First-Person Retrospective Narrative in The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones written by Alice Sebold is about a 14-year-old girl Susie who,as a ghost,tells her story as well as her family’s after her death.Tiffs paper focuses on the characteristics of the first-person retrospective narrative in The Lovely Bones.Firstly,this paper introduces the story,the double focalizations of the first--person retrospective narrative and the purpose of the paper.It then discusses the three functions of the first-person retrospective narrative:enhancing authenticity,intensifying intimacy and contributing to the love theme of the story.Besides,the thesis points out the limitation of the first-person retrospective narrative:monotonous.Therefore,a shift of the narrative perspective is put forwards as the solution to the problem.