The Study of Narrator Voice in Orientation of Implied Authors in Story (case study: Emperor words)

In the field of children's literature, adult authors employ various tools to convey their thoughts and exert influence over children, with language being the most significant socialization factor. Consequently, exploring the complex methods used to express these ideas and exert dominance over the audience is crucial. To study this aspect of text, Fowler has introduced the theory of narrative perspective, which examines the narrator's discourse, including perspective, voice, and the relationship and dominance of the narrator over the characters, in order to understand the higher levels of power relations and ideology. This research utilizes narrative perspective theory and other relevant theories to examine the impact of relationships in conveying the implied author's ideology in two teenage novels. The results from two analytical samples indicate that in the novel for a Dead Girl, narrator's more interpretative storytelling and control over the characters' discourse allowed for greater depth in the narrative, positioning him as a representative of the implied author. In the novel the narrator attempts to avoid making definitive comments. Through the use of narrative techniques such as metafiction, the narrator seeks to provide the audience with a deeper understanding of the storyline.
Introduction:
The issues of language, perspective, and dominance—central concepts in narrative discourse analysis—gain heightened significance in the examination of literary texts, particularly within the realm of children’s and young adult literature. Consequently, scholars have explored more intricate dimensions of language and narration. One prominent theorist is Roger Fowler, who introduced the theory of narrative perspective to analyze the internal dimensions of a text. According to this theory, achieving more advanced levels of narrative relations necessitates an exploration of the narrator’s discourse, including their viewpoint, voice, and the extent of control they exert over the characters' discourse. This study aims to explore the extent to which the narrator, influenced by the text's implied author, can shape the characters' discourse and the thematic structure of the work. It also examines the conditions under which the narrator can act independently, distancing themselves from the implied author's perspective to create interpretive space for the reader. To achieve this objective, the research first analyzes narrative perspective according to Fowler’s theory. It then examines influential elements such as narrative voice, focalization, and character discourse based on Genette’s classification. Subsequently, the young adult novel "The Emperor of Words" is analyzed.
Methodology:
Every narrative contains two forms of dialogue: one between the characters within the story and another between the narrative agents, which establishes the communicative link between the implied author and the implied reader. The transmission of meaning from the author to the reader relies on this meta-narrative dialogue. Narrative discourse seeks to uncover and evaluate these connections—not only in terms of propositional content but also through the narrative techniques that shape how meaning is conveyed.
In analyzing context, the narrator serves as an intermediary for the transfer of meaning, positioned within a network of relationships that includes the implied author, the reader, and the characters. The objective is to ascertain whether multiple narrative agents participate in dialogue or if all voices are overshadowed by a dominant narrative voice. This assessment facilitates the identification of narrative spaces that are either open or regulated by the narrator, thereby uncovering whether the text provides interpretive latitude for the reader.
 
Analysis
In Gérard Genette was the first to differentiate between the concepts of "focalization" and "narrative voice," as well as to examine their interrelationship. He categorizes narratology into three components: narrative time, voice, and mood.
The concept of "voice" presents a fundamental challenge: "Who observes? and "Who articulates?
This distinction between the narrator's voice and the focalized character adds greater nuance to literary criticism and clarifies the text's orientation and ideological stance.
In the following sections, these distinctions will be further explored.
The discourse of the implied author can be inferred through the narrator, the characters, and the implied reader—specifically, through their thematic orientations and the extent of alignment between their perspectives and the overall stance of the work.
In Emperor of Words, the narrator endeavors to avoid overt ideological positioning.
When characters express their opinions, the narrator refrains from taking responsibility for these statements, encouraging readers to engage in critical reflection before accepting them. The central theme of the novel is the unity and harmony among nations, illustrated through allegory and metaphor. From the opening poem to Sani’s symbolic redrawing of the world map, the narrative seeks to dismantle divisions and promote a sense of unity.
 
Given the novel's ironic tone and the narrator's deliberate manipulation of narrative structure, it cannot be asserted that the implied author's discourse dominates the text. The narrative eschews monologism, enabling the narrator to emphasize character discourses instead.
The narrator of "The Emperor of Words" is an intradiegetic narrator with an omniscient perspective, possessing access to the internal thoughts and motivations of the characters. However, by utilizing alienating language, the narrator avoids making definitive judgments, indicating that such commentary is rooted in conjecture rather than certainty.
One prominent narrative technique in this novel is the narrator's intervention. This technique is frequently used to establish narrative distance, particularly as the narrator sometimes takes on the role of a character. Furthermore, the narrator utilizes self-disclosure, positioning the reader outside the narrative and making them conscious of the textual play.
The narrative comprises two intertwined storylines: the primary storyline and a secondary one that the protagonist reads and eventually enters.
These overlapping narratives create temporal dissonance, positioning the reader between the present timeline of the story and the ancient temporal framework of the embedded narrative.
In Emperor of Words, the narrator offers minimal exposition.
The characters' traits and the background of the boy protagonist's family are not elaborated upon, inviting readers to actively participate in constructing meaning. The narrator also avoids detailed descriptions of settings and intentionally introduces ambiguity, encouraging readers to engage more deeply, even prompting them to revisit earlier sections of the text.
Conclusion:
As summarized in the accompanying table, the narrator in The Emperor of Words adopts a descriptive mode and refrains from articulating direct propositions or assuming the implied author’s stance. Even when evaluative commentary is present, the narrator’s ironic tone serves to expose rather than impose meaning. The narrator seeks to alert the narratee, encouraging a skeptical and questioning stance toward the narrative. The text’s internal gaps are creative rather than limiting, and the story positions the implied reader as an active co-constructor of meaning. The characters’ discourse is rendered through free indirect speech, blurring distinctions between the narrator’s and the characters’ voices and avoiding narrative closure.
Moreover, the narrator’s indirect characterization strategy allows readers to engage with the characters’ discourses and actions independently. Techniques such as narrative intervention, self-disclosure, narrative layering, creative gaps, and the open ending all contribute to distancing the reader from the text. These methods enhance reader awareness of the storytelling process and the characters’ ideologies while inviting interpretive participation. However, the frequent use of such techniques occasionally hinders character development, as the narrator’s role in conveying information becomes too prominent, suggesting that the narrative performance overshadows character immersion.