Article: The narrative mode of 'Caleb Williams': problems and resolutions. (novel by William Godwin)

The inherent limitations of first-person narratives in which the hero recounts his own story have often been described.(1) Character analysis in memoir novels is usually limited both by the narrator's inability to view himself with the detachment of a privileged third-person narrator as well as enter the minds of other characters. As Mrs. Barbauld long ago observed, "what the hero cannot say, the author cannot tell."(2) Or, to quote a more recent critic, "the author using the I-narrator deliberately goes forth to battle with one hand tied behind his back."(3) We know that Dostoevski abandoned his first-person version of Crime and Punishment for the third person(4) and ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!