მწერალი, პერსონაჟი და ზმნის პირთა ცვლა

Abstract

According to the grammar rules, the 1st and 2nd persons are linked to the same conversational space (here), whereas the 3rd person is associated with a different one (there). As is known, the type of narration space with no writer/narrator present is referred to as the third person narrative. In cases when the writer/ narrator is part of the character space described, two subtypes can be differentiated: (a) the narrator is a character (as it is in K.Gamsakhurdia’s The Smile of Dionysius; (b) the narrator is not a character ( as it is in G. Tabidze’s poem The Grave-Digger). However, there is one more mixed variant: initially, the narrator describes the third person space, then s/he decides to ‘enter’ this space as a character; as a result, the third person character turns into the second person one and the 3rd person narrative transforms into the first person narrative. Later, the narrator ‘leaves’ the narrative space and the situation is reversed. This technique aims at making the narrative sound more convincing (this is the case in K. Gamsakhurdia’s Stolen Moon). M. Javakhishvili suggests different variations of the mixed variant in question: (a) in his works the narrator does not turn into a character, however, he comments on a particular situation, showing its intensity; (b) the narrator appears next to certain characters supporting or encouraging them thus turning them into the 2nd person characters. This alternation in the narrative techniques is interestingly realized in the works of the unjustly forgotten writer Basil Melikishvili (1904-1930). Unlike M. Javakhishvili’s works where the mixed variant mentioned above is episodically evidenced, in B. Melikishvili’s works it is of systematic nature. Melikishvili starts his narrative in the 3rd person, however, throughout the narration the narrative type undergoes different changes. The acuteness of a particular situation and a character type determine the peculiarities of the narrator’s perspective. The alternation of person forms of the verb gives the reader some additional information on the writer’s attitudes towards his characters.