“Spatial Form and Plot” by Eric S. Rabkin: Summary and Critique

Introduction and Conceptual Framework

• Metaphoric Nature of Spatial Form: Rabkin critiques the use of “spatial form” as a metaphor to describe narrative structures, emphasizing the temporal (diachronic) nature of plot, which unfolds over time in the reader’s mind (Rabkin, 1977, p. 253).
• Balance Between Synchronic and Diachronic: All narratives engage readers both temporally (as sequences of events) and structurally (as overarching frameworks), challenging overly spatial interpretations (p. 254).
• Influence of Russian Formalism: Rabkin builds on Shklovsky’s idea of defamiliarization, where familiar elements are rendered unfamiliar to heighten readers’ engagement with a narrative (p. 255).

Plot vs. Story

• Distinction Between Plot and Story: Drawing on Shklovsky, Rabkin defines “story” as the chronological sequence of events and “plot” as the rearranged and defamiliarized presentation of these events (p. 256).
• Defamiliarization Through Techniques: Techniques like reordering events (e.g., Daphnis and Chloe) or alternating perspectives compel readers to perceive familiar structures in new ways (p. 257).

Analyzing Narrative Techniques

• Example of Moral Tales: The Eskimo folktale “How Crane Got His Blue Eyes” illustrates how repetition and defamiliarization enhance moral interpretation, emphasizing the interplay of point of view and plot (p. 258).
• Structural Consistency in Folktales: Using Propp’s analysis, Rabkin notes the fixed sequence of narrative functions in folktales, underscoring the tension between familiar (linear) structures and defamiliarized plots (p. 259).

Revisiting Romance and Classical Texts

• Romantic Plots and Seasons: Rabkin explores seasonal metaphors in narratives like Daphnis and Chloe, demonstrating how synchronic representations often obscure the diachronic nature of textual progression (p. 262).
• Gottfried’s Tristan: The interplay of synchronic hypotheses and diachronic progression highlights the narrative inversion from romance to tragedy, enhancing the audience’s emotional experience (p. 263).

Twentieth-Century Innovations

• Fragmentation as a Narrative Device: Modernist texts like The Waste Land and The Sound and the Fury employ fragmentation to create synchronic moments that challenge the reader’s temporal perception (p. 267).
• Parataxis in Hemingway: Hemingway’s use of antecedentless pronouns in A Farewell to Arms forces readers to actively reconstruct coherence, blending synchronic values with diachronic storytelling (p. 268).

Case Studies in Narrative Structure

• William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury: The novel’s paratactic structure juxtaposes fragmented narratives, creating synchronic unity across multiple points of view while maintaining diachronic progression (p. 269).
• Absalom, Absalom!: The concentric narrative layers simulate spatial form but ultimately reflect a temporal dialectic, with the plot moving through moral discovery and consequences (p. 270).

Conclusion

• Spatial Form as a Metaphor: Rabkin concludes that “spatial form” remains a useful metaphor for exploring narrative techniques but cautions against literalizing it. Modernist experimentation with parataxis and fragmentation revitalizes literary forms and addresses the incoherence of contemporary experiences (p. 270).

1. Advancement of Russian Formalism

• Defamiliarization as Central to Plot Construction: Rabkin expands Shklovsky’s concept of defamiliarization, demonstrating how narrative plots transform familiar story sequences into compelling structures (Rabkin, 1977, p. 255).
• Plot vs. Story Distinction: By emphasizing plot as a reordering of story elements, Rabkin validates Formalist methodologies for analyzing the aesthetic and structural innovations in narratives (p. 256).

2. Structuralism and Narratology

• Synchronic and Diachronic Interaction: Rabkin bridges Structuralist focus on synchronic structures with the diachronic unfolding of narratives, advocating for an integrated approach to analyzing texts (p. 254).
• Propp’s Morphology Extension: Rabkin applies Vladimir Propp’s structural analysis of folktales to modern narratives, revealing how fixed narrative functions can be manipulated through defamiliarization (p. 259).

3. Modernist Literary Criticism

• Fragmentation as a Spatializing Technique: Rabkin critiques the fragmented forms in modernist texts, like The Waste Land and Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, showing how they spatialize narratives to reflect cultural disjunctions (p. 267).
• Parataxis in Hemingway and Faulkner: Rabkin highlights how modernist writers use paratactic structures to force readers into active participation, constructing coherence from fragmented narratives (p. 268).

4. Reader-Response Theory

• Synchronic Hypotheses During Reading: Rabkin discusses how readers form synchronic (structural) hypotheses while engaging diachronically with the text, emphasizing the active role of readers in meaning-making (p. 259).
• Point of View as a Reader’s Guide: The manipulation of narrative perspective shapes the reader’s focus, balancing their synchronic and diachronic engagement (p. 258).

5. Genre Theory and Romance

• Redefinition of Romantic Narratives: Rabkin reinterprets traditional romance plots (e.g., seasonal cycles) to reveal their structural tendencies and their evolution in modernist works (p. 263).
• Eros and Narrative Structure: By analyzing the diachronic progression of romance plots, Rabkin provides insights into how such narratives balance synchronic and diachronic elements (p. 256).

6. Contributions to Postmodernism

• Critique of Spatial Form Metaphor: Rabkin’s argument against the over-literal use of “spatial form” aligns with postmodern skepticism about fixed interpretations and stable structures in texts (p. 270).
• Narrative Fragmentation as Cultural Reflection: He connects the fragmentation of modernist and postmodernist narratives to the broader cultural fragmentation of the 20th century (p. 267).

7. Comparative Literary Analysis

• Interplay of Historical and Modern Texts: Rabkin demonstrates the continuity and transformation of narrative techniques, from folktales to modernist experiments, enriching comparative approaches in literary studies (p. 263).

8. Innovations in Stylistics

• Language and Temporal Rhythms: Rabkin highlights how narrative styles manipulate temporal rhythms (e.g., description vs. narration) to balance synchronic and diachronic experiences in texts (p. 255).
• Attenuation and Focus: By slowing or interrupting narratives, authors force readers to engage with specific details, defamiliarizing the familiar and shaping narrative attention (p. 266).

1. Overemphasis on Formalist Approaches

• Rabkin relies heavily on Russian Formalism, particularly Shklovsky’s defamiliarization, which some critics argue limits his scope to structural mechanics rather than exploring deeper cultural or ideological contexts.
• The essay neglects alternative critical frameworks, such as Marxist or feminist readings, which could provide richer insights into the narratives discussed.

2. Ambiguity in Synchronic and Diachronic Balance

• Critics may find Rabkin’s integration of synchronic and diachronic perspectives unclear or inconsistent, particularly when defining how these modes interact dynamically in all narratives.
• The balance he proposes between synchronic and diachronic elements can appear forced, as not all narratives necessarily engage both in equal measure.

3. Simplification of Spatial Form Metaphor

• The critique of the spatial form metaphor as overly literal is valid, but Rabkin’s alternative—emphasizing the metaphor’s utility—is not groundbreaking and risks oversimplifying the modernist experimentation it seeks to address.
• By focusing on its limitations, Rabkin may undervalue the significance of spatial form as a lens for understanding experimental narratives.

4. Limited Engagement with Reader-Response Theory

• While Rabkin acknowledges the reader’s active role in forming synchronic hypotheses, his analysis does not fully explore the implications of this for reader-response theory, such as varying interpretations based on individual reader contexts.
• The essay could benefit from a deeper examination of how reader agency influences the construction of plot and meaning.

5. Neglect of Non-Modernist Texts

• The examples Rabkin uses, such as The Waste Land and The Sound and the Fury, focus heavily on modernist texts, limiting the applicability of his argument to other narrative traditions or genres.
• His approach may marginalize pre-modernist or postmodernist texts where spatial form might function differently.

6. Tendency Toward Prescriptive Analysis

• Rabkin often generalizes how narratives operate, which could be seen as prescriptive rather than descriptive, limiting the flexibility of his theoretical framework for diverse literary works.
• The insistence that all narratives inherently balance synchronic and diachronic elements risks oversimplifying more complex or unconventional texts.

7. Insufficient Address of Cultural and Historical Contexts

• The essay emphasizes narrative structure and style but largely overlooks how cultural and historical contexts shape and are reflected in the use of spatial or diachronic forms.
• This omission makes Rabkin’s analysis less applicable to interdisciplinary studies that connect literature to broader social phenomena.