Research Paper on:
The Four Gated City by Doris Lessing and Uses of Narrative

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
seemed to evolve over the years. In "The Four-Gated City," the last in a series of books titled "Children of Violence," we have a story that is quite unique as  it seems to take the reader from the real world into a intriguing future. Bearing this in mind, and the fact that the book is incredibly long, one comes to  understand that her narrative style and structure are incredibly strong. In the following paper we first provide a brief look at the possibilities involved in narrative techniques and structures and  then discuss the strength and position of Lessings narrative technique and structure. Narrative Techniques and Structures A narrative can take on many different forms. For example, there can  be a linear quality to a story which never reverts to flashbacks or historical examinations. They are stories which take us logically from one time sequence to the next, without  varying. There are also those which continuously take us back and forth between present and past in order to provide us with an understanding of the past of the characters.  And, there are those narratives that take us all around, confusing us perhaps, until the end. A perfect example of this is in the recent film "Memento" which does  not follow any timeline, as it jumps around continuously from one moment to another. In the end we are left understanding the entire linear story, but not until the end  when all the pieces fall into place. In terms of narrative styles there is also that which involves point of view. For example, a story can be told from  the first person, or the second person, or third, to mention only a few styles. "The two main points of view are those of third-person narration, in which the narrator