Free indirect speech

The narrated monologue (also "free indirect speech" ) is an epic stylistic device that stands between direct and indirect speech, between self-talk and Report: thought or consciousness contents of a particular person are expressed in the indicative third person and mostly in the so-called epic preterite, the thus assumes a -temporal function.

Description

The narrated monologue differs grammatically from the indirect speech, which is formulated in the subjunctive.

Sample sentences:

• Direct speech: She asked herself, "Do I really have to go? "
• Indirect speech: She asked if she should really go.
• Experienced speech: Had they really go?

In longer passages in experienced speech often can not decide who's talking: the narrator or the character. The characters' speech is seamlessly woven into the narrator report. It can only be to the expression seen on question wording, assumptions or expression indicating formulations: "Certainly she had closed the door ...", " But oh! It was too late ... "This does not apply to the perspective of an omniscient narrator, who she identified with the character, rather merge narrative voice and character voice. Here, the narrated monologue usually remains in the " now " of the figure, and analepses prolepses be installed as thoughts of the figure and are based on current events. The narrated monologue thus creating the impression of immediacy, although the use of the third person singular of an "objective - impersonal appearing report " suggests.

The narrated monologue is not to be confused with the inner monologue, which is in the first person singular and in the present tense, and the stream of consciousness. That the boundaries, however, partially blurred, the following definition makes it clear that experienced speech was "the reproduction of the unformulated stream of consciousness in the third person ."

Chance is narrated monologue can have in Latin literature to demonstrate since the twelfth century, she finds herself in the French epic (style indirect libre ), in the 17th century in the "suffering memory" of the Danish Leonora Christina Ulfeldt, but it is in the modern novel only by Jane Austen and Gustave Flaubert to naturalism towards a common stylistic device, which is then replaced by the technique of stream of consciousness in Arthur Schnitzler and James Joyce.

Examples

[ Emma looked at him and shrugged. ] Why had her husband not at least one of those quiet but ambitious men of science who sit all night on their books ...? The name of Bovary, which was indeed her, would be famous, would have to be in books and newspapers, known by the whole of France. But Charles had no ambition! (Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary )

[ The Consul went ... around ... ] He had no time. He was showered with God. You should be patient. ( Thomas Mann, Buddenbrooks )

How could it now find Auguste? [ ... ] You just took Auguste simply not full. [ ... ] It had to be done something else Auguste could pass the most outrageous things. ( Kurt Schwitters, Auguste Bolte )