Like a word that can be said in a hundred different languages, a story can be told a million different ways depending on how you approach it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? It's all a matter of perspective, and the results are extremely different depending on how you approach a story. Narrative strategies help shape a plot, create emotional connections, and can make a story much more complex and layered. A few examples of these techniques are:
- Point of View (POV): The choice of narrative perspective from where the story's coming from, which can significantly impact the reader's experience. The most common POVs are first person (I, we), second person (you), and third person (he, she, they). Each has its advantages and limitations in terms of intimacy, knowledge, and reader engagement.
- Plot Structure: This is the order in which a story is told, and it always contains Exposition, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution. The traditional way of telling a story is the linear way, meaning you have the beginning, rising action, climax, and resolution; other methods, such as nonlinear and framed narrative, include the exact same components mentioned but in different order. Taking Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar as an example, we can build stories with the same components but have a completely different structure in the end depending on how you put the pieces down. Think of it like Lego pieces you can do several different structures with.
- Foreshadowing and Chekhov's Gun: Foreshadowing hints at events to come, adding suspense and intrigue. Chekhov's Gun is the principle that if a detail is mentioned in the story, it should have a purpose later on.
“Life is not what one lived, but what one remembers and how one remembers it in order to recount it,” Gabriel García Márquez once said.
One of the most interesting and complex literary devices we have is the use of memory, as it gave way to the creation of what we now know as The Memoir. The word "memoir" has its origins in the Latin language, as it comes from the word "memoria," which means "memory" or "recollection." A memoir is a genre of literature that focuses on a specific period, aspect, or theme of a person's life, typically written in the first-person perspective. Unlike an autobiography, which is a comprehensive account of a person's entire life, a memoir zooms in on a particular time frame or set of experiences, and relies heavily on the use of memory. But because perspective suffuses memory (read that as many times as needed), our memories are often an unreliable source of knowledge, and yet they always hold some percentage of truth in them. More than that, the way we capture a moment in life also says something about ourselves as thinking entities, so in a way, memorries will always be true no matter how distorted they may seem when compared to reality. It's essentially our personal truth. Writers use truth as fiction to taste life more than once and dissect traumas from every possible angle, reason why the memoir is extremely relevant and popular these days. Below you'll find some of the best memoirs I've ever read, which will teach you about the narrative strategies and the usages of first person in imaginative prose:
First published in 1912, this semi-autobiographical account tells the story of a man of mixed race (African-American and white) who struggles to find his identity in the racially-divided America of the late 19th century. The story unfolds through a series of recollections reflecting on the narrator's experience grappling the complexities of racial identity and the challenges of being perceived as "colored" in a society deeply divided along racial lines. As he grows older, the protagonist becomes aware of the opportunites and privileges available to him due to his fair skin, and decides to pass as a white man in order to escape discriminations faced by African-Americans. The narrator's journey serves as a poignant commentary on the complexities of racial dynamics in America, and his perspective on the recollection of events also reveals the way he feels about whitepassing and what the guilt of abandoning his black heritage means in the bigger picture.
"The Berlin Stories" is a collection of two novellas first published in 1945. The novellas, "Mr. Norris Changes Trains" (also known as "The Last of Mr. Norris") and "Goodbye to Berlin," provide a semi-autobiographical account of Isherwood's experiences in Berlin during the early 1930s, a time when the city was on the cusp of political and social upheaval.
- "Mr. Norris Changes Trains": The story follows the life of William Bradshaw, an English teacher and writer who moves to Berlin in the early 1930s. He meets and befriends Arthur Norris, a somewhat mysterious and flamboyant character, and, as their friendship deepens, Bradshaw becomes aware of Norris's involvement in various dubious activities, including financial schemes and political intrigues. Set against the backdrop of the rise of the Nazi party, the story captures the growing tension and uncertainty in Berlin, and explores themes of deception, political unrest, and the allure of self-discovery in a city on the brink of transformation.
- "Goodbye to Berlin": This story is arguably the most famous part of the collection. It is a series of interconnected stories that revolve around the life of the young Englishman, Christopher Isherwood (an alter-ego of the author). Isherwood observes the gradual rise of Nazi influence and the increasing hostility towards Jews and other minority groups. Through a lens of detachment and observation, the novella presents a vivid and candid portrayal of the social and political atmosphere of pre-Nazi Berlin.
(This was Phillip Roth's first book and it completely catapulted him into literary stardom, okay? Lucky bastard)
Published in 1959, Goodbye, Columbus is a set of short stories for which "Goodbye, Columbus" is the central piece, and the story for which Roth received critical acclaim. Goodbye, Columbus also contains the five short stories "The Conversion of the Jews", "Defender of the Faith", "Epstein", "You Can't Tell a Man by the Song He Sings", and "Eli, the Fanatic". "Goodbye, Columbus" is a compelling exploration of class, identity, and the clash of cultures. Roth's portrayal of the relationship between people provides a keen insight into the complexities of love, ambition, and societal mobility and expectations.
This book was part of the syllabus in an English master's class I took back in college and it's most definitely one of the best portrayals of what memories feel like and how we perceive them. "Stop-Time" is an autobiographical memoir first published in 1967 that chronicles Conroy's early life and coming-of-age experiences, focusing on his childhood and adolescence in New York City and Florida during the 1940s and 1950s. Throughout the memoir, Conroy vividly describes his various experiences, such as his adventures with friends, his encounters with girls, and his fascination with learning and self-discovery. He also delves into his experiences with poverty, racism, and the contrasting landscapes of the urban North and the rural South. While Conroy became a bit too enamoured by his own success, the memoir's honest portrayal of his experiences is truly one of the best memoirs out there.
Published in 1979, this memoir is a unique and fragmented work that truly blurs the line between fiction and memoir. The book is structured as a series of interconnected vignettes, meditations, and reminiscences, loosely centered around the narrator's memories and observations. The novel's narrator is an unnamed woman reflecting on her life and the lives of those she has known throughout the years. The narrative weaves between her own experiences, recollections of friends, and fictionalized accounts of various individuals she has encountered. The prose is rich with vivid descriptions and poetic language, creating a dreamlike and contemplative atmosphere. Through these fragmented glimpses into various lives, the narrator delves into themes of love, loss, identity, and the passage of time. She muses on the complexities of relationships, the transience of human connections, and the persistent feeling of restlessness that haunts her and others.
"The Emigrants" is a novel published in 1992 that blends fiction, autobiography, and documentary elements, and is divided into four interconnected stories, each exploring the lives and experiences of different emigrants. The novel opens with the story of Dr. Henry Selwyn, a Jewish ophthalmologist who flees Nazi Germany in the 1930s and seeks refuge in England. The second story centers on Paul Bereyter, a teacher and friend of the narrator who immigrated to Switzerland from Germany after the war. The third part recounts the adventures of Ambros Adelwarth, a German explorer and naturalist in the 19th century, and the final story revolves around Max Ferber, a Jewish artist who moves to England to escape persecution during the Holocaust. Throughout the novel, Sebald combines historical facts, photographs, and personal reflections to create a haunting and introspective exploration of the lives of the emigrants and their experiences of displacement, loss, and memory.
Published in 1996, The Autobiography of My Mother is a deep exploration if identity, motherhood, and the complexities of human relationships, set in the Caribbean island of Dominica. The novel is narrated by Xuela Richardson, a woman born out of wedlock and abandoned by her mother at birth. Xuela grows up motherless and experiences a difficult and challenging childhood. She is left to navigate life's hardships on her own, developing a fierce independence and a sense of detachment from others. Xuela's life unfolds against the backdrop of Dominica's colonial history and cultural landscape as she grapples with feelings of abandonment and a sense of incompleteness, constantly haunted by her mother's absence and the void it left in her life. Many turths are revealed through human behavior, and this is what Kincaid does best in this book. Every line will keep you thinking.
This book received a lot of mixed reviews, not because it's bad (trust me, it's amazing) but because people questioned the very act of Eggers' writing someone's story as an autobiography. "How strange for one man to think that he could write the story of another man, a real living man who is perfectly capable of telling his story himself—and then call it an autobiography."
Regardless of the criticism, What is the What was published in 2006 and it tells the fictionalized account if the real-life expoeriences of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" - a group of young refugees who were forced to flee from their homes during the Second Sudanese Civil War. The novel is narrated in the first person by Valentino, who recounts his life story from his childhood in the Southern Sudanese village of Marial Bai to his journey as a refugee across several countries in East Africa and, eventually, to his resettlement in the United States. This is one of the most experimental autobiographies out there, as Valentino himself told Eggers this story so that the author could make it a book. The narrative moves between two timelines: Valentino's life in America, where he faces the challenges of adapting to a new culture and dealing with feelings of displacement and trauma, and his past in Sudan, where he endures unimaginable hardships and tragedies. Not only did the book help raise awareness about the plight of refugees worldwide, but it also introduced a new form of writing to the memoir genre.
Honorable Mentions:
- The White Album by Joan Didion
This book is pure (and slightly painful) JOY. This collection of essays, published in 1979, is one of the best reflections on the turbulent social and cultural climate of the late 60s/early 70s in the United States. The collection features a series of essays that blend personal observations, cultural analysis, and journalistic reporting. Didion's prose is known for its sharp, incisive style, and she explores a wide range of topics, including politics, crime, pop culture, and her own experiences The opening essay, "The White Album," serves as a kind of anchor for the collection. It is a non-linear reflection on Didion's experiences in California during the late 1960s. She recalls moments of chaos, paranoia, and violence, and she contemplates the breakdown of the cultural ideals of the 1960s counterculture movement. The very first sentence, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live" continues being one of my favorite quotes ever.
