A Textual Analysis of Jim Harrison’s Legends of the Fall
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2016-07-21
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Jaén: Universidad de Jaén
Resumen
Este proyecto propone un análisis textual de la novela Legends of the Fall (1979) escrita por Jim Harrison. Antes de comenzar dicho análisis, ofreceremos un apartado dedicado a la vida personal del autor con el objetivo de introducir su personalidad al lector español. Asimismo, cabe mencionar que su vida estuvo marcada por su ansia de libertad. Este deseo íntimo y personal será trasladado a su literatura a través de imágenes que evoquen la idea de out-of-doors como pueden ser los paisajes, montañas, lagos y, por último pero no menos importante, animales. Además, trataremos aspectos tales como la sinopsis, los personajes, el estilo y el lenguaje que pueden ser observados en la obra así como la clasificación de ésta dentro del género literario. Más tarde, se expondrán las razones por la cuales Legends of the Fall ha sido en muchas ocasiones denominada novella. Por otra parte, este ensayo pretende demostrar que nuestra obra muestra una mezcla de subgéneros literarios ya que presenta temas de la novela existencialista como pueden ser la vida, el destino y la muerte. Pero también, sigue el patrón de la novela histórica ficcional, entre otros, debido al contexto histórico-cultural en el que se presenta la trama. Finalmente, el lector entrará de lleno hacia el estudio minucioso de las técnicas narrativas empleadas por Jim Harrison dentro de la obra, teniendo en cuenta el papel que juega la voz narrativa, los saltos en el tiempo durante la narración, el uso de descripciones y los recursos literarios incluyendo las alusiones y el simbolismo.
This project is aimed at accounting for the textual analysis of Legends of the Fall (1979) by Jim Harrison. Before starting with the analysis, we will offer a section dedicated to the personal life of this author with the objective of making his personality known to the Spanish reader. Similarly, it is important to mention that his life was based on the anxiety he felt for freedom. This intimate and personal desire will be present in his literature through out-of-doors images such as landscapes, mountains, lakes and, last but not least, animals. Furthermore, we will deal with aspects such as the plot, characters, style and language as well as the classification of the work within the literary genre. After that, the reasons why Legends of the Fall has been called novella will be considered. Apart from that, this essay pretends to demonstrate that our story introduces more than one literary subgenre because of the variety of topics belonging to the existentialist novel such as life, fate, and death. It is also worth mentioning that this work follows the pattern of historical fiction novel, among others, due to its historical-cultural context in which the plot is developed. Finally, the reader will observe a detailed study of the narrative techniques employed by Jim Harrison within this complex literary creation, taking into account the role of narrative voice, the change of time in the narration, and finally, the different literary devices, as in the case of allusions and symbolism.
This project is aimed at accounting for the textual analysis of Legends of the Fall (1979) by Jim Harrison. Before starting with the analysis, we will offer a section dedicated to the personal life of this author with the objective of making his personality known to the Spanish reader. Similarly, it is important to mention that his life was based on the anxiety he felt for freedom. This intimate and personal desire will be present in his literature through out-of-doors images such as landscapes, mountains, lakes and, last but not least, animals. Furthermore, we will deal with aspects such as the plot, characters, style and language as well as the classification of the work within the literary genre. After that, the reasons why Legends of the Fall has been called novella will be considered. Apart from that, this essay pretends to demonstrate that our story introduces more than one literary subgenre because of the variety of topics belonging to the existentialist novel such as life, fate, and death. It is also worth mentioning that this work follows the pattern of historical fiction novel, among others, due to its historical-cultural context in which the plot is developed. Finally, the reader will observe a detailed study of the narrative techniques employed by Jim Harrison within this complex literary creation, taking into account the role of narrative voice, the change of time in the narration, and finally, the different literary devices, as in the case of allusions and symbolism.