Abstract Toni Morrison’s masterpiece, Beloved, is profuse in postmodern narrative techniques, one of which is fragmentation. In the circle of past and present, it discloses the physical, mental and spiritual devastation of African Americans wrought by slavery. For African Americans, even for the whole nation, it might be a shock if this long and dark legacy of slavery were retold without interruptions. Therefore, the fragmented narrative helps to alleviate the psychological impact on readers when they read Beloved because the author tears the story into fragments, puts them into various sections, and presents them as a whole to the readers through the characters’ re-memories.47641

Key words: fragmented narrative; Beloved; psychological impact; readers

《宠儿》（1987）中的碎片化叙事—对读者心理冲击的缓解作用

摘  要托尼·莫里森的巅峰之作《宠儿》充满了后现代的叙事技巧，碎片化便是其中的一种。在过去和现在的时空交错中，小说揭示了蓄奴制对奴隶肉体和精神的劫掠。对于非裔美国人甚至是整个民族而言，连续不断地重现这段黑暗的历史会造成极大的心理冲击。但是，碎片化的叙事手法能够帮助读者缓解蓄奴制带来的心理冲击，因为莫里森将整个故事分解成零散的碎片分布在小说的各个章节，再通过人物的历史重忆将其完整地呈现在读者面前。

毕业论文关键词：碎片化叙事；《宠儿》；心理影响；读者 

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Definition of Fragmented Narrative 1

1.2 Functions of Fragmented Narrative 1

1.3 Literature Review 1

1.4 Strategy of Development of Argument 2

2. The Fragments of Time Management in Beloved 3

3. The Fragments of the Characters in Beloved 4

3.1 The Fragments of Beloved 4

3.2 The Fragments of Sethe 5

4. The Fragments of the Experiences in Beloved 6

4.1 Fragments about Sethe 6

4.1.1 Fragments about Sethe’s Infanticide 7

4.1.2 Fragments about the Stealing Milk 7

4.2 Fragments about Paul D 8

5. Conclusion 9

Works Cited 11

1. Introduction

 Toni Morrison is one of the most distinguished and influential writers in the American history. For her great contribution to the literature, the Swedish Academy awarded the Nobel Prize to Morrison in 1993 and spoke of her works as “finely wrought and cohesive, yet at the same time rich in variation. One can delight in her narrative technique, varying from book to book and developed independently” and suffused with “the luster of poetry”. Beloved is regarded as the most popular novel, which is profuse in postmodern narrative techniques. And fragmentation is an essential technique that Morrison expresses her racial, historical and cultural consciousness, and discloses the physical, mental and spiritual devastation of African Americans wrought by slavery.

1.1 Definition of Fragmented Narrative 

“Fragment” means “a part broken off; a detached piece” or “an isolated or incomplete part” in Concise Oxford English-Chinese Dictionary (Extended Edition). However, it means different plots in a novel and is regarded as a postmodern narrative technique—fragmented narrative. In Fredric Jameson’s opinion, fragmentation is the most distinctive feature of postmodernism, and discontinuity and fragmentation are real reflections of history (Li Xuemei 81). Barthelme, one of the most influential postmodern writers, pays much attention to fragments and contingency in his works while traditional narrative techniques are set aside. He said that fragmentation was the only form that he believed (Li Xuemei 81).