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The Naratological Analysis to The Expedition Of Humphry Clinker

Tobias George Smollett (19 March 1721 17 September 1771) was a Scottish poet and
author. e was best !nown "or his picares#ue no$els% such as &The 'd$entures o" (oderic!
(andom& (17)*) and &The 'd$entures o" +eregrine +ic!le& (17,1)% which in"luenced later
no$elists such as -harles .ic!ens. George /rwell admired Smollett $er0 much% and he
praised him as &Scotland1s best no$elist&.
&The 23pedition /" umphr0 -lin!er& is his last no$el and was published in the 0ear o"
his death. 4t is an epistolar0 no$el% in which Matthew 5ramble% his nephew 6er0 Mel"ord% his
sister Tabitha% his niece 70dia and 8ini"red% Tabitha1s maid% all send letters to their "riends
describing their holida0 "rom Gloucester% to 5ath% to 7ondon% to arrogate% to .urham%
2dinburgh% to Glasgow and bac! home. 'long the wa0% the0 meet umphr0 -lin!er% a dull9
headed creature who becomes de$oted to Matthew 5ramble% e$en sa$ing his li"e. e turns out
to be 5ramble1s illegitimate son. 70dia1s lo$er is disco$ered to be the son o" a wealth0 man
who is 5ramble1s "riend: the0 are "inall0 happil0 married. 8hen S#uire 5ramble lea$es 8ales
to ta!e his "amil0 on a tour through 2ngland and Scotland% the result is a comical series o"
misad$entures. 5e"ore the0 e$en reach 7ondon there is an addition to their part0; a shabb0
ser$ant named umphr0 -lin!er who #uic!l0 becomes de$oted to them particularl0
Tabitha<s maid. Their =ourne0 is "ull o" incidents% that are "aith"ull0 related b0 the tra$ellers in
their letters to "riends bac! home. The most o" letters are done b0 onl0 two people% Matthew
5ramble% his nephew 6er0 Mel"ord. Thier st0le is eas0 to recognise a"ter the "irst "ew do>en
pages% e$en though the no$el is a little bit con"using "rom the beggining.
Moreo$er% the no$el is characterised b0 a rela3ed atmosphere which comes "rom the
characters1 radicall0 di""erent perspecti$es on the places the0 $isit. ?or e3ample% the
curmudgeonl0 5ramble is less than ta!en with 5ath; @The0 loo! li!e the wrec! o" streets and
s#uares dis=ointed b0 an earth#ua!e% which hath bro!en the ground into a $ariet0 o" holes and
hilloc!s: or as i" some Gothic de$il had stu""ed them altogether in a bag% and le"t them to
stand higgled0 piggled0% =ust as chance directed. 8hat sort o" a monster 5ath will become in
a "ew 0ears% with those growing e3crescences% ma0 be easil0 concei$ed@ (Smollett% p.AB).
70dia% b0 contrast% sa0s @5ath C to be sure% is an earthl0 paradise. The S#uare% the -ircus%
and the +arades% put 0ou in mind o" the sumptuous palaces represented in prints and pictures:
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Universitatea Dunarea de Jos, Galati
Student; 'lina +etrea % 2nd 0ear% (omanian92nglish
and the new buildings% such as +rinces9row% arle#uin1s9row% 5ladud1s9row% and twent0 other
rows% loo! li!e so man0 enchanted castles% raised on hanging terraces.@ (Smollett% p. A9)
DThe 23pedition /" umphr0 -lin!er& begins the tradition o" the no$el as tourism.
8ith umphr0 -lin!er<<% we ha$e the beginnings o" the ironic pol0phon0 that 5a!htin
thought characterised the no$el as a "orm. 4t is also the "irst to capitalise on the idea o"
multiple perspecti$es. 4t is "ull o" coincidents that dri$es the reader to a happ09ending
represented b0 a series o" weddings. The no$el% also% pro$ides a $i$id picture o" eighteenth-
century life.
The e3erpt is a 6er0 Mel"ordEs letter addressed to Sir 8at!in +hillips% where the main
character narrati>es what happened with his uncle Mattew 5ramble and his aunt Tabitha.
-hasing his uncle% 6err0 surprised him tr0ing to help with some mone0 a widow and her child.
Fn"ortunatl0% the man was caught in the middle o" the things b0 his sister% Tabitha% who was
not agree with her brotherEs gesture. She "ound that absolutl0 unacceptable% considering that
Mr. 5ramble made the charit0 "or obtaining the lo$e o" the poor woman. 2$en though 6err0
tried to resume the entire e$ent and to demostrate that the manEs gesture is an honorable one%
Tabitha re"used to listen a word.
There is illustrated a mimetic literature% because it is highl0 depende upon the outer
realit0.The literar0 wor! gi$es to reader the sense o" being in presence o" actual indi$idual
things% e$ents% people and places. 8hen 6er0 was chasing his uncle% he mentioned some
places such as 8ell% -li"ton or +ump9room; & 't length% going down to the 8ell one da0% 4
met her hal" wa0 up the hill to -li"ton% and could not help suspecting she was going to our
lodgings b0 appointment% as it was about one o<cloc!% the hour when m0 sister and 4 are
generall0 at the +ump9room.&
50 ta!ing account the durati$e aspect% the e3cerpt is rich in summar0 passages and
pause. The letter begins with a summar0 that helps reader to understand the main situation. e
sa0s that he wants to tell a big secret related to his uncle% who tried to help a poor woman in a
secret wa0. The $eracit0 o" situation catches the readerEs attention b0 using m0ster0 and
suspense% which is an important ingredient in stor0telling; DThis notion e3citing m0
curiosit0&. The summar0 alternates with pauses containing description or incidental
structures. ?or e3ample% when Mr. 5ramble spea!s with the widow his $oice is on the point to
brea! down and the narrator notices that aspect b0 sa0ing; D'"ter a short pause% he said% in a
croa!ing tone o" $oice% which con"ounded me not a little GCH&. The narratorEs indications in
the brac!ets are meant to help reader in imagining easil0 the entire scene. e o"ten notes;
D(e3claimed the poor woman)&% D(cried he% in a $oice li!e thunder)&.
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There"ore% the letter presents the e$ent in a "acsimile wa0 and that is claimed b0 the
presence o" scene. The dialogue between characters re$eals how the things happened and it is
a suitable source "or the indirect characteri>ation. (egarding "re#uenc0% the stor0 re$eals a
singulati$e narrati$e% narrating once what happened once. This aspect is contrasted with some
passages where it is described a repeated action% that could pro$ide also an iterati$e aspect ; D4
had caught m0 uncle<s e0es se$eral times directed to this person GCH&. The scene includes a
ma3imum o" in"ormation and a minimum o" in"ormer so the reader could interpret through his
own mind the charactersE beha$ior and could ma!e a sel" opinion about them. 4t is also related
with the stor0Es $eracit0. The dialogues are the most mimetic "orm% in which the narrator% that
is also a re"lector% pretends literall0 to gi$e the "loor to the characters. This is reported speech;
DIMadam% 4 am trul0 concerned "or 0our mis"ortunes: and i" this tri"le can be o" an0 ser$ice to
0ou% 4 beg 0ou will accept it without ceremon0.& 'nd the woman replies; DITwent0 poundsJ
/h% sirJ&.
5eing written at the "irst person% the stor0telling has an internal "ocali>ation. 'lso%
ta!ing the entire no$el% there is a multiple "ocali>ation which is speci"ic to epistolar0 no$el.
'n e$ent is presented "ro two or more point o" $iews. This re$eals a homodiegetic narrati$e
where the narrator is the hero so the reader understands that the e$ents happened to main
character such an autobiograph0. This re$eals an autodiegetic narrati$e. The entire stor0 is
seen through 6er0Es e0es who could watch e$er0thing "rom a room through a wall hole. The
reader is introduced in the "ictional uni$erse using a narrow perspecti$e% the perception o" the
main spea!er in the stor0; DGCHhe ga$e her audience in a parlour: so that 4 was obliged to
shi"t m0 station to another room% where% howe$er% there was a small chin! in the partition%
through which 4 could percei$e what passed.&. There is an intradiegetic perspecti$e.
The temporal determination o" the narrating instance shows that the "ragment is a
subse#uent. The e$ent is related to the tense narrati$e and this could easil0 remar!ed through
the large number o" $erbs at the past tense% such as resolve, saw, stood, cried% etc. The e$ent is
narrated is a chronological wa0. There is a plain ob=ecti$e chronolog0.
(egarding dialect aspect% in characters replies it could be "ound the pure 5ritish 2nglish.
The st0le is rigid% polite and the0 seem to e3press their sel$es in a more "ormal wa0. 4n
particular% e$er0 character has his manner to spea!. ?or e3ample% the widow shows humilit0
and gratitude in her discourse% using words li!e +ro$idence% worth0 gentlemen% blessings.
Mr. 5ramble is $er0 !ind% he re"ers to the womanEs situation sa0ing that it is a Dmis"ortune&.
e% also% shows tact and politeness to woman e$en though he is the one who helps her; DGCH
and i" this tri"le can be o" an0 ser$ice to 0ou% 4 beg 0ou will accept it without ceremon0.& The word
A
Dtri"le& shows as well the humiliation o" a man who wants onl0 to help a poor woman and her child.
The third character seems to be the opposite o" the "irst two% aunt Tabitha is described direct b0 the
narrator as being Dthe most diabolicall0 capricious&. She sa0s that instead o" gi$ing that twent0 pounds
to a poor woman% she pre"ers to use them "or her desires; D-hild% child% tal! not to me o" charit0. 99
8ho gi$es twent0 pounds in charit0K 99 5ut 0ou are a stripling 99 Lou !now nothing o" the world.
5esides% charit0 begins at home Twent0 pounds would bu0 me a complete suit o" "lowered sil!%
trimmings and all .&. 2$en though she remar! the emotions her brother% Tabitha continues to bother
him sa0ing that his act is abominable% unsuitable "or a worth0 li!e him; D/bser$ing these mar!s o"
emotion% M4 don<t wonder (said she) to see 0ou concerned at the bac!9slidings o" so near a relation: a
man o" his 0ears and in"irmities; These are "ine doings% trul0 99 This is a rare e3ample% set b0 a
guardian% "or the bene"it o" his pupils 99 MonstrousJ incongruousJ sophisticalJN&. 'lso% her replies and
words re$eal iron0 to the situation and to characters% such as 6err0 who call Dchild& and Dstripling&;
D-hild% child% tal! not to me o" charit0. 99 8ho gi$es twent0 pounds in charit0K 99 5ut 0ou are a
stripling 99 Lou !now nothing o" the world. 5esides% charit0 begins at home GCH&.
4n conclusion% the "ragment presents a $er0 good e3ample o" the sub=ecti$e narrati$e where
could be "ound a homodiegetic perspecti$e and a plain chronolog0. There"ore% the characters are
comple3 personalities who are made uni#ue b0 the situation% the appearance and their own manner to
act in a certain situation. The no$el% DThe 23pedition o" umphr0 -lin!er& is a remar!able wor!% that
re"lects the particularities o" eighteen9centur0 societ0.
)
5ibliograph0
1. Smollett% T. G. (199, G1771H) The Expedition of Humphry Clinker% ert"ordshire;
8ordsworth -lassics
2. The article The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, 8i!ipedia
http;OOen.wi!ipedia.orgOwi!iOTheP23peditionPo"Pumphr0P-lin!er
A. The article Summer voyaes! The Expedition "f Humphry Clinker #y To#ias Smollett,
in The Guardian, section 5oo! 5logs
http;OOwww.theguardian.comOboo!sOboo!sblogO2Q1AOaugO12Osummer9$o0ages9
humphr09clin!er9tobias9smollett
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