'All This is For You' ; and, Contemporary uses of omniscient narration : theories and case studies

Abstract

This thesis consists of two parts. Part One is the creative writing component, a 62,000 word novel, All this is for you, about Hemu Daswani, immigrant turned wealthy entrepreneur, and his daughter-in-law, Joanna, who between them debate the question, once a person has become rich, what else is there to strive for. The second part is a 27,000 word critical commentary titled Contemporary Uses of Omniscient Narration: Theories and Case Studies. This commentary argues for the ongoing relevance of omniscient narration in contemporary realist fiction. I discuss the validity of fiction’s author-God analogy and how it is both challenged and reinforced by theories of point of view, free indirect speech, and focalization. My close readings of works by Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Richard Yates examine the use of an omniscient narrator to engage readers in the multiple perspectives and complexities of close family relationships.