engleski

Representations of New York in three novels by E. L. Doctorow

In this paper, I will analyze the images and representations of New York in three novels by E. L. Doctorow: The Book of Daniel, Billy Bathgate and The Waterworks. I will show that these images have a metonymic function in the narrative and that they also contribute to the construction of the main characters of every novel, who are the focalizers and also the narrators (except in The Book of Daniel where there is a case of shifting between the first and third person narrative). I will say something about every one of the three novels and provide their short summaries. Also, I will say something about the distinction between the author and the narrator and fact and fiction, which are important in these novels because they are often blended in descriptions of New York. In these novels, New York is described as the real city. The descriptions are very detailed and the streets have names, so for a reader acquainted with the real city, it is impossible to distinguish between the two. I will explore the ways in which Doctorow uses New York, not as a mere setting and scenery for the action, but as a city that mirrors the characters, how they reflect one another, how the perception of the city changes as characters change and how the neighborhoods' characters come from their shape and define them. Metafictional elements are often used. I will write about some of these elements, such as when the narration is in focus, the narrator is aware of the storytelling and the narrator speaks directly to the reader. I will demonstrate how The Waterworks could be read not as the story set in New York but as the story about the New York of the 1870s. I will also demonstrate how New York serves as the metonymic image of the narrative in these three novels.

New York, Doctorow, metonymic function, narrative

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