique to tell the past story or childhood memories to
the reader that how Salma inspired to write in her childhood. For instance
 She had written on a takhti with reed pens and black ink when she was a child, the words on
the greenish-yellow clay-wash under her hand as she dragged the pen’s nib thick with
viscous ink coming to life as if there was some magic she had wielded.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg. 86)
4.4. Narrator

Berry opines that an author is not compulsory to be a narrator. He further distinguishes

between the types of narrators. A narrator can be an individual, a named character with personal
history, gender and a social position with different likes and dislikes. In short story The
Notebook, Auther is the narrator of the story. For instance

Quickly Salma ran to the door as a rattled the latch. He didn’t like the standing in the gulley
outside the house, waiting as if he were a guest.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg. 84)
4.5. Speech and Thought

Genette explained that a speech can be tagged or direct in a story or tale. Actual spoken
words which are given in inverted commas are called direct speech while in tagged speech;
phrases are attached to indicate the speaker. Naqvi used tagged and direct speech in the story for
instance

she said, “its lost. It’s been lost for a long time. I didn’t tell you because I thought you might
get upset”.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg.89 )

“People in the street start wondering where your wife is, what she is doing when you have
been knocking and there is no sign of her,” he shouted.
(Naqvi, 1997, pg. 84)

“I was in the kitchen” she mumbled. (Naqvi, 1997, pg. 84)

5. Conclusion

Tahira Naqvi, as a Pakistani writer depicts the culture of Pakistan society in her story and
made a sensible effort to transfer myths of oppression to liberty and self-confidence about
Pakistani women. This research paper tries to investigate the elements of Gerard Genette’s
narratology, which are narration mode, focalization technique, time and mood (speech and
thought) in the short story Notebook.

Through the analysis of the short story, the researcher finds out the elements of narratology in
the story which are presented by the Genette and explained by the Petter Berry. Naqvi used both
mimetic and diegetic mode of narratology, external and internal focalization, flashback
technique, tagged and direct speech in her short story. The story is told by the author so, author is
the narrator of the story. It is concluded that writer is conveying her message to the reader
through the structure of the story.

6. References
 Baldick, C. (2001) The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Term. London: Oxford
University Press.
 Barry, Peter. Beginning theory An introduction to literary and cultural theory.
Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2009.
 Cuddon, J. A. (2012) A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. United
Kingdom: A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
 Culler, J. (1997) Literary Theory a Very Short Introduction. London: Oxford University
Press.
 DiMauro, L. (1993) Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. London: Gale, Cengage
Learning.
 Fauzan, U. (2016) Structural Analysis of "Peanut and Sparky": A Short Story by Arnie
Lightning as A Way in Understanding Literature. Journal of English Language Teaching
and Linguistics (JELTL), 39-49.
 Klarer, M. (2004) An Introduction to Literary Studies. Second Edition, London:
Routledge.
 Mansouri, S., & Omar, N. (2010). Toni Morrison’s Paradise: The Unreliable Narrator.
Editorial Board, 333.
 Naqvi, T. (1997) Attar of Roses and Other Stories of Pakistan. USA: Lynne Rienner
Publishers
 Putatunda, S. (2012) R . K. Narayan: Critical Essays. New Dehli: Raj Press.
 Ravari, Z. K.(2018) Genette’s Narratology in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily “and Joyce’s
“The Dead”.
 Ritzer, G. (1997) Postmodern social theory. The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to
Sociology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
 Schroder, H. (1991) Subject-oriented Texts: Languages for Special Purposes and Text
Theory. New York: Walter de Gruyter. Berlin