The function of narrator in the Male Letter of Milenko Jevtović: Voice, focalization, and distance

• Main Author: Jeftimijević-Mihajlović Marija
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Serbian Culture Priština, Leposavić 2012-01-01
• Series: Baština
• Subjects: milenko jevtović; 'male letter'; female letter; female aesthetics; narrator; voice; focalization; perspective; distance
• Online Access: https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0353-9008/2012/0353-90081232087J.pdf

The novel 'Male Letter' of Milenko Jevtović, as per the author's attitude, from the collection Winter Father proved to be very challenging for the interpretation either due to its form (it has got a shape of letter) or due the fact it was written in the first person, and its narrator is the woman. So, this novel with the expressed female aesthetics was given all characteristics of female letter although its real author is of male sex. Furthermore, the function of narrator is to be of the exceptional importance for the perception itself of this narrative whole. It was viewed through three concepts which were introduced in the theory of prose by the theoretician H. Porter Abbot, such as: voice, focalization, and distance. Focalization is to be one of the important axes the interpretation of this novel is resting on, and there is one prominent focalizator (narrator), whereas the voices of others are appearing only from time to time so that they have neither enough strong intensity nor tendency by which they would influence the reader's perspective. Besides, narrator is to be the most meritorious the structure of this novel stands in strong relationship with its semantics.