Narrative and Writing Style

            When considering narrative style, I would like to focus on the qualities of Esther as our narrator. Although Esther seems to embody the qualities of a sort of omniscient observer, as that of Lucy, she appears to be less judgmental and quick to stick to first impressions. She seems to have her own opinions, such as the identity of the lady in the veil, but she is open to listening to and considering what others have to say. Due to her personal demeanor as quiet, observant and inwardly drawn and focused, along with trustworthy, she seems to be the ideal narrator for our story. However, with a story so complex, with all of its distinct characters and sub plots it is impossible to have one character witness all of the action, hence the omniscient overview of all the characters. This is still a very popular style even today, such as in the works of the Harry Potter novels, and seems to be a reaction against works of others such as the Bronte sisters who employ a single narrative style with focus on the feelings, thoughts and observations of the protagonist.

            Now when considering action and plot construction, it really intrigues me that not only is this Esther’s story, it is the story of all those in Jarndyce and Jarndyce and the whole of London and its surrounding communities at large. This is an effective technique for gaining the attention of the audience in that the actions of one character are not the constant focus, thereby gripping the reader to continue to learn the fate of each character. In addition, this technique is not very prevalent in the following century, especially with the modernists and up through the current post modern movements, with focus on the fate of a single individual who comes to interact with others throughout the story. I also find the withholding of information, which in this case predates Hemingway’s “Iceberg Theory”, to be another effective technique that Dickens utilizes. By maintaining an air of mystery for much of the novel with regards to the Jarndyce case and adding other elements of mystery such as disguises, secret letters, etc Dickens is able to not only engage in the story in both an active (drawing conclusions, making assumptions and connecting information) and passive way (absorbing information, following complex narrative lines, etc). Finally, with specific emphasis on plot construction, Dickens employs one final technique that, in my view, gives the novel a sense of realism that has thus far been absent from Victorian works we have studied. In Dickens portrayal, he includes all walks of life from children to adults, poor to rich, men and women, etc. This provides a broad overview of the economic, social and political forces of the time unlike the portrayal of only middle class white society with comfortable means of living and no real societal problems other than marriage for security. Dickens, instead, attempts to portray the wide disparity between those who have everything and those who have nothing, as was the actual reality as a result of industrialization.