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Literature vocabulary · Narration and Point of View

Polyphony

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In literature, polyphony means: The coexistence of independent character voices without one final authorial judgment.

In Turkish: çokseslilik

How it is used

Use when competing viewpoints retain independence; several speakers alone do not establish polyphony.

Example sentences

  1. The novel's polyphony leaves both sisters' beliefs open to serious consideration.

    Neither sister's position is reduced to a simple error by the narrative.

  2. The critic found little polyphony because every debate ended with the teacher's final judgment.

    One authoritative voice closes down the independence of the others.

Common collocations

  • narrative polyphony
  • polyphonic novel
  • dialogueThe words that characters speak to each other in a story, play or film; in prose it is usually shown in quotation marks.
  • narratologyThe study of how narratives are structured and how storytelling techniques shape meaning, perspective, time, and reader response.

More terms: Narration and Point of View

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