Journal Article

The Narrative Structures in the Wild West Stories. The Oil Prince Case (Final Part)

Tomáš Horváth

2014

Overview

The article is based on the analysis by John G. Cawelti saying that the western formula cannot be attached to a single plot pattern but rather to a symbolic chronotope and its in:fluence on the type of a hero who operates within the chronotope. I use examples ofsome writings (M. Bird, F. Parkman, O. Wister, J. Altsheller, M. Brand, E. Haycox, Z. Grey and others) to demonstrate several narrative structures used in westerns: the schemes of chasing, revenge, an armed conflict between groups of characters (or a duel), the scheme of hunting for a treasure, the travel scheme as well as the scheme of a detective nove!, which may be incorporated into the western. I include a detailed analysis of Kari May' s nove! The Oil Prince (Der älprinz, 1893). I reveal the principles of the Mayesque serial fictitious universe (the principle of a returning character and hierarchical ranks of characters) as well as the literary-historical genesis ofthe Winnetou saga in the published short stories. Two types of stories can be identified within May's text corpus: the ones having the paratactic narrative structure (inherited from the picaresque nove!) and those having a centra! plot, which also include The Oil Prince. Its narrative structure is organized by the centra! motif of a fake oil lake trap (what the lake actually hides is the fact it does not hide anything: as there is no oil well, in fact). The narrative line of the bad guys is opposed by the narrative line of the positive characters, who want to save a banker' s life. Both narrative lines are interrelated by means ofthe manifold chasing/tracking narrative structure (several groups of characters chase each other) depicted by the altemate storyline composition switching between that ofthe good backwoodsmen and that of the bad guys. On the level of narrative point of view the altemate storyline composition is reflected in altemate focalization, which makes the model readers identify themselves altemately with either the good or the bad characters. Even jeopardizing the negative characters narrative line makes readers feel suspence and frustration. Both of the narrative lines are - on the microlevel - constructed as the solutions ofthe narrative problems ( e.g being captured - being freed, a tough situation - trick and so on): the positive characters deal with ad hoc tasks, problems, which they are faced with, using their common sense (phronesis) so as to assess and solve a particular situation, and their skills and physical condition. I include a detailed analysis of the trick pattem in the case of the Old Shatterhand character. On the other hand, the negative characters deal with being in danger by telling lies or killing In conlusion, I bring intertextual examples ofthe Mayesque fictional world in the proses by J. F. Cooper, F. Gerstäcker, G. Ferry, T. M. Reid, Ch. Sealsfield on the level of motifs, on the level of the hero construction as well as on the level of the narrative structure (the composition of altemate story lines ofthe positive and negatíve characters in F. Gerstäcker's work).

• Publisher: Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slovak Literature
• Subject: chasing structure / narrative structure / the western / the wild west