Narrative Drive

Narrative drive, when used correctly, can encourage a reader to continue reading in order to discover what happens next in a story. Two stories which make excellent use of narrative drive are Home by Russel Smith, and A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger. First, let's begin with Home. Smith has written this novel in the 2nd person narrative mode. The frequent use of personal pronouns such as "you" help the reader relate to the story. By never specifying the identity of the protagonist, Smith has created a situation where each individual reader can create a protagonist for the story in their own mind. This is an effective form of narrative drive because it makes a connection between the reader and the character(s) in the story, which encourages the reader to continue reading. Smith's use of descriptive and sensory detail also create narrative drive. By adding detail to his story, Smith creates a visceral world in which the reader can get lost. For example, instead of Smith writing that the protagonist simply entered a room, he goes on to describe the room as, "...brightly lit, low ceilinged, furnished with long trestle tables scarred with initials."
J.D. Salinger's short story, A Perfect Day for Bananafish also uses narrative drive to great effect. One of the ways in which Salinger does this is by foreshadowing the later events of the story. At the beginning of the story, Muriel's mother tells her that, "...there's a chance - a very great chance, he said - that Seymour may completely lose control of himself." The reader is told very early in the narrative of the story that it's likely that Seymour will lose control of himself due to his shell shock. This probability of an outburst of insanity keeps the reader interested throughout the story, wondering when and where Seymour will finally lose control. It is only right at the end of the story that Seymour finally shoots himself, which forces readers to read through the whole story until they are finally rewarded with Seymour's death. Another example of narrative drive is how Seymour interacts with Sybil. In order to lull Sybil into a false sense of security, Seymour appeals to her imagination by telling her stories. While completely false, these stories serve to entertain the reader, encouraging them to continue onwards. In this way, Salinger ensures that the reader continues to read his story right to the end.

Why Crime Fiction is Good for You

In the essay Why Crime Fiction is Good for You, crime novelist Ian Rankin describes to us the elements of crime fiction and how they appeal to readers. The first thing that Rankin does is address the long-standing view that crime fiction is not a "true" form of fiction. Rankin argues that any type of fiction carries elements such as violence, mystery, deception, plot twists, and moral dilemmas, which are all found in crime fiction. Rankin simplifies this argument even further by stating that any novel must create suspense in order to make a reader curious, which encourages the reader to continue reading. The first relevant point that Rankin makes about crime fiction is that, "death never happens without a reason and the causes of death never go unpunished." However, this convention applies more to the traditional types of crime fiction, namely the whodunnit. As the genre of crime fiction has developed, authors have moved away from the tidy endings of this type of story, claiming that it is not reminiscent of the real world. This is especially true of the last chapter in the crime novel, in which the true culprit is discovered and all the pieces of the puzzle are put together. Rankin tells us that more modern crime fiction is more true of the real world, where crime cannot always be rationalized or brought to justice. This new form of crime fiction, Rankin says, provides, "a perfect tool for the dissection of society." Crime fiction is by nature satirical, and this can be seen in the traditionel whodunnit plot line of a peaceful village shocked and disrupted by a violent and unexpected crime. Finally, Rankin points out the last important aspect of crime fiction, which are the emotions evoked by the story. As Rankin says, "A well-executed narrative description can make us feel the pain of the sufferer." This is partly what makes crime fiction such a popular genre. Many people want to experience emotions such as anger, fear, and jealousy. However, the only way to experience a mix of these emotions without causing harm to others is by reading crime fiction.

One of Ian Rankin's own short stories, called A Deep Hole, is a good example of his important points about crime fiction. The main antagonist of the story is Daintry, a sort of low-level money-lender, who has a tendency to become violent when his loans are not paid back. Daintry is eventually knifed by a thug who is suspected to have been in the pay of Mr McAndrew, a former gangster who owed Daintry money. All of the deaths in A Deep Hole occur for a reason. People die as a direct result of not paying Daintry back, and Daintry himself dies as a result of beating up Mr McAndrew. In this way, death always occurs for a reason, and the cause of death is always punished. Daintry lives in a stereotypical housing project where violence and crime are a reality of everyday life. This leads into Ian Rankin's second point, that crime fiction can be used to show a cross-section of society. The world that Ian Rankin has created shows the violent and rough nature of a community plagued by corrupt individuals. This sort of world is a very real problem in reality, and steps must be taken to prevent these sorts of misfortunes from happening. The last important aspect of crime fiction is that it evokes emotions in the reader. This is certainly true in A Deep Hole. We can feel the tension when Daintry asks the protagonist to dispose of a body in a hole dug for a new highway. Readers are then led through the turmoil of emotions that the protagonist feels while he attempts to get rid of the body. These emotions oscillate between anger, fear, and panic. When mixed together, they provide an emotional roller-coaster which compels the reader to continue reading. When used together, all of these elements blend together to create a driving storyline and interesting characters, all of which pique the curiosity of the reader and encourage them to finish the story.