This essay analyzes the use of narrative techniques in Anton Chekhov's short story, Enemies, including types of focalizations and narrators and shifts within them, and explores how he employs these techniques to reveal the tragedy of human nature in his short story. To this end, Genette's three types of focalizations—zero, internal, and external focalizations—and Hu Yamin’s one pair of narrator types—the objective and interventionist narrator—are both discussed to provide a theoretical framework for the analysis. The essay argues that while Chekhov primarily employs external focalization, he also uses zero and internal focalization at certain points in the story, and both narrator types mentioned above are present in the story. What’s more, shifting focalizations and narrators can create suspense, improve readability, and enhance the story’s thematic effect.

Enemies;Narrative techniques;Focalization;Narrator;Short story

[1] Genette G. Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method. Translated by Lewin J E. Cornell University Press, 1983. [2] Lubbock, Percy. The Craft of Fiction. Kessinger Publishing, 2004. [3] Forster, E.M. Aspects of the Novel. Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd, 1927. [4] Prince, Gerald. Narratology: The Form and Function of Narrative. Mouton Publishers, 1982 [5] Hu Yamin. Narratology, Central China Normal University Press. 2004 [6] Booth, Wayne C. The Rhetoric of Fiction. The University of Chicago Press, 1961.

DOI： https://doi.org/10.62639/sspjiss18.20250203

Published： 2025