Emma
...Prince By Mary
Prince
The differences between Emma by Jane Austen, a classical novel, and the
autobiographical slave narrative, The History of Mary Prince are many and varied, but
what stood out in my mind most prominently was the difference in character development.
The novel delved very deeply into the life, character, breeding, make-up, and personality
of it's subjects, but the narrative, instead, developed Prince in breadth, not depth. While
each approach gave the reader insight into the respective lead characters, one came away
with a better understanding of who Emma was and why.
A novel is a long work of written fiction. Most novels involve many characters
and tell a complex story by positioning the characters in a number of different situations.
A novels chief interest is in the human character as it manifests in society. The individual
naming of the characters in a novel gives singularity to each person. Novels tend to be
richly detailed and often have an exhaustive analysis of human relationships. In a novel,
the writer has the freedom to develop the plot, characters, motifs, and theme slowly. The
novelist can also circle the main plot with subplots that flesh out the tale. Furthermore,
novels have numerous shifts in time, place, and focus of interest. Because a novel is a
concentrated segment of life, the ending is usually drawn to a pre-designed conclusion.
A narrative is the autobiography of one's life experiences and views. It is usually
written in the first person point of view and records a long and complicated journey from
one's life experiences. Many narratives are documents of propaganda, which have a clear
sense of their audience. The question of identity is often central to the genre in narratives,
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as many are quests for identity. In many female slave narratives,...
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