Chang-Rae Lee’s Native Speaker is not a conventional Spy Fiction novel. Popular spy stories often follow a James-Bond-esque style of storytelling, often including powerful explosions, cunning protagonists, and innovative technology reminiscent of the sci-fi genre. Native Speaker, however, is not so flashy. The novel focuses on the ethics of being a spy in a more realistic setting than other spy novels, thus giving readers the ability to explore the definition of a spy with deeper comprehension. This cerebral approach to Spy Fiction earned Native Speaker critical acclaim soon after it was published, and with good reason. Native Speaker revolutionized the Spy Fiction genre by directing the novel’s narrative inward – in doing so, the novel pushed itself away from traditional Spy Fiction and redefined the boundaries of the contemporary genre. The most obvious way in which Native Speaker redefines Spy Fiction is through the novel’s protagonist and narrator, Henry Park. Henry is perfect for the Spy Fiction genre in a way that other traditional Spy Fiction protagonists are not: he is a spy by definition, …show more content…
The first subplot involves Glimmer and Company: the ‘spy’ side of the novel. This is the aspect of the novel which most closely relates Native Speaker to the Spy Fiction genre because it incorporates espionage directly into the plot. Espionage defines Glimmer and Company. This is interesting because at the beginning of the novel, Glimmer and Company is a central piece of Henry’s life. He describes meeting his wife while on an assignment (Lee 8), falling into a morally complex trap with Luzan (Lee 42), and then beginning his assignment with John Kwang (Lee 82). This is interesting because at the beginning of the novel, Henry also fits the ‘spy’ narrative quite closely as a character. This suggests that there is a correlation between Henry’s characterization and the direction of the
Henry's first-person narrative is the most important element of these stories. Through it he recounts the events of his life, his experiences with others, his accomplishments and troubles. The great achievement of this narrative voice is how effortlessly it reveals Henry's limited education while simultaneously demonstrating his quick intelligence, all in an entertaining and convincing fashion. Henry introduces himself by introducing his home-town of Perkinsville, New York, whereupon his woeful g...
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At the beginning, Henry Fleming has an undeveloped identity because his inexperience limits his understanding of heroism, manhood, and courage. For example, on the way to war, “The regiment was fed and caressed at station after station until the youth [Henry] had believed that he must be a hero” (Crane 13). Since he has yet to fight in war, Henry believes a hero is defined by what others think of him and not what he actually does. The most heroic thing he has done so far is enlist, but even that was with ulterior motives; he assumes fighting in the war will bring him glory, yet another object of others’ opinions. At this point, what he thinks of himself is much less important than how the public perceives him. As a result of not understanding
Through my years of learning English in school, I have read a few novels either for assignments or silent readings. I often read novels engaging within the romantic and depressing moments and acting out characters through their dialogues with different speaking tones. Likewise, in the novel, the Deception of Livvy Higgs written by Donna Morrissey, I am again captured by the distinct and interesting characters and their speaking ways. However, paying little attention to what I can actually learn from this novel. Nevertheless, when I finished reading this book, my mind was filled with new knowledge on various historical events. This novel well illustrates Canada’s state and contribution in the Second World War. The French-English relationships
middle of paper ... ... In conclusion, the character of Henry dominates the play throughout. overshadowing the other characters in the story. He is a religious man, reinforced.
L’Engle, L'Engle. “Focus On The Story, Not Readers…” Writer Apr 2010: p. 24-25. MAS Ultra-School Edition. EBSCOhost. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Lipscomb notes the importance of Henry VIII in this novel by stating the events that occurred in 1536 that shaped and molded his future character and thoughts. He was a devoted catholic
Hard-boiled detective fiction sets the scene for a cold and harsh reality. Dashiell Hammett’s, “The Girl with The Silver Eyes” is no exception to this rule. In this short story Hammett paints a picture of a brutally realistic urban center filled with characters that not many people would want to call friends. The realistic qualities of Hammett’s story are drawn from his own life’s experience working as a Pinkerton detective. The detective in “The Girl With The Silver Eyes” works for the Continental Detective Agency and is, therefore, known simply as the Continental Op. In the beginning of the story the Op professes, “a detective, if he is wise, takes pains to make and keep as many friends as possible among transfer company, express company and railroad employees” (27). This paper will examine this philosophy of the Continental Op, how he employs this approach to detective work and uncover if this approach is beneficial or disadvantageous.
O. Henry utilizes a first person point of view in his writing to emphasize the significance
...ne show his sensibility. His imagination and creativity motivate him to read Gothic romances and to indulge in the effects that his inventive tales produce. His decision to marry Catherine is motivated by feelings of love that further exemplifies his sensibility. Throughout the novel the readers see an excellent display of Henry's ability to maintain equilibrium between the two qualities. He passes his knowledge onto Catherine to help her to become a better person. At the end of the novel it is apparent that Henry has taught the keys of his success to Catherine.
When choosing an author for my paper, I chose international suspense because I am very interested in foreign relations and the technology of modern day war. I have read stories by Edgar Allen Poe, with suspense and vivid imagery, which reminded me of Clancy's work. I decided to choose Tom Clancy because of his talent to weave such realistic tales of international suspense. Clancy creates the scenes in his books with such detail, it makes the reader feel like he/she is there. My first choice for this paper was Dr. Suess, but because he has passed away, I had to keep looking. I knew very little information about my author before writing this paper. I had read two of his books, but had no real knowledge of his personal life or past history. Tom Clancy, a successful American author of international suspense, has captured his love of military and technology and profitably employed it in the books he writes.
The narration within Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone is not synonymous with the majority of the detective genre. The Moonstone is written in the epistolary form, and has more than one narrator. The use of multiple narratives within The Moonstone is a modern and innovative approach to detective fiction as a genre. It is very useful in order to uncover the events that only certain characters have witnessed. The narrators of The Moonstone write their accounts of events in the same way: by use of the first person narrative. There are some negative aspects associated with this type of narration. Despite Collins’s innovative multiple narrations approach to the novel, the narrators are filled with subjectivities and biases. Multiple narratives, despite including the subjectivities and biases associated with the first person point of view, is much needed in order to uncover events the characters have witnessed in order to solve the crime in The Moonstone.
The state of affairs and the grim reality of the war lead Henry towards an ardent desire for a peaceful life, and as a result Henry repudiates his fellow soldiers at the warfront. Henry’s desertion of the war is also related to his passionate love for Catherine. Henry’s love for Catherine is progressive and ironic. This love develops gradually in “stages”: Henry’s attempt at pretending love for Catherine towards the beginning of the novel, his gradually developing love for her, and finally, Henry’s impas... ...