A narrative study of place in the novel (The Last Man)

Abstract

This study addresses a fundamental pillar in the structure of the narrative text, which is the spatial structure and its psychological and narrative effects on the characters and events in Mary Shelley's novel "The Last Man." The place has a significant impact on building the novel. It is a fundamental pillar in the narrative discourse. I relied on the analytical narrative approach in this study by analyzing models of the spatial structure found in the novel and tracing its effect on the characters, as well as analyzing this dialectical relationship and its impact on the progression of events in the novel. This study consists of an introduction, a preliminary section, and three main sections: In the introduction, I provided an overview of the novel and its author, along with a brief summary of the novel and how the author began collecting and writing it. Then, the preliminary section discusses the importance of place, followed by the linguistic and technical definition of the term 'place.' Then come the two main sections: 1- The first section: the familiar open space and its effect on the character. 2- The hostile open space and its effect on the character. The second section: 1- The familiar closed space and its effect on the character. 2- The hostile closed space and its effect on the character. Finally, there is a conclusion summarizing the main findings of the study, followed by a list of sources in Arabic and English. I have tried in this study...

In this study, I attempted to shed light on the importance of place, its relationship with characters, and its impact on them. I found in this research, through studying (The Last Man by Mary Shelley), that it provides an accurate and wonderful description of the aesthetics of place and its narrative function. The novelist excelled in writing this novel and devoted it all her love and attention, which is clearly reflected in the writing of the novel and its elements. Indeed, it indicates the transformation of place into a living entity that feels, speaks, and influences events and characters. This study contributed, by following the narrative approach, to clarifying the mechanisms used in the narrative text and analyzing the close relationship between place and characters