Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the aspects and meanings of narrative development found in Toji. How does the author handle the vast time and space in Toji, the cast of over 700 characters it, as well as the episodes taking place? Also, what are the unique narrative characteristics and story development that the author Park Kyong-ni found within this fictional world? Does the author obtain substantial drive for story development with her own planning, intention, and setting? This thesis is aimed to answer all of these questions. Reading Toji, you may constantly encounter some of the noticeable characteristics in its description. The characteristics are that in describing any particular incident or scene that forms the crucial axis in the novel, the character does not directly state the situation in detail but uses their remembrance, gossiping, public opinion or perhaps what the third party has said or heard for story development. Along with this, in Toji, ‘Die auktoriale Erzahl’ occupies a large part of the story. Additionally, it is noted in Toji, that the story is organized uniquely freed from the Western literary theories after Aristotle. It can neither be explained with the West’s tragic climax towards the whole nor conform to the compositional principle of ‘the beginning-the body-the end’. The fact that Toji ends with an open structure and reveals polyphonic aspects is also one of the most important characteristics of it in terms of the narrative structure. This lays the grounds for understanding Toji in figuring out its story development and narrative characteristics. The essay seeks to explore the author’s unique writing style and also find ways to read not just for expert readers but also for more ordinary readers to understand the work better.