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Literary analysis of the Novel The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
S. Sudhakaran B.T. Assistant Teacher in English P. U. M. School, Gundur Yercaud, Salem, Tamilnadu, India
Dr. B. Shyamala Devi Assistant Professor of English Thiruvalluvar Government Arts College Rasipuram, Namakkal, Tamilnadu, India
Abstract Literary devices are various elements and techniques used in writing to create an intended perception of the writing for the reader. It enhances the writing to the best understanding level for the readers. It is a kind of embellishment to the work of art in which everything is been comprehended in a more quaint way. As far as the readers concerned, it gives space for the readers to compare it with the prior knowledge and to picturize the particular events. It also incites profound sense which is deep inside and beyond the thoughts. Literary Devices refers to the typical structures used by writers in their works to convey his or her messages in a simple manner to the readers. When employed properly, the different literary devices help readers to appreciate, interpret and analyze literary work. This study concerned with the literary devices used in the novel The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and it also throws light on how the author has embedded and embroidered the work of art with the literary devices. The novel The Notebook is not just a love story of Noah and Allie but it also ventures the intricate human relationship with the Mother Nature. This paper deals with the embellishments of the work of art in the view of author to the readers.
Keywords: Devices, Embellishment, Work of art.
Introduction
ā It is often recognized that authors have inherent literary styles which serves as āfingerprintsā for their written works. Thus in principle, one should be able to determine the authorship of unsigned manuscripts by carefully analyzing the style of the text. The difficulty lies in characterizing the style of each author, i.e. determining which sets of features in a text most accurately summarize an authorās style ā (Hengartner, p. 1)
Nicholasās written work was greatly affected when his parents tragically passed away. Nicholasā past has impacted him to write tragic love stories and he said that some of the characters in his novels are based on people who were exceptionally unique to him. He also writes about small towns in many of his novels since he grew up in a small town. Overall Nicholas writes tragic love stories because most people remember them the best. Since the start of his profession his books have been New York Times bestsellers and turned into a remarkable
success, they have been translated in more than 50 languages with over 105 million copies sold worldwide. Nearly 65.000 copies of his books have been sold in the Philippines and 75 million copies in the United States. Nicholasā fame keeps on developing as he is granted for a considerable number of his works. He plans to continue writing more books in the future with the goal so that he can keep on inspiring his readers. A writerās style can be seen as a personal and creative use of different languages. According to Crystal and Davy, āStyle may refer to some or all the language habits of one person as when we talk of Shakespeareās style (or styles) ā¦or when we discuss the question of disputed authorshipā¦ More often, it refers in this way to a selection of language habits, the occasional linguistic idiosyncrasies which characterize an individualās uniqueness.ā¦style may refer to some or all of the language habits shared by a group of people at one time, or over a period of time, as when we talk about the style of Augustan poets, the style Old English āheroicā poetry, the style in which civil service forms are written, or styles of public-speakingā. (1969.pp.9-10)
āIt is also used to add beauty, intensify emotion and present a meaning familiar to reader by comparing one thing with another. As an integral part of language, figures of speech are found in oral literatures as well as in everyday speech. Common figures of speech include simile, metaphor, personification, irony etcā. (Nezami, 2012)
SYMBOLISM / METAPHORS / IMAGERY / MOTIFS
Symbolism A symbol is anything which signifies something else. In this sense all words are symbols. In discussing literature, however the term symbol is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something or suggests a range of reference beyond it.
Concerning the difference between an allegory and a symbol, allegory is but a translation of abstract notions into a picture language, which is itself nothing but an abstraction from objects of the senses. On the other hand a symbol is characterized by a translucence of the special (i.e. of the species) in the individual or of the general (i.e., of the genus) in the special or of the universal in the general above all by the translucence of the eternal through and in the temporal. Symbolism transforms the phenomenon into idea, the idea into an image, and in such a way that the ideal remains always infinitely active and unapproachable in the image, and even if expressed in all languages, still would remain inexpressible. In the novel The Notebook, Nicholas sparks has beautifully symbolizes and has added symbolism for the better perception. The examples of symbolism are the following.
Noah reaches for his guitar, an instrument that symbolizes his father. His favorite, dog-eared copy of Walt Whitmanās Leaves of Grass symbolizes the poet in Noah. A heart with the words Noah loves Allie inside it, carved the night before she left at the end of the summer symbolizes their early love.
Noah canāt hold back the night, and he canāt keep the thief away. This is a metaphor again for the devastation of Alzheimerās. āHe is a stranger now. He cannot be stopped... he is a midnight bandit, masked and fleeing on horseback from sleepy desert towns, charging into yellow moons with gold dust in his saddlebags.ā He imagines he can lift Allie in his arms and ride off with her into paradise. This fantasy of Noahās is a metaphor of how he would like to defend and protect his Allie. āNoah becomes a mighty ship in churning waters, strong and fearless, and she is his sails.ā This is his final metaphorical description of their love.
Imagery Imagery is used to signify all the objects and qualities of sense perception referred to in a work of art in literature. The term image should not be taken to imply a visual reproduction of the object denoted; some readers of the passage experience visual images and some do not. Imagery in this usage includes not only visual sense qualities but also qualities that are auditory, tactile (touch), thermal (heat and cold), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), and kinesthetic (sensations of movement). Some phenomenal figurative languages in this novel are the followingā¦
Now, Noah, in his canoe, pauses at daybreak where for a moment āthe view is spectacular, as if the world is being born again.ā It picturizes the particular setting of the novel. āWho are we, Allie and I? Are we ancient ivy on a cypress tree, tendrils and branches intertwined so closely that we would die if we were forced apart?ā The symbiotic relationship described by Noah picturizes the love he and Allie share. It is powerful, a symbol, a circle, and he knows there could never have been another. This a symbolic description of Noahās wedding ring.
Motifs/Themes A Motif is a conspicuous element, such as a type of event, device, reference, or formula, which occur frequently in works of literature. The term āMotifā or else the German āLeitmotifā is also applied to the frequent repetition, within a single work, of a significant verbal or musical phrase or set description or complex of images. Theme is sometimes used interchangeably with motif but the term is more usefully applied to a general concept or doctrine whether implicit or asserted which an imaginative work is designed to involve and make persuasive to the reader. Some of the most prominent themes in this novel areā¦..
The author paints a beautiful picture of the passion that these two characters share as they face the challenges that try to keep them apart. Readers witness Allie and Noahās wild emotions as they first taste their love as well as the quieter moments in later years when all they have to do is gently grasp one anotherās hands to express how deeply they feel about one another.
Another theme in this novel is that of growing old. In the process of aging, great transformations are made. Noah, who was once an athlete with a very strong build, is suffering with old age. His hands are gnarled so badly he can barely turn the pages of the books he reads. He is constantly cold no matter how many clothes he wears and how much heat is pouring into his room. He also has a stroke, so by the end of the novel, he struggles to walk from his
room to that of Allieās. Allie suffers even more. As time passes, she remembers less and less. She has very little idea of who she is, let alone who those other people are who stand around her. She is frightened by this loss of memory and often cries. She also hallucinates, seeing ālittle peopleā who threaten her. The love that she and Noah developed through the years is of little help to her, as she has almost no recollection of it.
Memory is also a theme. There is the loss of memory, such as Allie experiences, but also the solace that Noah finds by remembering the details of his past life. Without his memories, Noah would be completely lost. In particular, he relishes the memory of Allie.
Conclusion This paper aims at the literary analysis of the novel The Notebook by Nicholas sparks. Thus this study analyses that style of writing as one such beautiful aspects of writing. Literary devices are some kind of dialect instruments which are utilized by artists and writers to make curiosity and uniqueness in dialect. The uses of these devices make the language of a writer different from the language of another writer. Moreover, the exclusiveness and uniqueness of a writer lies in using the literary devices in his literary work. When a writer or a poet makes special use of language, his work of literature becomes very attractive and beautiful and people highly appreciate it. These literary devices, thus, are used to make a piece of literature a work of beauty so that the readers while reading it could go through an aesthetic experience. English language is flexible having great qualities to intrigue the readers by its magnificence of portrayal and expression. The specific quality originates from inside through its immense assortment of employments. It has some particular classifications of words called figures of speech. It is a method of expression in which words are utilized out of their exacting significance or conventional use to make an impact, regularly where they don't have their unique or literal meaning.
Works Cited
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Abram. M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms Seventh Edition. 1999
Bradford, Richard. Stylistics. Routledge, 2006.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks SYMBOLISM / METAPHORS / IMAGERY, thebestnotes.com/booknotes/notebook_sparks/Notebook_Study_Guide_Sparks19. html āThe Notebook Literary Criticism and Significance by Nicholas Sparks.ā Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/topics/the-notebook/critical-essays.
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Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook. Grand Central Publishing, 2016.
