INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGES' EDUCATION AND TEACHING, cilt.13, sa.1, ss.120-131, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
Just as with many of Amin Maalouf’s books, Ports of call contains a mise en abyme. Protagonist Ossyane’s story has been first presented to us by an extradiegetic narrator. Thanks to the reports made by the extradiegetic narrator, we become aware of Ossyane’s exciting story which proceeds in a culturally rich historical background, and then, as the in-text (inner narrative) narrator, the protagonist tells his own life story in the first person singular. Why is such a narrative and stylistic approach chosen? Does the author want to add a new dimension to his text by blending the personal narrative of the protagonist, who tells his past from an internal perspective, with the explanations of the extra-textual narrator, who seems to explain the legendary character's present to us? Are there two realities of the present and the past, told by two different narrators from two different perspectives? The first narrator's narrative is followed by the narration of past events by the in-text narrator, who appears to respond to comments, answer questions, and enters into a dialogue with himself and his past. In this study, we will try to reveal the personal development of the protagonist in question, whose story is constructed in an unusual way, by examining narrative examples in detail, based on Gérard Genette's theoretical thoughts.