A new voice in narrative

Abstract

This article is an attempt to define an area of narratological interest that has, until now, remained somewhat blurred ontologically.
Although the focus is on so-called 'unreliable' first person narration, it challenges, in essence, the concept of the implied author but, in doing so, seeks to amplify and explicate the mode of being of such a narratological concept rather than to jettison it altogether.
The postulation of indices in the text that alert the reader to the presence of an 'imma­nent' voice is meant to supplement the contributions made to the study of narrative by such analysts as Stanzel and Genette. What is often loosely referred to as the 'ironic mode' of the implied author can be seen with more clarity to be the mode of being of a complex activity that is grounded in an elusive, but no less tangible for all its 'absence', immanent narrative voice.

Opsomming
Hierdie artikel is 'n poging om 'n narratologiese gebied te definieer waarvoor daar tot dusver geen bevredigende ontologiese definisie geformuleer is nie.
Hoewel die klem op die sogenaamde 'onbetroubare' eerstepersoonsverteller val, word die implisiete outeur as begripskategorie in twyfel getrek, maar op 'n wyse wat die be­staansmodus van hierdie narratologiese begrip wil toelig eerder as om dit te verwerp.
In aansluiting by narratologiese ondersoeke deur teoretici soos Stanzel en Genette word sekere tekstuele tekens beskryf wat die leser se aandag op die bestaan van 'n 'immanente' stem in die teks vestig. Die sg. ironiese vertelperspektief van die implisiete outeur word verhelder wanneer dit gesien word as die bestaansmodus van 'n verwikkelde aktiwiteit wat herlei kan word na 'n immanente narratiewe stem. Ten spyte van 'n oenskynlike ontwy­kendheid en 'afwesigheid' is hierdie stem konkreet aanwysbaar.