I am Simply Not There: Narrative Perspective in Lucan's Bellum Civile

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine Lucan's manipulation of narrative perspective in the Bellum Civile as it relates to the characters Pompey and Caesar. In discussing narrative perspective I employ Gérard Gennette's distinction between zero focalization and internal focalization. I argue that zero focalization represents what may be termed `real' in the Bellum Civile while internal focalization represents a possibly illusory perception of the events of the narrative from the subjective perspective of one of the narrative's characters. I examine three passages in which Lucan focalizes the narrative perspective to Caesar's vantage point, 7.786-796, 9.964-979, 10.540-546, as well as two passages in which Lucan focalizes the narrative perspective to convey Pompey's point of view, 7.7-19, 9.1-18. These passages correspond in theme, placement and at the level of language. Moreover, within these passages Lucan's use of internal focalization presents images which are difficult for the reader to believe when compared to the events of the Bellum Civile set in zero focalization. Ultimately, I contend that Lucan's narrative perspective in these instances exemplify his purposeful disruption of his reader's ability to determine what is real and what is illusory in the Bellum Civile.