Analysis Of The Poem The Jubilee By Cary Davies

Cary Davies’ narrative questions the importance of the storyteller in the modern tale. Using free indirect discourse Davies plays on the internal and external thoughts of her characters. This engages the reader in thinking about the fictional portrayals we are reading through the use of multiple narratives. The metafictional engagement between the 3rd person narrator and Arthur Pritt, who tells a story within Jubilee, questions the importance of Arthur’s role as a storyteller. Metafiction is â€Å"stories [which] have something to tell us about stories themselves†. In â€Å"Jubilee†, the author differentiates between the storyteller and the narration of the short story and the metafictional qualities reveal the insignificance of the storytelling. Walter Benjamin defines a storyteller as someone who â€Å"makes [the story] the experience of those who are listening to his tale†. In â€Å"Jubilee† Arthur is the storyteller and his narrative challenges Benjamin’s view of Davies: a â€Å"novelist [who] has isolated [themselves]†. Firstly, it is important to establish how Arthur’s narrative is manipulated by Davies. Previous to this extract, Arthur had been telling his own story; in one sentence his narration is muted and internalized. Davies achieves this by beginning the paragraph in 3rd person narrative; she tells the reader that Arthur â€Å"wondered†. While wondering suggests we are reading a thought process, it is indicated that Arthur is still telling the story as â€Å"he was going to say†. However, the