Narration and setting in The Pavilion on the Links

Pavilion

Narration and setting in 'The Pavilion on the Links'

Stevenson

Narration and Setting in 'The Pavilion on the Links'

What experiences of the author are reflected in the stories?

There are a number of experiences from the author's life reflected in this story. The sense of adventure, mystery and wonder at life that is a central theme of this and other stories can be related to Stevenson's own life. This famous Scottish poet and novelist was a sickly person who suffered throughout his life from tuberculosis. This meant that he had to travel to escape the damp Scottish climate and consequently stayed in many different parts of the world - which formed the background to the sense of mystery and adventure is that we find in many of his works, including the Pavilion on the Links. One should also note in this regard that his first book, an Inland Voyage (1878), was about his adventures during a canoe trip on the canals of Belgium and France.

A second central experience that we find reflected in this story is the sense of isolation and loneliness that is present in many of his works. This can be seen in many of the characters, and in both the two main male characters in this short story. As one critic notes, "...when we read Stevenson's short stories, we immediately sense the solitariness and loneliness of his characters."

Another aspect that could be referred to is the strong sense of morality and the duality of good and evil in find in this and other stories. This aspect could be attributed to the author's religious and Calvinistic background.

1.2. Construction of the work (what I want to write about)

The following sections will outline aspects of the short story in terms of narrator, narration and setting and how these impact and affect the themes and meaning of the story.

2. Narrator

2.1. 1st or 3rd person narrator, his point-of-view on the world in the stories

The narrator speaks in the first person and directly relates the events and actions of the story. The first person narrative is important as it gives a certain immediacy to the story, which occurred in the past. The emphasis on the first person perspective also provides a clear picture of the events that occurred through the eyes of the narrator.

This perspective is also emphasized by the fact that the narrator describes himself as "a great solitary." In other words, he does not have many friends and prefers to live a rather isolated existence. The only friend that he has in the story is the strange and mysterious character, Northmour. Later in the story he encounters a woman who becomes his wife.

The narrative is also voyeuristic to a great extent. Roberts ( 1993) states, "The reader, with the narrator, spies on events at the pavilion- and in particular, spies on the relations between Northmour and the woman."

2.2. Types of narrator, omniscient or limited? How much does the narrator know? Is the narrator reliable or unreliable? Is the narrator telling you everything he/she knows?

The story is written in a style which can be termed as a combination of the omniscient and limited narrator. In effect the main character is the sole source of information and insight into the story. The narrator therefore controls the way that we perceive and understand the other characters and the events and actions in the story. We have no choice but to trust what the narrator.

However, this does not prevent us from questioning his views and interpretation off events. In order to give integrity to the story the author goes to great lengths in presenting the narrator as being honest and truthful so that there is no reason to doubt the integrity of his views.

On the other hand, the narrator does not know about everything that occurs. There is still a great deal of mystery that surrounds some of the events and characters that he cannot explain. For example, we do not know the exact nature of Northmour's death. Therefore, while all our information comes from the view of the narrator, yet he is limited in what he can perceive. This limitation is in fact important, as it tends to emphasize the central theme of mystery.

2.3. The narrator's attitude to the characters, to the subject of the story, how objective the narrator is? Does he give any comments?

The narrator has a logical and insightful approach to the description of the other characters and the subject of the story. He describes in clear and unequivocal terms the nature of his friends and the other characters that he encounters. He also tends to discuss both the bad and the good points of the other characters. This can seen in the way that he does not fail to describe Northmour as bad tempered and violent but also shows his more noble qualities as well.

However, it must be remembered that the narrator's point-of-view is subjective. He can be a little one-sided in his view -- especially when it comes to Clara and her father who are, to a certain degree, are judged by their outward appearance. Clara is described in glowing terms as being beautiful, good and wholesome. However, the father is described as cowardly and insincere, as well as being sickly. The underlying bias and the way that appearance affects the narrator's point-of-view are clear for the following quotation.

I gave him my hand, of course, because I could not help it; but the sympathy I had been prepared to feel for Clara's father was immediately soured by his appearance, and the wheedling, unreal tones in which he spoke.

2.4. Do we know what he is thinking about ?

The narrator is very clear about his views and ideas about the others and the events that occur. His narrative is straightforward and there is no doubt how he feels about things -- as can be seen in his view of Clara's father discussed above.

3. Narration

3.1. Are events presented in chronological order or not, how many things is narrated, told, in detail or not the events in the story are generally told in a logical narrative sequence. The narrator tells a story that occurred in the past but he presents the tale in a chronological sequence of events that follow from his first meeting with Northmour to his reported death.

Many of the events are described in great detail but usually the most detailed events are the most important in terms of the central drama, themes and actions in the story. For example, the meeting with Cara and the attack on the house are described in depth.

However, a technique used that adds to the central theme of mystery in the story is sometimes to provide only the most essential and barest details about a character or an event. This increases the suspense and mystery, which is central to the story, and also motivates the reader to use his or her imagination, which adds to the depth of the story. A good example of the use and effectiveness of minimal description to provoke interest is when the first Italian in the quicksand is described. Another good example is when he narrator describes the first serious fight that he had with Northmour, which prompted him to leave the company of his friend. The description is sparse and not very detailed.