Narrative and the development of the literary reader : a study of narrative techniques through a consideration of the works of Jane Gardam

This study considers a range of the techniques of narrative used in modern literature for children. The central focus is on those aspects of narrative which present difficulty for the young reader. These include point of view, narrative structure, irony and the sense of ending, aspects which may, singly or in combination, be ignored by the teacher. In order to give a clear basis for the study of these aspects the fiction of Jane Gardam has been selected as a representative of current approaches to narrative in literature for the young. Her work is used as illustrative of both the range and difficulties of narrative in current children's literature. The analysis leads to a discussion of some of the ways in which a teacher can mediate a book with a child in_order to help him become a more sensitive and discerning reader, one who can both add to a reading repertoire and select from it wisely, so that he is neither a victim of the story nor a destructive critic unappreciative of the storyteller's art or the issues embedded in a narrative; a reader with aesthetic appreciation and critical discrimination in a balance that allows him conscious freedom; a reader who is able to understand more fully how he makes sense of both fiction and life.