This is an extract taken by Nice Work, a novel written by David Lodge in 1988.

In the first part of the extract, the narrator introduce a new character, Robyn Penrose.  This new character, Robyn, comes to life in contrast with another character, Vic Wilcox. The third person, omniscient and intrusive narrator (the reader isn't free but is guided by the narrator) plans the way you want the reader to make up an idea of Robyn in the mind. Such plans is made up by categories, that the reader may not aware of. The categories that the narrator uses are:

• ·        Contrast;

• ·        Choice of a name that's a male name;

• ·        The name - it hints an ideal;

• ·        Surname - It connects character to literature world;

• ·        Occupation - He is a lecturer at the University;

• ·        Positions - temporally --> precarious

• ·        Her ideas

• ·        No physical description.

In this case Robyn's characterization become a pretext for the narrator to expand post-modernism themes. Robyn is a pretext to discuss the role of the novel, and between publishing and the novel. Besides the narrator tell the reader about Robyn, so the novelist use the technique of telling for create the character.

When the capitalism thrown into crisis, the system of value related with capitalism fall down and people don't put faith in the idea of progress. In consequence novelists begin to write a new type of novel. They reduce the plot to minimum and begin to use other narrative techniques: monologue and flux of consciousness. The cause and effect, temporary and logical links disappear. The reader has difficult to read this new type of novel: who reads the novel must create he himself the relations between the different part of the text.