Narrative Technique and Psychological Realism in the novels of Never Let me Go and The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Abstract

This paper will take a focus on different narrative techniques that Kazuo Ishiguro deploys in his novels “The Buried Giant” and “Never Let me Go.” It is an exploration of how memory plays an important role and how Ishiguro expresses the psychological narrative in both the novels. The paper will also explore the influences of Japanese narrative in the novels and how the then Japanese tradition has made an impact that showcases through the childhood of Kazuo Ishiguro. The paper explores the techniques of some narratives that are seen in the novels of Kazuo Ishiguro. The paper makes a study of the two novels with the help of a set of traditional narrative theories, viz- that of Victor Frankl, Roland Barthes, Peter Brookes, and Alexander Greimas. The paper expresses how a person could dwell through the past to its current life with a feeling of regret. The paper explores the psychological realism that is evident in both novels. Kazuo Ishiguro presents the protagonist through typical craftsmanship that reflects the past. The characters in both novels are of psychological and emotional drama. The paper explores the forms of life from past to present that has been remembered throughout the characters. (Teo 2014; Walkowitz 216) (Frankl 104)