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'I-cnhoredactare computerizata:
Copcrta: Petre Vlad

CON:I'ENTS
INTRODUCTION........... ......

.........9

-autl.rors, Authors, scriptors, rcaders

-Identity as narativc-and-transaction involving writcrs and

E

readers

-Selfand subject, characier, rcader and writer

-Authorirl idcntily. intcrtcrlualily. hybr idily

t
Chapter I ............... ...
...................19
A PORTRAIl' OT 1'I II] AT]TtIOR AS DIALOGIC ARTTS'I:
DAVID LODGtI AND'Itttt N,tttTAMORPl IOSTIS OF CAMpiJS
FIC'IION
The Lodger,Braclbury rvr.itcrly lodge (or nichc)
-A halbinger of things to colnc: 77rc British i4useum is lta ing
I)r.'y,rt

-Al llt,: cr,rs.t,'trdi hgt\\'(.( lt r,.llis1, anrl nrctlficli.,

-lironr either ... ot'... t() both... and...: Changing place.s
lcxtu;rlitl J\ tn)llric lurrtinc(: Sttt,tll 14orll
-Widerrirrg the gyrc or narlou,ing

ill

Nice Work

r 2 ...................
... . .. ... . . . . .. . .5l
MAI.,COLM BITAI)BUIIY ANI) 1'ItE PO MO DISCUISES OF
I,It]IJItAL HUMANISM
-Florv lar did tsradbury go?
-The dilenrrnas of Iibelal huntanisnr: Lating l)eople Is l,yrong
-Marxism vs. liheial lrirnralisnr in The LIi.storv Mon
-1ltr'pou.r ol uortl . arrd idcnl,rFi..,: R{//,.r o/ l;s,.lt,rtry,.
-I'laying rvith -l'hatchcr's hard lacts anrj Mcllale,s ,,ontoiogical
uncerlainty": (irls
-'I'lre LrLkacs of thc Nineties: Doc:tor Crintintlt:
Chapte

!
I
1

Chapter 3

..................

...... . ..........ti7

F'I].ILNDLY (AND LESS FRIENDI,Y) TIIRTJ IN THI]

BATTLE OF Ttlts SIXES: FAY WEI-DON
-Fay-minism, fen.tinism and postmodemism
-From Auto da Fay to the lrnglish litcrary canon: the bifth

of

the fcmale, the cmcrgencc o1'the writer, the sl.raping of thc

author
-Thc placc not to he: Dotvn Among the lloman
"Bad stufl', convincingly poftrayed": Iicmale li'tcnds
'. Lucilcttc lallen and rcdccncd: P/-.lrls
-A terr-iblc chip on a special rvonlan's shoulder': The Li[e antl
Lov,t:s o.l rt Slrc-Devil

"historiographic metafi ction": LY aterl and

-Photoglaphy and deccptions: Out of 7'his World
-Once upon a time...: Ever After
-Last (and best) orders: Zasl Orders
-Crimc pays: The Light'oJ'Day

Chapter

..

. ,.

..........1 87

MIS-REMEMtsRANCE OF THINGS PAST:

KAZUO ISHIGURO'S NOVELISTIC METAPI{ORS
-From "antimodcmism" to postcolonialism
-Ihe bcginnings of the lshiguro formula: the tricky workings
of menroty and identity as autobiograplrical nanative:
A I'ale Vieu, ol l

lills

-Japanese tal get practice bctbrc thc engagcment

Chaptcr 4

..

..

.....

.. .. ..

........... .....I17

..

'l tIIr. ANGET-(a) lN 1'lil:. l'OSl'MODIIRN

(.A ltl'I'R'S DISRUPTIVI.] ITI( ]TION

lOUSii:

-l-irc challcngcs of lctrtini:;trt att<l ntagical tealisnl

Dcsirc and reasotr iu !'ht'lnfcrrtal l)sirt'Muchircs of
I )ot:lor ! loflittut
[)ritanring thc f:riry-talc: T lLt' I)lttod;' ()lrunbtr
-scxchaugc slory, oi sLrfgcrY atttl dt:constrLtction in
I'lv |a.y.,ic'rt r.r/ A?rl Clc
jfirc charrccs atrtl huzelrds ol'idcrL'rity: li'isc ('hildran

wrth Englislrrress: An Artist oJ tlrc ?'loaling Wo d

-'I'hc colorial subjcct as r.rnreliable natrator in
T'he Rennins of the Da1,
-lshiguro the u'riter dclying lshiguro "thc ALrthot":
7'he Unconsol<;d

......
(lhaptcr 7 ..... ... . .. . .. . .. . .
,.TIIT' MYS'II(]AL Ci'IY IlNIVI]ITSAI," IN 1'IIt] STA
or. l,AttoDY AND tN ltil{lllx lUAl.l f \':

"

"217

PETER ACKROYI)

-Isiography and biographies, history, nrctafictiolr,

postn.todcmisn.t

(lhtpter 5 ...................

.......... .....153

SMAl.l. Ptl()Pl,l1, f ilil N1A(ilCl OI'fill, ORDII!AltY

/rNI) li1tI lr'1\'!'l !il{llrS ()lf iIIS'f')rl)':
(iRAllAM SWltrl',
-|r'tlrrr "nrirr',ctic rcl,1 c:altiiitlotl" to "Pct lotttlittiYir

istoriograPhY"
- llrc bcginnings oi a Ss'ifl':an 1'ortrtula; Z/tr: 'Su'<:ct-Sln1t
-"'l hc cltd of histol y", tht- i'cginnings oI

-lrictional beginnings: TJr: Grcttl Firc o/ l'ondort

-A black Blakc: I lott*.snoor
-F.ating tlrc pasL'/ : Cltalterlott
-A ccrlain "rtncci-"aiiity principlc": 1'' t\l l,i::lj.!
-Flying from onc"s sclf rttd thc plcsciit: Iht lloust' oI Dtrlor
Dee

()ttntr

-l)an Leno and lhe I'i tchouse (jolett:

flervare of apparclrlly r.eliablc nan alot sl
-ln search of the 'i cal Ackroyd"

fi
5

i
I

ntroditction

Chapter

.. .. . ..

...............24s
iua
i|.lly:11
os;ig,
ij;
POSTSTRUCTUR AIISr r, i
M E-;cE,'rid ;; i,i,i?'-i[l;
$liilji$I*R, oR, rHE

ro

rraounru

-In^:

au.rhor sraning as
hn Macabre
I":rt
-A step
towards a broadeiso"

INTRODUCTION

-lT:' g *" o*;j",,,,#.#,,".

?fi;!l ?ff!"
rlr,, world,.aduiriy observed,.:

oi1,:,

o?'r1r"r 'ortt

Ga

rde n

The tnnocent

dealing with biography

-I\,fercy killer(s);
A nts rcrdam
-t-or the time beingAtonement

*i'ii,J ,r,ra"*, or ,h.

coronat opus

Bibliography

............... ..29s

authors, Authors, scriptors, rcaders

Authorship and ltlentity in Contemporary, _Firliori explores the
work of eight Britisl.r novelists of what is commonly ialled the
postmodem age, a period rvhose birth certificate might be
seen
to coincide with Roland Barthes,s proclamation uf ... ..tir"
death .of the author"(1968). Regrctfully, two of the eight
writers are no longer alive (Angela Carter and Malcolm
Bradbury), but all eight olthem are still very powerful authors,
ifnot Authors.

The introductory section aims at sketching the

conceptual framework in which two key terms _ authJr and
identity - are woven. It draws attention to some significant
literary and cultural developments that have affected the way

writing and reading as discursive practices have been

performed^ in what optimistic people will preler to
call,
avoiding funerary language, the Booker priie age (whose
beginning - 1969 - roughly coincides with the pubiicaiion of
Barthes's above-mentioned essay).

Belore the French anti-author came up with his

influential 1968 essay, another polemical text haj chailenged
the function of the author (.,Author,.), Wimsatt and
Beardsley,s
"The Intentional Fallacy"(1946). The tll.o cnrics dismissed

Authorship arxi Idcntity

in (_.ontcnrporary !iclion

Itrtroduction

zruthors and authorial intcnti(

cn,powcrins

r,,,;;;;, ;;;ii;il,l H.d:JI J :::J:: or noer,y,

The poem is nol the crir;
r,our,c ar,hor.s ,ir is
d";;.;; il;; ;i" :,1;ii::: :,':it'.t .,,1
atrtJ
ucyonct

ni. for,'c,'

hcions. 16,,!"
possession

,o"in,".1,

-?t.l"

gocs aborrt lhc world

n"i,j..'i,'ll'lii::l.x :j ;:J;:iJ:,;r:i::ffI

of the public, a It Is ahotrr

thc Iruman being. an
object ofpubric kr;;;;;A:1t
The dismissal of the

io. the *ade,.,"; ;i:..J].ll'r,as

tl"

Aurhor and thc invitation

iiterary business wiil

uncxpc edly - unire the

r":^:,
I'rrnch poststruct r.llro.'aliF'"-saxon- New critics and the
ritrrally kiits ,[; ;;ffi i; I-1"t like wimsatl and Beardsley.
t proclaim the birrh or the
rerder: "*e k;";;;;i;;
nlJ^':'i'
to overlhrow it. n.,,r,i,,iri.'i :uJ"':s,i" luturc' it is necessary
cost of rhe

a.",,-l-"iir-].'ar,ir#:l ",

the readcr musr be

ar rhe

court ror h is instigatory

anti-authorial'ni
authon:tarian
;;.ff|1^o:'u lu's" in lull swing antiin I968,
a year which. i, .or" in,.-]l,lf,1-*"
be
associated
th"
with
il::H:::"o"'age'1IBanhes disringuishes
".".g*1.
Detween
an author u, ,, ll3
togo..ntri. a,iti". ii.lli,,l11t-na11 monal and a mvhic,
"r
rexr is jusr , tirrr. o.ioro,r;;l:l:
:'iql' or meaning. whiie the

,*,.3i1,".' oll:il:::: jJ:'^tl: l"

;i;;i

"ffi;

,ina.i

p""pi"

i;;r:il;:il:T

{whrch mav lead more

simpleof tissue paper):

we know now that , ,.r,",:t-::t Tde

single "theotogi;'# ;."#,: l.o,'-t,.lint of words releasing a
Ithe "message" ol'the Auth;rGod)) but
cod
bur ,r .",,,r,r,-^-^,'lg
t, i-atr"rrlon'ri';;.:

:I'$;,.;, r,Trf"lll";;

#;:,T,",:'"'1"1;"J,[i]?]"J];,J:x'J;i,.u$,".1#
$#a;,i:f
385.
"caaer
f';;i,^::':#';r::;'

bucurcsti: Paralela

45.2003, p.

tRevised and expani.i

David
?"1i";:,:n".11hor"^Ld
t""",. L od se

or'r,r11",7""t1'J"Ijo
10

:000.

;"J

writings, none of thenr original, biend and cllsh. Th: tcxt is a

tissue of quotations drawn lrom the innunterabl., ccntres of
cultrrrc l

From Author to author and then to scriptor, the mort- modest

succcssor ol thc Author-God - this is the itinerary that Barthes
follorvs in his fan.rous essay. T[.re simple mcssage is that we
should replace the word arrthor (which smacks of "authority", a
horrible-sounding rvord in 1968) rvith thc mo:e nrodest
scriptor, and that meaning should be sought else*here, rn
language (what Wimsatt and Bealdsley had said more rhan two
decades before).
The French theorist is a briiliant ra,ielder of r.vords,
expressing a variety of meanings, "none of theni original", but
giving the semblance of novelty because of thr_' lireh style they
are couched in. Very fcrv sensiblc people cr.er ri,ought that
authors rverc Authors. and that they rvcre thc ultimate
originators of their meanings. People are taught. leam and
acquire language and languages, absorb, and interact with, the
culture in which they live, they also read and write ... If thcy
are successful, they may become authors.
The author is a joint venture, as it were, the product of
the writer's "living", reading and writing, the reyiervers'
reviewing, the edrtors' editing. Publication policies, the
inclusion in anthologies, books of criticism, the eventual
inclusion in literary canons are all instrumental in the
construction ol the author, which is an eternally ongoing
process, not a finished product or a mythic creature. Homer, for
example, is an authorial Iabel we attach to The liidd and The
Odyssey, the two epics obviously created by a long series of
unknown artists. There followed written transmission, editing
of various versions, promotion in the literary canons, various

Moden,
edirion

' tbid. t4g.

1l

Authorship anr
IJ"nrily in ( onlcr)rl)oriiry

J,t(.rFrrclirlions

trrd r.-,

Ficliu,

,,..a.ai},r,.,,i,;
And, becaLisc ail
fiil]f;Tjoris.
this
. Glenn Kroft nr:
,i,':1':,,, disrincrion berwccn
l:i,,", thc
:,q aurhor. rrrc ,"*.'J,i
hand.
'rs tne aclurl
iartcr i.s a

whire a

,;;;l :'

wrircr.,;;:,.::::,,

i
.i,lii:,i;;,;1,:,1
e\erred on u.,rrr

Writers mav ho ."

once rhey

Itay

;;;j; .:."J"j

h;";';j,.':::l:]9

*,d,ys i ;;,.'

promor ion

shape"

;;;;:'

;;:: ;fl : li{tu:,1J.":"::il;,1,,;

sociorirerrry proccss

rtr. ,, orl,

,-o

.,

owner olr6e
rtie ri'ritins
ii,,,.,i

1uu"

Iargery finished
rh

ii 0,,' :'";"'',"
J;;i"il.iliiilry n,r.iiritf
"i.':
r, r,"i,,"".t1'
ur

^,iJrt'*rr

,"jil,l.rlj:^q..
pereeives rhe 'r," 'ur" ,j,"' P-uullc.
ttsellu.itt.n',"",'

ll 11i1,1;r1s'*,i"]l ,fl:::u"' 't'"

'#[:',I

"5

"#,ilT:;il]l
,i.roirc

inrervicws.

a.ri,,."

o't

,r.t

"l

]'ff *"

#,rurffi**T,nldffi
Fo

rh o ri a r r,,
ca u r. w h
r,
e
;,,,] Ii""j,
:,^or
-;,::":,
'ill"
the dealh pro"iu;r.J'r.,i'
",ir,
empty space
,t,orii
o]livrse (Frenchnren
contradicr .u.1, '^,i_], Danhes
'iYt
".;;r:.,
u,i..
ruacerir;-^... *r,1,'li,.,.ji,o." l^11:r^o,r.u],r,

;;,

;,"

au

ir

;,;;;;ii," il:1".

Ga,

es ase

;,;;;". :jl,,J;:. ll;ii,,,lf

iffi ;U*:

^tii

;r,y;^^"lnx*x:x-^!;!"#;i:!,;:i:::",Y;{::"{

Foucault would be delighted

1Z

has

However, some writers will also be more ,.authorial,,

than thc others: taking creative writing as a vocation rather than
as a hobby, displaying special skill rvith words, being selected
by various forms of competition, they will be founcl ii libru.,.,
and bookshops, will feature in anthologies and books of literary
criticism. This "old-fashioned,, convi-ction explains
y ,fr.
present book deals with important contemporart
"t
authors. iather
than with disparate texts by various scripiors. Mine is the llrm
belief that these writers will be confirmed in their authorial
position well into the 2 I " century, and neither marble
nor
gilded monuments...

Identity

as

readers

narrative-and-transaction involving writers and

In his well-known formulation of postmodernism, Zl,e

Postmodern Condition: A Report on' Knowledge ('1979),
Lyotard contrasts science with narratives, the maj;iry
of the
latter proving to be mere fables. He then goes on to'la.ntify
essential metanarratives that Iegitimate ill th"
dir.or.r",
revolving around them, and to define post-od"rnism
as
"incredulity toward meranarratives'.s He singles
out Jo-ru;o,
such metanarratives, one more political (deaiing
with humaniry
as the hero of liberty), the other more philosoplical (science
as
permanent progress), over which 20rh century
developments
have cast the doubt thatjustifies postmodern
incredulity.'
th.
French philosopher, however, acknowleiges the
.Iact. that
.,
narratives and the act of narration are e-ssential
traditional forms and processes of preserving,
una
"onu.ying
5Jean-Francois

1994,

to sec that his drcam

materialised.

",.'a",;i,;#;;:l

.:;1
i:h""h;;H.d ;;" fi :iJ,T:FlH ;l;:
-._*,,!,1XsU_

;'

Introduction

Lyotard...From The postmodern Condirion: A ReDort

on

Kloy,ledtJ:' Lawrence Cahoone.

ed.

From uo,ie)nisn

An Ahthotog) Oxlbrd: Blackuell.2003, p.260.

l3

i. p"l,:^[i"),iir.,

Authorship and

I<

Fiction

justilving human o"nr,:.: ''

poststrucrurarisr

;'Jil;:'"'"

:.:tcmporarv

ri.,;";::1.;..,y:^"
";:;' :i,

and

,,e

.*.,.:l::i',,r::rl{:

or

aurobiography,

ffiq#i['!'ffif]fl-';Ji'l:.:,i.
;;;;;,",i"Ij],,?!i.,, a

consrrucrion oridenritv
The p.o"ess oi,.nni

verbar

""*

.':ilinll,:'J[*;:uli:lirfu iiii-I',!:;x;T'ii;j':

drro uaydreaming".
'^:""{ . ureative Writers
In the
thought. the writlr
".^^-:^" ot writing, younp I

;""'"il i -";:'xi

iru".r. -t'""t1

##
gu,,,nlr TJ ;'.x l,*'ll*;?

;"#

identity.
H,,;;..,lfi II;o[1]:":,,,"i,,.,1,' praying
American
ego-psych'olnov ac -^r,^-- , ". -,! prucess.
, ..
ol
the..Bufialo..i^Ii.
l"^.'s,ccleo rn the literary
:Jrtrcrsm

[i*:Tl["Tt,Hp:":-,:.:fr ',",'.'*l.l:d*[i;*dr:

ro' superego, and

functions or ideniitlL
realitv
ir'i,.""^1,

ffi

f:lHii:.lk*.H,.T,
Finding the principle
of

iljl;

;; h ;':,;;1"1

ffi ;

i<

irr. [: {d;il*ii;

,[::,l"il;i:;X.:,:,,it,""""*fi

ffi

l4

Introduction
a

:1,;" .::fill,,pT::#;

regir ima ie,

Considering the

.y: ... .. wrirers,

arrd. takrng

lilr, $**-,::fi,.",,if

studcuts discover horv thcy each bring a pcrsonal style

(idcntitv) to rcading, xriting. learning. and tea.'hing.;

Writcrs and readers are engaged in a relationship in w.hich they

are equally trying to find out nrore about thernselves, in the
process of ieaming about, and relating to, the others.

Self and subject, character, reader and writcr

Certain positions conceming the relevance of various factors
involved in the writing and reading of literary texts have been
mentioned. The importance of narratives in definitions of
identity, individual and social, has been taken for granted. To
describe the rdentity of a speaking or writing .,I,,, terms such as
self and subject have been used. Lacan stressed the relationship
between sell and language, stating that the lormer is immersed
in, and defined by, the latter.
The term subject, also employed by poststructuralism,
displays its double meaning: subject equally n.reans a self
assuming the subject position of grammar, tl.re I as doer,
recipient or agent, but also a subject subjected to the power of
language, of different ideological compulsions. A reader or
writer believing in liberal humanism will be tempted to accept
the first position, while a postructuralist will see the subject as
subjected, as victim of insuperable power games.
Perceptive writers may exploit the distinction ind
dramatise the dilemma of one or the other position, as Malcolm
Bradbury and David Lodge do in their "dialogic,' fiction. peter
Ackroyd rvill display impressive situations in which characters
in the past and present are overwhelnted, absorbed, "eaten" by
the power and occult mystery of language (Hatksnoor). His
TNorman

,ff .[l:#1,.T,

to the Critical
1998, p.220.

N. Flolland. "Readinr anJ Idrntil\.

inKl\l \er.r, tr c.i fr,.lr.,

Nlu.rrrillrrr. l-y-:. ir''

ttt.t

,\

t,ttt.\ lit ,,
l5

i i. Ir(! Jluiion '

l_,.,,;,.,

i,.., - lrot.ral,.

:t.. ,

A Lrthorship antl
l

ltl
Introduction

*s#'ffi$tt*,{ff***r*
##,-'i,ffi #fi '#i#--*',iilfr k#i#t

:ffi4#*[##*dffi
A_uthorial

iden tity, interrr

, ,'LUuraged bv
-'xtuality, hybriditv
-,
tnal
postmo,-J,.* ..1 "t,;'-^
texts ar. "r;"-..-r
:''"""
.;^i:"?"",, q uo rarions,,.
n,:,,
;,,"n"_, * i i,.,11,,,.,i,-.
lll:ii
wth plagiarism, pr."jr'I",i
expressions
;i
i;:ij"t
ll1li",
"avine"
Bo'th.. "*/
urtrr*.li,'lillu -pastrche as"f
.r,,"o, wnung
..,L is th,

;l;

"I,]lll'j'

,ll[ rtaftlnp
; :l ::';.:i
'""!'

;;, i,'
wif h rL^
Ine,

l,liij li: Ti:,.,',.:1:

;',

jJ

*'ith postntodem, rather than ntodern ist

Luality, adopts a
hl bridty of genres wherc rlisrincrrons _inteftcx
'uli
betu,ecn r,;gii
ro*,
elire:rnd p.rp cukurc

lomrs r.d rechniques

Ttris. is obviousiy one of the a"n.i,rg
",.;-J,r;;.;,;r;";

.fr.,"ii"l,ri., .,
f"ii"i..-::."i"* ,n"

the postmodern author, according a

n.;^"
modernists repudiatecl and sought to
.u.orl,,g"'tt
on popLrlar-art models. ... postnrodcrrrists
n

,
"l.',.iirn."
har.c tcndecJ
openly
. ";r;;;;;..,J
.. Pomography. luiry.rales {Caner). clctectirc ljctiolr
lSwift's.Jarest novel, Tjrc Lighi of ,rrrl, - i""".
""*,,
(Lodge;s srnail irtortdl,
l:l:l^:{^1,
.!::" :t,._:o"ynce
.

",::( Weldon.s k, C I o n i ns
scrence-l rctton
oJ. J-oa n rt o,t/a,
in the "City of Invention,,, to Uo.ro*-Wtia"o"n:;';;.;J ; cJexrst
;;, *.
u,orld of literature. And since
,r"
,",i,
,rrr.n
.thc _re"O*.,
they can pick and choose, as they',,.c
^,,*,
got C"0,.-Oi.,r,u.'nnO
,,
so doing, Ieam more about themselvels
.. . or subjects.
".,j'ru.rli ",ii..'.",*,
. . . This book, acknowledging thc contribution of important
rhe rerding of ,i.
lr.
L,]::,.,.*,r
,
meant
to participatc in the complex
p.o""ri;f
;;;,rg
rmportant wrrters into establisired "rttr.ut
autho.r. Trr"
i.i,"r-r
'""r"..irp,,.
writers

n.,;on'rr;;;;;:,;rli,

dealt with here

*itt sr*iu" ..,

proclamation about the death

of ,lr" ,ou*],
cntic.

llhi

ii,n.

,["'rr,il*,

arl "ilxil;
ldenlity is
very iaentiri
pr.,i^*l|'li,
"i",il''Jc
"i;. writins".8
n..ay ri6 j*il?.']v. 'h"_ intensive-pra',
;;^o?_ol
.p.tting rut[onri'j,'.jlr''"1:,:, eckoyd .r*"n.,
-'*' uLdtn and loss
i',1'T?l1l.ti,r,
an
-.. ,nh:-r^,
of iaenr;rl-o^l','rr, ra_aner than
",",rrrraKeabie ide^r;.,.
with
rrctron wriro.. rr .s!,,,,ry hallmark
#;;,"::_:hrm
ne.
c.ontemnorary
l
ke
orhcr arrho.. ['jill!.
{cr"",
\ _$,(r,r i,lli',"'
vyeldon.

Swift Lodse).
r ^,_Dw'It,
in
,-_.-.--'""''
'no,orrornn".liorrour-_===.---],

nl."o.r"Jllt,,l,3:-:::l
engagement

i
I
I

'Brian McHale.
16

p.2.26.

Cons I ruc

in

P os

ntodern

t7

is

n. London: Routledge,

992,

David Lodge

Chapter

A PORTRAIT OF I'HE AUT}IOR AS DIALOCIC ARTIST:

DAVID LODGE AND THE METANIORPHOSES OF CAIIPUS
FICTION

The Lodge-Bradbury writerly lodge (or niche)

It is cuslomary nowadays lor established novelists to teach
creative writing in universities, a trend started after World War
II in America. From 1960 until 1987, David Lodge combined
fiction writing with an academic career (lecturer in English in

1960, then Professor of Modern English Literature at

Birmingham University from 1976) during which he taught
literature and wrote literary criticism; he didn,t teach creative
writing. He did have a way of teaching writing, though. His
novels, like his criticism, explore the nature, mechanisms and
conventions of fiction in challenging and entertaining ways.
His work is marked by the influence of Bakhtin's
dialogic vision of the language of fiction, by structuralist and
poststructuralist views on literature, meaning and the death or
survival of the author as the authoritative originator of
meaning, as well as by distinct socio-cultilral developments in
post-war Britain, in the U.S. and in the world at large.
There is also one particular friendship that appears to
_
have played an important part in the shaping of his inaividual
artistic identity at the time of the de-centered self and of the
t9

Authorship and Identity in Contcmporary Fiction

David Lodgc

"agony of the poststlxcturalist author,,. Behincl this lriendship,

and in an oppositional diaJogue of positions, looms the
"authoritative", although "anti-author,, figure of Roland
Barthes, one of the most important and provocative thcorists of
the Lodgc-BradbLrry a.qc o[ fi ction.
Lodgc, bom in 1935 into a modest Catholic family in
South London, sees himsellas a .,a classic product ofthe l-944
Education Act, the first generation who got free secondary
schooling [ .] MV school, I think, had never sent anyone to
university before my year...',1 The university was neither
Oxford nor Cambridge: Lodge enrolled at University College
London to study English, which was a previously unusual
gesture, as Bergonzi goes on to clarify the new situation:

frction and literary theory, in thc dcvelopnrent ol the Brltish

campus novel. James Hopkin surveys l-odge's ("Dale's")
career and asscsses tl.re relationship betwcen the trvo fellow

Traditionally, rvouid-be writers who w.ent to university would

take degrees in history or classics belore embarking on a
literary career. After the Second World War young m-en and
rvomen with literary interests and aspirations *ould be rno."
likely to read English. If they were clever enough they might
stay on to do postgraduate work, and then become university
teachers themselles^, pursuing their writing on the margins of
an academic career.2

Young Lodge was clever enough, taking his BA degree

and his MA from his alma mater, fhen going north. He -met
Malcolm Bradbury, a colleague he worked with at Birmingham
University, an author and distinguished acadcmic with whom
he struck up a life-long friendship. The two had to go separate
ways after a while (Bradbury was to get involved in the
prestigious M.A. programme in creative writing at the
University of East Anglia), but similar preoccupaiions and
similarities of style of the two authors are often noted by
readers and critics, especially an interest in accommodating
' Rpt. in Bemard B ergonzi. David Lodge. plymouth: Northcote House,

p. 13.
'tbid., t3-14.
1995,

20

novelists:
Shrcrvdly positioning himself orr thc threshold betu'een lheory
and fiction, betrveen acadcmia and thc outside rvorld. Lodge
negotiated hirnself a niche only to find that he u'as sharing it

rvith his friend and fellorv

Bradbury.

A harbinger of things to

nor elist-academic. N{alcolm

come: The Dtitlsh Museus ls

Falling Dowrr
The above-mentioned "niche" is largely occupied b)' the
"David Lodge Trilogy"- Changing Places, Small l{orld' Nice
llork - the series of campus novels featuring a pair of
academics, a Brit and an Americalt, at important moments in
their carcers, but an earlicr nove|, The British Museum is
Falling Down ( 1965 ) also deserues attcnlion
Who is to blame il this is a comic book? The book is
dedicated to Derek Todd and to Malcolm Bradbury ("rvhose
fault it mostly is that I have tried to write a comic novel")' One
of the epigraphs, a quote from Dr Johnson, humorously,
ironicallyand ielf-ironically indicates that the novel deals with
Catholic issues ("[ would be a Papist if I could. I have fear
enough, but an obstinate rationalrty prevents me"), namely rvith
.1 .'i

I r '. ( .rfi'rr1 l)ave. Ndll Sfa/?r,!a, Vol- I2E::1460.

r,,r1,, p.:-.1.

21

z\

:It

uthorsh rp anrj

;il:::,:;',;,

;ll

::,1":';,l

l;:

l;, ::::',,1"^*'",,

David Lodge

,?l[,:rtii:liril i,,: il.,,:, l;;il,fl::fi

::lil,:,ltill
dtrr'rioit

;:'l

.,1,:i:1,

.llll,:r1ffi1,'i[1,1,;;;::al,:;,:

,l r ,,,.r.r'rr,r, ll ^1..]nl"t'"t rlfl"' shorvs

;; ; ., ;^l ;1,' l? ;::::1,
:" :u n; ;l;
*y:
i

Adrnr AI,plc[,.r.
"

?ll

i':: l' ;l,ll:,;Xii:i l'tt,'T"l,il,n " n,f , fn"r c v o u,,g

;
I
r:,,
t II
i:ii-,1il I _ :ri
fi ? i, : :; 'i,o'
:#, #i{}
Iirc :1,:i:
crlbcr " ,..
on
"'.'*l,"rnin*ir.",i;r]11,1
,ir. ,.
"r
I Ie
:

gers tirc in,,.r,,,]

cna-cr,,rcn6"of
1;;;;;: ..'^'';l]'l,JhaL episodes orhis rifl: are reI nose pa
t3.'],_.,
nicrr tiir .o-"i".,,,
l,].,],,1
I.o:lr_r, r au rhors, and
:,.::f]. "hl.h n,,ua",ri,"1;1iji..:ji::].h,' lifc are rendered in
s rr c is a
rso
;iii' i.:' :] J "ff
;;;;il,;*.i' Tl i.X,x*
]l
?
o",
r-:rrrtodenr
and pastrche
or".ofr
f.,r,,-_, prornincnf.ly,
-"" rrdtule
uLrrgn rernr]ids
-""' i".,_l']^Paiody
of Jo,,^-,-s ( i4
the
ssr,r..
Tlrc hont. .,.^..1.",.{..

li

:,::

wilh ths protagonist as

focalizer, whose impressions arc mediate.l by a :"n pe,son
narrator. The narator speaks, but the focalizer teels, inints,
and sees in disjointed. rambling, loug ."nt"n".., ,uhe."
repetition betrays obsession an,1 con..i,; for thc sake
ot_
brcvity, this isjust part ofonc olthe opening sentences:
.stream-o1--consciousncss technique,

...Adam was simultaneously reminded that

he wrs twenty-t.ive
of age, and would soon be twcnty-six, that
he ivas a

years

postgrad.uate. student preparing a thesis

wiich ie

w.as

uniikely

to complete in this the third and final year

of scflotarshio. tirat

the lafter was hugely overdrawn, ,n", l.

*", ,n..,,"f,'* i,f,
three very young children, that one ofthem
}r"J _"rii"".o *
a,larming rash the previous evening,
that ni. 1"r,"'*^
ridiculous, that his leg hurr, that his diiepit,.ooi.,
f,'rJfuif.a
to start the previous morning and would
no doubt
f"iii"
,tan
-f,luJi".gotr*
this moming, [...] rhat his
hun,
,f,"f
f,"
t
I
to reserve any books at the- leg
British Museum for.this rn",i,rfg,,
reading, that his leg hurt, that his wife.s
perioJ;;; ;r;;;;"y,
overdue. and that h is ieg hurt.a

This, fragment.of a (much longer) sentence

voices Adam
Appreoy s worrles. concerns and frustrations
that will an.imate
'*n"f
the, character's peregrinations tt rougrroui
ifre
,n"
verbal lot a mixfure of what is supposed
to be..reality,,(Adam,s"

ilr,
-;r,;-;"" '"-,n.

day) and the texts he is ,.victimizJ

-ni, 'iuufry
protagonist, early in the moming,
speeding on

$s*l*$fifi'-gffff+*t
j,i*r*gm$l*ffi
.-

-1-/, rucn more .,BritiSh.,

Looge s sryJc.
horr.u'
F^- ,^
'

i'"'t i'?).

il#,''",',',",-,#

-"'"'rrts

perhaps"

,L',! ii:,:: i: 1. ",1 i1..,,:'X

of Virginia Wooll-s

1",fl
presence

[:.,.

fiction:

:]. 1:.:: tl l j:

From near_by Westminster, Mrs Dalloway,s

clock boomed out
the half hour. It partook, he rhoushr,
.n,ri,u

saddle,

oDaridlodge
22

i: 1,

il.'*"J#1, ,n.
of metempsichosis, rhe way his t r".Uf.
fif".i"li"i*o

The

Brirish Museum is Fttlling Dolra. London: penquin

I965, I 98 t . pp.7-8. Subsequenl parenrhesizcj

page
lhe book willpoint lo lhis particultr
edition
23

;r.b:;",';f;;t:;,,;.

Authorship and idcntity in Contemporary

Fiction

David I-odge

nroLrlds prepared b1, literaturc. C)r

u,as

it, hc r.vontlercd, pickitg

his nose, the rcsult of clo,rely .trdying
th" ,";;;;;;;,il"*.
ofthe English novelists? (32)

Ailew seconds later, Adant has another vision,

in a sinlilarly
comic rtiii ner, of Mrs Dallorvay rna
Wootis;

eioilb#,

Adzitn. drawing levcl lrith her as

tlle traffic srrron,.l .r.
ruiivarh, ni u nrfi ."a ;c
i:,
;
;
i ::, :'::t-"$',',TH
".i.. "
"a
sharply.. Suildehly frightened,
"l'J
Adrm
,c."l"rut.i
r

reckiessly in the direcrion

Bloomsbury! (33)

,rl'i."*

of ntoo.rUuf. ;;;;r". "n

wnte a novel). Morace, while revierving tlic novel's perception

in terms of either its comic, or its parodic dimension, advocates
i$ complex, dialogic structure, associaled rvith rvhat hr: calls a
"disturbing confusion of realms":
While carly reviewers tended to orerlook thc novel's parodic
sidc, later readers run the risk of making the opposite mistake
and of thus failing to realize that in Lodge's third novcl,
realism and parody, life and literature, feed on and reflect each
other, creating a comical but nonetheless disturbing confusion

of realms.T

Focalizer as rnain character, narrator

and author are all prone to
parody, and their combined .no.t,
comic vein. Ieads ro whar eakhrtn nai
caiteJ."_iil-fr.riii, ,"
his approach to Rabelais,s work..Robert
U".r*,'f r^irf r',*av

.rppo.t.J;;'LAjr;r.",

Lodge,s aialogic noJs,-"tr.ta".r"irr",

::^giadbury's..and
Looge ts abte to carnivalize so adroitly
because he
cannibalizes so well''.5 IIe sunnorts ,r,;. .,
-.-'--. l-ll ii.'_'
";
h o w t h e u,ih
p..; :iL",,T:,,:' ?,i:Xt"T:
wide range of icxts olall types:

::ff lll:

* ;;

Is there a confused or a confusing author hiding in this

labyrinthine text winding between the convcntions of realism
and the playfulness ol metafiction? An author rvho is playrng
with stylistics and literary theory, tuming this stulF into a
highly readable narrative with great comic potential. Robert
Morace goes so far as to compare the book's verbal playfulness
to John Barth's, to which can be added the apparent
eamestness ofthe debate of vital Catholic issues:
The British Museum can be described, therefore, as a Barthlike virtuoso peformance that serves to establish Lodge's
credibility as a writer and, equally important, at a time when
the debate "about authority and conscience" provoked by the
birth control issue was just getting under way, his credibility
as an individual Catholic able to make his own moral (as well

The novel devours and adapts not only

literary authors, styles,
and works at a bewildering rare, bui
Iit.r".y

forms as well, including newspaper

""i".rilruJ.".y
reports,
adyertistng
entn:es,
rnprUl,.l.J?unur"rloo,'
.encyclopedia
r,,

jingles,

summaries. leuers ro the editor. ani

slapsrick.;;.1;lI'"'

as aesthetic) decisions.s

grimly realistic^dimensions of his lifc,

tpun. T.T the
having to
do with the uncertain fate of his. *pidly
;_;;;;;,
*rn.,,r,
Adam's identity is,largely fictional ,ra
,","fi"i"""i
rn terms of the reading he does, the texts
fr"
*iti,.'f,i,
literary ambitions (in addition to his
thesis, "ngug.,

;"il*

#;i;;;il

,"

Rdert A. Morace . The Dialogic Novels of Malcotn

Bradbury and David
Zodge. Carbond.rle. IL: Sourhe"rn If ino;s
U'ni".rsliv'p
f

p.135.

;;;:;;:ir;;:r;:'

' bta. nz-t33.

8

Robert Morace. op.cit., p. 139.

25

Authorship and Identrty

in Contemporary
Ficfion

I)avid Lodge
expioring and erploitinll a varJcty o1'styr)cs and
including
the sclf-reflexive devrces of *,hat he
tendencies,
hintsellaccepts as one important ntode, mctafiction. In 1971 he
had concludcd his cssiry u,ith a nrodest aitlrmation cl'laith irt
the future of the traditional realistic novel, but in thc folio,ring
years, Cltotging Phccs (1t)75) atd .9noll lltorld (1984)
shorved a distinct preoccupation w.ith seli-rellectir eless, rn
addition trr his strong reiilistic bias. I.lis "aesthetic p)uialism"
and "polyphony" is a nonnal appr.oach, previously sugrtstcrl in
relation to the whole history of the novel by iarr \\ratt, orre of
tire critics Lodge highly thought of, in Ihe Rise o/ rhe Novel
the crossroads",

At thr crossr0atls: bctrv

onr tl,c

d metancion
ii.i"'^'
r;;;':l
"",;;;'
Pra.ctice
iooks beck
of writirtpo.
F

a tt

"r;;g;;;.;:'-ttte

**:***++l+*
i i F,s* t{:#i'i#,r
jaTl rr,r, lr.',.,.^-jj',IlrL
of hrs

r,rctron.
Li:
Ir \4rs ir)
ri e cro ss ror trs...

ffi I llll:,;#

Icatrrres

r,";,;, ;: i:*Jl,_.^ 1.".:rl,

ftii
,.""i",'u,.
J,,'

".":i,

own

"rh c Nove r i
sr a r

LT :.;:l':: i ff :l;
* ilil:: media.
such as

,jll,"'flj:.:']*
j';';:il.;fjy:;1g:;:3,in^y,t,'T:lifJi.Il,1;
,11d lnsread

'"' "

n;l

ll",

rin

irlil

I i;ii;i".
i",:
"
tue ttm(.
"'
-...,.) J,_uuge
^d^- lbit that fh. ^^-.
were ..4r^LiL^

; llml :i x;-*

"'

I l":*1"

"'

lf o"*

*"

a, i"i.,,
r.Ldrs rarer. the",e.itish
"i',.o|,. i}:ffi';J;lii::1":

in

no va

rirm,

;:
ti

"Tn"#

nrmseJr nor u,
u

aggregate

;:::;
jerore
t

,lf;tffi ,iffi

au.ruto.'o.,;il?,::,:X[Tji:.Tffi,ft1U;

Westem civiliz;rtioIr since the

of

particular individLrals hrving particular

I'

experiences at parliculrr limcs and parricrrlarpiace..

hem'

r'(tsrx

of

Renaissance which has replaced the r,inified r,,'orld picture ol

the Middle Ages rvith another \, erv diflercnl one one u hicir
presents us, essentially. rvith a <lcreloping but unplanoed

._

..il'["i:::,ff:

,u1#ild':,ii,,:T,',.ffi

that vast tran:sformatior

ve.

*"
hn,,
.,.^^,...r
""" outceSSlulIy
ls struck by
traditionrt reuf,._ 'r,-l'-l]_'icrtrtc
"ou"iisi_";li;:i:""",#
pronounCed*.i,,u'.lI,ili,reaItsmhasclln';',-r
option for rhc r;,^---' .^i'-"'ir,nt,
",*r, i
_.;
,*', jll'^ "(cr ary wnter.
".

(1963). The novel emerged in response to

Howcver, it is Bakhtin who provides the formula that seems to

fit Lodge's pluralistic, parodic, metafictional view on fiction. It
is worth noting that the Russian critic's thcorv about the
dialogic nature of literature became known in the West as late
as the 1980s, when Lodge considered it the last great influence
on his critical outlook. Bakhtin considers that ,.the novel
parodies other genres, it exposes the conventionality of their
forms and their language; it squeezes out scme genres and
incorporates others into its own peculiar slructure,
reformulating and reaccentuat ing them". I 1

:;?":;";;;r"r*r,:,:::-x:PensuinBooks,,ee6
,,
york: penguin
n"U.n i.ir.,3.,,Jjaas.

Bc

_New

' -""'attttn atd Melalc

fliinois
Iliinois press,
Press. fSiS.
on. lJibana: University
lg.
of
'r',o*;;i"iierl ite pracrice
of w7ira8.. New york.penguin
p.6.

Books, 1996,

26

r2

Ian Watt. The Rise of the Novel. Harmonds*.orth: penguio Books. 1963.

p.32.

'M.

Bakhtin. "Epic and Novel,'in M.L Hoffman and p.D. Murphy, eds.

Essentials of the Theory of Ficrior. Durham: Duke University ereis, tSOO,

p. 46.

21

ALrtltorship and Identity in Oontonporary

Fiction

ir close enotrglr lo

r. sunposcd to
.,. ..,1,1''
U{).
\\'tlrch rs to scll-corrsciorrsly arrd sy.tcrnlticaliy
drrw
at(cntion to its own status as an
artilaci in ordcr-io pur"
qucstions about the relation_ between
r,o.ior-,s .ulirrui,*,r,
fiction and reality. Its s.tf_."fl.*ir"'"t,u."'
!-clwcen
0."",i", ,
means
inter.rogating the manner in rvhich 'no*lirti"
.of
conventions dcal rvith rhemsclves
and r.virh n.ooa.f .rfi*ul

clements.

Metafiction can be
ar ity.

id;; ;; ;[X,;i;l:, ::[::f H'[':lr:i

texts, the former
i

ntertextLr

focuses on itself and its u.Un.iof,iv,

as'iueff as
referrin.q to other texts, making tfre
sef t_rronrc, 'r"f f-rrlai.
gamc obvious. philip Gaskell considers
that true ..tonition in
literature goes back as far as Tristram
Shandv. ri

It is one remarkablc merit of iodg",, to have

in hrs ,,dialogism,, an upp."ut" f* .r.ff_
with a wiilingness to keep hrs fi;iio; ;t;'t;
l:flexiv]ly
the
..reacleily,,
reasonabie boundary
.,*rii..ly-,, 'L*,r,
accommodated

between
o"A
challenging readers, but also entertaining
tfr"*. ilrir-'.*p[i^
his considerable success at a time rvhereltn",
noouiiu. ir.atu
TV) are becoming strong competitors, and
Bruce K.
{tlre_fiIm,
rvrarln. ln hrs monograph of David Lodge,
gives the writer his

drre'

In a trme whcn books and reading facc

incrcasin-q compctilton
from newer forms of ente(ain*.i,, n.
fru,
Iarge and loyal audience and to give
"
tt

."r;;il;til

pleasure and meaning

_ and there'is ,o

., u ,-ftIJ r.iJ or

rri,
productivity-orthe rerding public,s responsiveness-toiir
""ia.n"'" "i"iifr",r"ort
reurng up. 1...1 Lodge continues to
write fiction that both
challenges reccived attitudes una
U.n"uior" ;;;;;;;r.,
llrem lor cornic. salirical. and othe, Iiterary
pu[;.il-r'"""'
lr Philip
Gaskell. Landmarks in English Literattte.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University

'

Press. 1998, p.43.

Bruce K. Manin. David Lodge New

David I-odgc

\\.lr:rt n)ctilllctrorr

yorl: Twayne.

199a.

167.

From either ... or... to both... and...: Cltouging Plittcs

Changing Plaies r.vas written at the tirne Lodge rvas. ic use the
phrase in the title of one of his critical books, still "lrving ivith
structuralism". After his two visits to the Unrteci States in ihe
1960s, he was looking for a convenient fi;tional recipe that
would accommodate his orvn experience of tri r-r cultures, two
'Ihe novel
places, at the same historical moment -' 1953-1969.
appears to rely heavily on the corlccpt ol binlry opposrtions,
which is supported by the suttitle. reminiscent of onc of
Dickens's novels: I Tale of Two Carripii-res. The subtit'le
invites the first comparisons and contrasts. shich willacquire a
structural (and structuralist) dimcnsion in the body of tlie book.
It is an acknowledgemcnt of Dickens's tosering presence, of
his popular appeal and comic gcnius, utich Lodge, as an
admirer, will try to emulate. It is an invitation to see, like Paris
and London at the time of the French revolution in Dickens's
novel, two places associated with two clearly distinct cultures
at the same moment in history, which is the time of the student
revolutions of 1968- 1969.
Lodge's design will weave, ir.ritially through apparently
clear-cut oppositions, but gradually through difference-

through-similarity

and

similarity+hroueh-difference,

comprehensive and panoramic culture-scape, as it rvere- The

author has found the duplex campus novel formula, innovaling
the design adopted by Kingsley Amrs (Lrrch lrn ) in Britain or
Mary McCarthy in America (The Groves oJ .lcademe).
Initially the two main characters, seltings and cultures
could hardly be less similar. Thcre is one thing thc campus in
provincial Rummidge and the one in Plotinus, Califomia have

19

29

,r

rrr

lr.r.,ltil rlt,l

lLl,..

(.uJ,,ro,. lrrrrurrr:rr

r(

liorl

,j"'l''"'''"t"")orrrrv
m(':rnl ru slrcss lltei.
t"'^'''l "ilI
Iorrgl

drlli'rcrr' cs: b'l'

clrpi5;1.
r jre rtririsr,,.r,,.,,
lfr I r\rrrrlr]11(lgc.ls
l1,l]l ]-"1n,,,r
nlclolr) ll)ically rcd
brick. tlre a,r.r,a,,,, iirr",.
"'
r,r.egcr. orirc^r.r.e.
"::?,h1:s Anrerican. nrtrcrr

;;';

It'i urttrersilv Arc

considcrlbly drrh[s1
36,: more.. pror ittcirl
tiun '1,.i6u,
l]io,i,,i'

Brrnringh:rm. ,,L,t"

;. :'.li',lxr:I
ill', fi .,'i;;t, sTl^il i:'.:1";;
Distorl.ion
and exaggerarion
r iri ;,,1,,rq1,,.]

T]:'

o,,riror';

\r'holc nerwork

:;,h,i::':._'
crston and reversll

i1 , .r!-ter a"*,"r"ra"i"'t
It ail begrns rrirh thr_
. .,fl-r

Ji

"onti.
will contribute

approaching erch

"\er lhc Norrlr or,. ,-t)l.lttocmics plancs

nrrrrrrily ,,rr,.'.,..
j:-jl"'.:|.11le
rhfy are
trrcy Kno\v wllill \\
rcaJing. hyporhcrit"i',i,ll',,I
orking.
or
rrr,.
tlre lirit metal-rc;,;i ",,--,*", suggcsting to thc reaclir rn
;#:l:::,t>
tl'e r*o .haracrc;; ;"r;;;-';: :lc,ttor el. wc are ro visualize
same rirne.u.*;n, ..;,i,','i-'rnveld lhrough snrcc. buf al the
rhat Iink ri'",,thc elastic bonds
i'"''l'':-t;*'tlorng
pianes.ny
'o"rt'ti'''
when rhe rwo
;;.;;;j::'l'n'j
lno..,J,u':s.
trre elashc
honds ' as
ent;rnglcd. Lrirglrn
-bands ger
irr.',*. rnro a close

,.;

*,ll

aiuetop

It

betwccrr the chttirctcr. ol tir(. Irrr\ nrerr .rrrJ

atiitudc.; towtrd\ thc rvlrole t.rrtcrpri:1..

i'

*.,,,i,;,,',j""
-"'

,:,.. rcros\ ,,
i;;r,

David Lodge

interrelationship rhar

wiic;n:;;)in:

lollows that wh(,n

the

ra.t)cL.trva

Th: imlSe- ofthe tw.o, tangling up through space the bonds that

define their respcctive identities and undergoin,e thc subsequent

transfomlations, foreshadows ihe metamJrphosis that thc two

characters in Rushdie's own ntctafictional *oik, .fhc Sarttnic

I/erses, experience while hur.tlrng dounrraid. lhrouqh
soace.
When Gibreel and Saladin miraculously, survir e thririill,
thcy
are both.utterly changed; the former scents to have aciluircd
a
halo, while the latter now has hairy legs, hoofs and burgeoning

horns at his temples. philip and

their tra ns f(lrm a t io ns.

Moris too u ill soori notrcc

Philip is initialll, shown as a shr,, unobtrusive rnan,

a
conscientious lecturer rvho reads a lot and .,i.,tes liitle,
tiitose

is

grading and designing sets of exanrin;tion

He takes his teaching ,r.o.k ,..ry ,..iorrl,,,, brt is
uqlur:ntl.y. overshadorved by rhe routine aciiutics
he puts up
with in his department, and he is not seen ,, .tis,'Ui"
tir.
promotion, cornpared with collcagues ruith jt,ller_instlict.
That,
and not his academic stature, explains why he
is
,ent
to
Euphoric State, plotinus; it is so thit he shouid
U" u.ounA
specialty

questions.

when ayounger colleague, not he, gets promoted. "o,

j:tl

terrirory... *nr,.,:.,
in cach orher's
, ,J,"',,.llo^are pa'sed
"iiyl],
brck
nrtive habirar
by one ro his
^irr rr"

li,',l#i:';ltLf "i'illlll
;::**:,T;i1",iiiJ.'.li1l;;l:l|;:
in

other words. iItwo

men changing ,1."..]^."1,1" j1ry.rtstng.
inrucrce -", .i.i '",r,"".:.'li"monllts siottld er_en a ,-cciprocrl
and aclualiy mirroi
oth-er's experience
each
l, f..oi ']ll'ltt. notwithstanding
dtfercnces,rr,ri-"r,.,'
aII
rr"i*ljesp,ccls'
(en the [uo anuironaants, rhe
nnd

30

tlrcit

Morris Zapp is an overconfident, successful professor,

yh". f:.,r_ that he can say the ultimat" tt ing uf,ori-iur.
Ausren s lrctron. to stop the others lrom
saying anythilre else
on the subject. The faculty and the students
i.."r""n ur',ir"rn,
tg a1 e1d, to help him get on in the profession.
The t.oubie rs
that he. has reached the point where tn"..
is .,otlrlng
i. fr",
nol. achieved yet: .,he could think
of nothrng frI "ir.
to
achieve that he hadn't achieved already,
anj,ni. ""nt"A
a"p..*.d
him"(34). A more serious problem, tfrougfr,
i, if,.ifri. iif.

'!^C_li"frit ery"". London: penguin, 1975, p.8. Subsequent parenthesized

willpoint to this eclition.

Page number references

3t

Authorship and Identity in

Contcntporary Iriction
llrrds hitrr thtrl tlocs not sa
,,,ur" .r,o,,,,rni,i;;
i3 !lxil.l;
postponc this, or.r condition
that Morls ,"
rhe second justifi cation r.,"
"_*..f".) rn,,.
i,r, ..
rrivnl a: rlrc first. u hich rvould.
not. bc suitahle ,1,
in a t.
slriour.
rerlisric novcl ricklins rhe.trn]..;," l,.l-:::l:'l:l:
" but i:
inrentrtiorral thcme.
or in

ffi ;l"ll

ilJ:;i:?::;,J,,:

;; ;.;;;;;:'."1#J,li".

,.o^i.;;;,;.,:;;ii'esian

Tlte rcalistic dimens

point-ofl departure in the
of the two .'-ol-lf 'lt is clearlv
stated in rhe
n'sl two
it"Jj:1?8:ists
(Fiying and Sertlins). whose
"';lo;'
oUuiou,
tangled stories

;;
.Jirii"l";;i;r,i".,
-;i];".;;

:*;r

l*;ff

.rin
prodlrcts of trrcir respcctive
cducation ,yst"ms ard
(rcadenric Englishncss
and Americanness). tlte
oulcome"t,rtur"s
of thc
concurrence of institutions
socil.l
compulsions
The
metaflctional dimension

;;."Tj:"H$o#

",,i;

initiar r,ypoir,esi"',il.'

or'.,uno'

*"r"ini'Ll'$,,llt,i',Ir,"*;ii:f

,|ta

rc m tanc e, i, i" *i,

L"n,r,",
::"riffi,l,:il,"fl""T. Tiiitura r c absurd'
coincidental
manner in which the ,*o ,-'-nl
-funny'
rives at di;;;;;;: ;,';." j":ffi-ril1,::'[1?
.a
?.jJ[.:.;
i

happcns because...'. with

rhc metaficlional .."
A certain book olav:

frril

i.'.

.:.,.,,.

l*.1:., lJ[id;"s#:: :?,e::;::; ;:j:#,?:#::

info,,,ul.;;.;;;;ffi;;;:.ff xlTl::i:._1J\"{:"r:i:{;
rrom a senes which includes

called

Lq's larirc a

Novatt. philip has it back

home in
Rummidge, but he feels he needs
it at Euphoric State, so he
asks his w.ifc Hilary to send
it over a frirn i,gfri

lust found out that the Ar

"_"y*il"""fr^

want him. to teach an

rntroductory .";;jr';;.;;':nc-ans
wrrhng, one of the crasses
his
rror,, .onril.l:
without a PhD' "There's

a
n

*r,ol. .t

ou oay,

"

o";ili.;:tJ:t

upi.r;;;;;"il"teone

aJ* l;;;

il Jn:':::;fflJ'::XT;'. 11 j

l,

;:*

Daviti I_od.qr
ivrites to her husband. As it happens, ti.ris {caturus in the thrrd
section of thc novel, "Corresponding,,, rvhicii is entirely in
epistolary fonnl Irt-rny and self-irony, parody rntl self_laioCy
nterge to create a polyphor,ic effect, in rvhich the comic
elerrients reign suprenre. Later on, rvhen philip gcts the book,
he finds ample advice tirat David Lodge appears to clisr.egarrl in
the novcl proper, such as "Flashbacks should be uscd
sparingly, if at all. They slow down the progress of thc story
and conluse the reader"(186). t,odge consistently resoits to
flashbacks from the very beginning, ancl the rcadcrs tircinselves
have to decide whether this is confusing or not.
The fourth section seems to be even ntore confusing
than tho third, as it consists of a hodgepodge of nevrspaper
clippings, leaflets and other types of text.s tiorr either
Rummidgc or Plotinus, which Moris or philip are supposed tc,
have read. The readers have to take a careful iook, as some of
them will fill in certain gaps deliberately leti in the nanative
(to confuse the reader'?), and some will only create a comic
effect.
The final section of the novel, ironically, as it will
appear, called Ending, brings together the two academics and
their wives. It assumes the form of a film script, in which
Philip and Monis, in one of the final mctafictional jokes, get
lost in a discussion about the death of the novel and the roles
film might take over (reminiscent of Barthes's and Scholes,s
theories); more pragmatic, the two wives remind them that they
have convened for a more practical matter. The script form will
allow the author to decline any responsibility for this part of
the book, to step out of his omniscient position and leive the
novel to end suddenly: there will be no clear ending, actualiy.
The book Philip needed for his course (Let's lyrite a
Novef decreed that there were thrce ways to end a book of
fiction: the best way is a happy ending, the seconci best a tragic
one, and the worst is to have no ending at all, which obviously

32

33

Authorship and Id<

in contcnrporary
Ijiction
witt ale tr,,,protrgonists
be rcrrnited witir thcrr
rvlronr lhev

appiies hcre.

ryrvt.s. lioni
cxchrrrge.
,tl,iii'r,,"r"lJ".lYi.
tvirorrr rhey".
r,rr"

to con,c

during rhe
wivcs. uirl,

u."r'l,l','ll,1jn^;;'Jtt
;o ;i;'l^*;.':li':t,1-'-1'1" rhc readers wirL bc rcrr

MonrsZcpp s

ol Jrrs

scl)rr,lc(l
,l"""
toti' othcr's

Thosc uho rcnrcmber

h;r;;;;#:].:ersrons.Agape

ALislerr"

in tltc larcr novcl,

Iarrcr oprion. Tho,e

t,;it ;;;;:,.it?:.an'J

urru rcad ,r,"."q,,.i

i;ii,'"::.'::i,r,-rhe
-'t"'" ' tu( (s wtll be ilr a
posrtion to judee.
bctrer
And th".
orhcrs rvlto will srv: "lf
rltcrc arc
?t
endings in real tite.
'tj 'u''"r''"'i"li':':]8n'
thcre
bf
,r"';':l'8s^a.nd
.should
tj'^"i:-,
'li,:,",1:
unu5uar iircrary
.
ontion
.
",.,,",,
no
endrng_
corrld bc secn as
Ieast artificial onJ
the
Il
becom_,s
obvious ,.
.^
assesses the luncrion
self_rc0cx
ivc .1.;;
of the
;;",;,:r^on_e
r he a ur r,or
o|
r he novcr
h, J
"""_r'i3.]
ri,ar
;,;;, :;;""Y1 oetan
| :."1,",1
t ilierizing"
order lo conlusc,n.
the
texr
in
..
of ntetafictional elemcntr
is "uscr-lricndty ,
li
Lhc.rire.ary
"use
nor ger rt,. po;,r
or
thcir generar ,,na...,r'niin"'"'i:l::i"
sell'-ironic drnr, bu,
plo'"d
and_ characters
be scriousty ,l1-.,J.
wiil nor

;;;

',

;;

s.,;,

;;;";;

';ll

r#..
ii"'."J;.i

;;;;il;;"l::l,,cht
;;:"","^'-t1:

fllir}:'?#g*$'il#"gi.3'.|tr,.,ffi

Davrd Lodge

'l'extuality as mythic rofilance:

Snrutt fi..orld
Snoll Il'orkl ( 1 984) was not initirlly meaut ro bc a scqucl to
C,ltangirtg Piaces. Lodge thoughl about the pherronrenon
ot.
global academic travel, rvhich rvas becorning increa.singly
apparent in thc l9E0s. Ile had jnnovativeiy iieait rvith
the
lorrnula olthe academic novcl. conting up rviih the,,trlc
of.trvo
canrpuses" approacii. IIe nou, tvantcd a frantewtrrk
that rvould
accommodate a large number ol academics fiom all
over the
world travelling to conferences everyw.here.
Why would he rvant to adopt suctr a dauntingly

panoramic approach? A guess is that the co,,.,ic

noo,"list in hinl
wanted to address some of the pretentiousness
and cstentation
present in the other world inhabited bv
LoAce _tne_

academic-and,-critic.

T. R. Whissen, i,r fris seircfr tor

in conte.mporary literature, consiclers f_.Jg"
i"'U.,
9".90.n1n""
sattnst
exposing the academic. lraud of conferencl-hopping
profcssors,,- "disrobing', and ..unfiocking,,
rfr"r. .:fr;gn p.i".rr. of
Arcana". Whissen finds the novelist tletering
ifr.'.jg"
decadence, luckily saved by hrs sense of humour,
", but unable "f
to
"find solutions":
While decadence is invariably irreverent,

it is important to

remember that what is irreverent is not

necessarily ia.uO*,.
'U"l""g
For this reason, not ali writers who attack
,rir."i,i".
in the decadenr camp. David Lodge, ho*eue., q.rlii".
ii.rry

*"..

because his view of university 1,1",

ii ,.i."fi"""a uy
humor. would be hopelessly bleek. Deca,lenis
nnorng tauI t,ut not \ ery good at finding
","
",
solution5.r,

;.;;_

,. obviousiy. a comic writer exploiting humorous

^!:9q:
srtuattons, not a satirist exnosing
rhe ills oi socier"y. and hc is
hardly Iooking for radicat soLtions. prttirg
iJg#i^'^"a
irreverently contrasting academics
rna
"uffir'"i"lrfrio.rUf.
l'Thonras

31

Reed Whissen. Tlte Devil,s Atlvocatc: De,.ad,.nr_e

in llloJern

Lircrat rc. New york: Crcenrvoocl pres,.

lqg9,

35

Jg

Authorship and Iclcntity in Contemporar.r

Fiction
critical approacrres was rikery
to pr.vrcle the noi,erist rvith a
host ol humorous situations,
i,, ua,l,tiu,l-to '".n.,"rir],,.**,
have foLrnd to bc an inlol
-thcory

r.,,, a."oa",

;l:i:

:,

i:

iu"r';il":T1"1:::dl':::"il.l:

rulJ:l;j:L
"

:. [1.

l]

:ii,i.ar

T:J,,ff il :,:

"iil

"i:llc"*;rr'::l:]ization -:lrcrtds in tlrc pre-Bill

Grter. pre-lall-of
ru.n,, t, o i tr."'

;;;',"'::'il,,i*;"';:fl

oo.y

l]l,li

David Lodge
The charactcr that brings myth and romance to.setiter itr
the most noticeable way is Persse McGarrigle, a dreamer and
idealist, an innoccnt, belated Romar.rtic lost in a rather prosaic
rvorld. Fredcrick Holmes drarvs a parallel between Persse and
Adanr Appleby in terms of their immersion in ideal. fictional
worlds:

:" T:l r,
acadenrrc romance as well
as the subtitlc clain.rs' as the
text
'
will strongly shorv.
A metafictional mode following
the (wild) conventions
of ronrance will give Lock
ror cxaggeratron and
coincidcnce, .; *;il';.;;;::-11 :*"'.
urstlnct slnrclrlral lrrnrcwork. playing

Like Appleby and thc other protagonists of Lodge's campus

novels, Srral/ llbrlds Persse McGarrigle is one of those few
rvho are aware of the essentially fictional nature of their livcs.
Ironically, this awareness complicates McGarigle's eifort to
discover a source of reality solid enough to ar.chor his

indurs"b;rh;;;;;:;;;""ffi X"'J,".:'#tf
i,,tig;:i;T,l;
mrll
hcrp copc with rhe r^,,"r.
Or"'"r,i:
ivou]!
;;;:':r",*
rn. ric book's

Persse sounds like Perceval, Angelica Pabs! remarks at

*',

with thc ."r..:.ril"rr'"r

d;r;r;;;';i'ili;;.r,""
ot romance, claimine the r
u,r .n,.,1,i, ;;; .;&#.,"dillil.i1lillll;"1"1,,:i,f;li::
e.pigraph is Hawrhomc.s

suppiy.

lor thc mythic approach. it bccomcs

noticcable liom
---,. on1:rn the novel. It cxnloits
earry
tt,. l.g"nai rr,r"or*"* O,.,
Anhur and the knishts of the
Round ,r"0,;,
lbr the Holy Grail, ar the time *myth
or.r,
critrcism" were aU the rare ir
A mc ri ca r,, p,i,. i pj.,',1?',.;'I
;11fl;::
m1'th ic approach, quite
the contrary, as myth is a unifying
of finding meaning rn an apparently
chaotic world.
ltanncr
r nerc rs some irony
in thc way
.rpf"Vr-ih"
,r,fri.
-self_reflf,xive,
approach in Ulysses, wlrich ^1"y."
oltcn creares
metafictional eflects, while th
seems to have r i ttre,; o;
;,;il"d:ff
l,?i
upon Etrot,s The Wasre Land,
feavily
,"
Joyce's.

;r;;#i;in'i
..ii;;I;;;':ar.'i"lro.,

Ji:ili,Til:

rillii:

xiil::t;L1,:l
i::J
ht;;;;;1:i;'.:.

personal identity.

the beginning of the novel. McGarrigle appears to mean in

Irish "Son of Super-valour". The Irishman is honest, naive and
innocent in more ways than one. He falls in love with Angelica
the moment he sets eyes on her. He will follow her all over the
world. His quest will be for the Girl as Grail. At the same
time, he will also undergo initiation in academic matters. "A
conference virgin", as Monis Zapp calls hirn, Persse will be the
innocent who will ask lots of questions whose answers the
other academics take for granted. He will ask the question that
will make all the difference at the end of the book for Arthur
Kingfisher, a character encompassing the attributes of King
Arthur and the Fisher King.
Persse's quest will be made difficult by a number of
circumstances that will defer his illusory success. It will be
greatly hampered by the existence of two identical fwins, the
apparently angelic Angelica and the less so Lily. When he
thinks he has found and made love to Angelica at last, he is
told that he has just had sex with Lily. So his quest is not over.
rEFrederick

36

r8

A. Holmes. "The Reader as Discoverer in D avid Lodge's Small

ll/orld'. Cririque,Yol. 32: 1.1990. pp: 47

3t

Authoish ip and

kientity

rn cbntonporary
ficti.n
Anrl alier he .iscovcrs
is.rbttrrr r,) be rr,rr:i,..,r
\,'r,(onc Llrc. r,cr.sc
ru
,lr;rt lrc rra: bct,rr irr
, 1,",1r s,,,,,,r -.,.,raa.', ,.]1j,1"f,:'lt:
rorc
rritlr
rlt"'"i".
crcrrr;rl kr,iglrt crr;,nr.
L ;r,,!cl ,,ir. .,,a. r,,,,
,l
il '11..""'k:.,llrc
urlJ prolr:rbly
lil..irr
,,,, fnr.,c,.
rlrc,,,.,ji."rl r;r;X;tlrresr
"o
The otl (.r. knisJrrs
riory ( iri,ir arc rvcir_
.,r rrrri. rrccr ;;.,]i:'::i,,,".?:,,:.^.r:.
1,,:
t:rrt"rs r)llLtlliltrorrs:
i, liL.lr lralian Va*i".
J-Lrlr.r;r Morglr*t.
..noir\c rrr.on ".i..;",ir.glrr:9. vun Trrrprrz. a T",r:;;;;
nl'th''] Tar''lict,
rr'rrritnlogisr. 1rl,,.i.
Frencrr
.
l^,
trlr is ingly. Phrlip
rlr. nru\r r..,l,,iorrt
Swlllorv.
o ro''fl-:rno_,. ,sr
thc ontl onc u.iih
trr., j,rre.
a tove ot
rr.l,..i"l,,fi:,])

Dar.id Lodge
Epic aitcl tragcdy nrovc inexorably to
what wc call, and by no
,
,rr'ct.'( r,t.. rr "clin,lr'
Rornlne".
1.. J
il crntrl.,t, is nol
siructr.ucd in tiris ivay. It has not one
climax fr"r rrr,,, f...f N"
soorrer is one crisis ir.l thc. fortrrnes oftho
hero

The rove I tul.1is out to be a vast .,Echoland,,,

which is
'the"'three
suggcsted liom the very beginning ty
on.
oi
quotations rn the epigraph: ,.ttuslt
CJuriont i"6oiun jii'f :u*",
"O,ln"fi"u
.loyce). Robcn Morace believes tt.,at p..sr"
arj
c-annot bc considered the main chanrcrers,
Urr tn"V p.""ii" tfr"
dialogic paranteters for the overall pattems
of tn"'nou.i fn.
two characters.' incompatibiiitl rna .orrlpi._lnro.i,r,ilit",fr"
intersection of thcir narrative-liues
rna'tine., ,.l."Ji,ri"i" ,n.
rruvcfs untJcrlying dirrl.gic prine iple
and scne,,, ii"'*.rr"r,
which the rest of Lodge's narrative prays

;r

).rl'

,,"

{ \l-sco chrir oiiir;r;\; ,i:i:, 'ltt.n i' a n.rlv

announccd

,j-,,,cs i,r trrc nerd ,;;ilJ.?::[.1]-],1:,r"i", orail rcading

\tll0 IS sllnnnr^,'l tO
llla r'htel ts5e\sof
h!.
lor thc
\Vrrcn rrc n,,i"
i,i,"ii,l'll"^T.l."l :'::'"n rnvrst:o-polirinn.
rnd cttrcd by Persse 's
lirl:rl tluesliorr :,r tlre
ML.A ..:.:.::"".'tt'rtt.lhc
5rrrririion
errtl ol'rhc novcl
"1,;.r, o n.,iio-,,. r;'''^"^::ii: I'erceval's nrirrcurous1r
.',."1",i-,1'i;{'it'i]1"''in
1'1"r1ot,r,.,
I(inriisher . irr .r
r"r',,..'r,..1'::,.:i* thc chrrpcl Perilorrs).

.htir

- " "'i

lrimsclf

Irerssc,s

return and ''acccplancc"

lo gct thc

ronra ntic

"rhcorcticeily..
i,.,h;[;;;','J:,,111:n",:.
ol dcconsrntcli"r. .,r-o" "r",1^11"^academ ic:.g
field by advocalcs
tn"
melaliclional gamc
,or, susraincd
"'
in rle
sllpnonea

r;,.:,": ^
is Morris zapp.
ii"ii^l*,it't'emStriptcase".

u,ho gives
rir"'.ririi.,
likens reading ,o
.iri0,"..1",
rLrdierrce.,. it.,..r,

rrrrimrre rcvetari;;..

,-'.il]"':lI.rt
"Thc dancer

i'"r.".',,]'llt^',lg'

zapp
leascs rhe
wirt, rhe promise of
an

;;;;,]],,,:::lcrs.
rlrrrnllcly posttoncd"(26).
Atncrican's pr"..r*,^. '
lhe
..11.
lrirnle thar ,t,. yr,,ne';;;; "l'ano on. providing an initial
d8on lst scems
lollou in-e ,fr.o rglroui'
to r,,. .--,...
,i",rur
;;; i;,;"' o":?';'1;
.\nserrc. rrersclt rvho ."."""I: :i,n:
tvilh anorher
"drcon.t.rctiver,
o.ri.i. ,li"'.rltp.

,'p.".h

rhut

r""n'.i

if,,a"'a
nrw one presents itself; no soorler has onc
n,ystery
beci
solv,.,l tlrrl
i. r.,i,eJ: no .ooncr lr.li on. ,Auantrl.a
,rrr.,llter
Dqcn LL,ltCltr,l.'4 ll)i t a olllct
be:.,rrs( llJ_3.,J,)

il:;{:illl,rgrtrnst

Rcaders rvill have to ntake their way

through a maze ot
allusions, mythic antl romantic p".ull.lirr,,
ond-'..n".r. ?,r",
^*iff
have Ariadne,s thread with them,
though. ifr"lr o"u"r,
accompany the other forms of qucst
alriady f"rruJJ in tr,"
novel. Frederick Holmes stresses thc
identity
rfr. or*o
the protagonist and of the .eua"., ..ff,"
s"*r"1 "l
goals of the quest arc. of cor
one and the^"a",r"#,ijr,,"
same; and this
- ltween the quests of protagonist

"f

i*1"r,iii"Ji," ,J.;,,"i'ii"''
and

reader,,.20
..M:t,

critical approaches, allusions, and parallelisms

are

and ofren. exprained

i,, th.' ;i;;;;;;"r'

::illll.-.drn the novel, so even people
"i,*,.
ignorant of the
:,.u1"11:r
stuif
trost
of the metafictional samr
*;,y tr, i"" r::' ;ffi i'J ::: H J' :"T.::J""l: ?.ffi

ltf,:

"

'

Robert NIoracc. op ctt..p_201.

' ' IloJrrcs

5l

39

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary

Fiction
d,a.zzling,
comprehensible
dialogic discourse, where
_but
allusions, discourse shifts and contrasts are
usually commented
upon. cither by tllc narrator or by some
ofth" chara.ie.rl"-"
Beyond the remarkable acrobatics of the
pioi and the
of the naive hero, a certain
uiiitra.
ldve1t.ur1s
to
"ornronr.nri*t
critical theory seems to emerge. There
is on.
made once by Har.old Bloom that might
express this"ori"rson
emerging
lccling: "Thcse critics are American"versiJ".
intellectuai and social disease I can least
lt
that they don't bore themselves. to death?"U;A.
... it'"
wisdom I know is that there^.rs no method
"'"iyyourselL
".i,i."f
except
is,imposturc".2I and Lodge i. a.rril.ri rerj*,
ll and agarnst academic postunng.

"iitrip".iii."
i...iii*'i

:::l,l]l.c:]'-

Widening the gyre or narrowing it?: Nice

Work
pieces in the trilogy <t-isplay David
lodge,s comic
l,T 1n*",
vlsron
and are lnnovative ways of dealing with
the c-onvcntions
or lne campus novel. If the first in the series
moves away from
the one single campus story to the oppositioni
r"a *"o'"*
rne structuralist story of two campuses, if Small
"f
World
rntroduces the global(ized) carnpus

in the age of
.
ironically informed by the atmoiphere,
l^.^.,.T.-1.:,,"r:
tecnnrques and conventions of romance, the
third appears to

break, again, new ground. First, the reader

is
very beginning (the epigraph of part One iro.-Ct
uiiott"
Bronte's Shirley) that what follows will not
have .ry,ii"g
do with the glamour of romance, which had substantfitty
- - ---contributed to the exuberance of the previous
,otu_",

*.-"J?".ifr.

i,

2r.David
p.180.

Lodge. After Bakhtin. London and New

40

york: Routledge,

1990,

David I-odge

If you tliink ... thal anything likc:r

ronrance is preparing for

you, rcader, you nevel were more mistaken. Do you anticipate

sentinlcnt, and poetry, and reverie'l Do you expect passion,

and stimrilus, and nrelodrama? Calnr your expectations; reduce
them to a lorvly standard. Something real, coo1, and solid, lies
before you; somcthing unromantic as Monday nroming, rvhen
all rvho have rvork xake with the consciousness that they must
risc and 6ctake themselves thereto.2l

Lodgc, confusingly, acknowledgcs thc excerpt above as

"Charlotte Bronte: Preludc to Slrirle_rr'. Actually, the short
paragraph beginning Chapter I, preceding this "anti-romantic"
rvaniing, is what the narrator-author calls a sort of prelude,

shorving the intention ol the literary joumey that will ensue

("But not of late ycars are we about to speak; lve are going
back to lhe beginning olthis century...").2r
Unlikc Bronte, who goes back a ferv decades, Lodge
his
novel in thc prcsent, 1986 (hc was busy writing the
sets
novel at the time; it was first published in l98E). Nice llork
begins in early January of the year rvhich was officially
declared Industry Year in Great Britain, and the ingenious
mind of the author gets an idea: how about mixing and merging
the campus novcl and the industrial novel? In addition to the
first epigraph from Shirley, there will be others from other
early Victorian novcls, by young and compassionate Benjamin
Disraeli, by Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens. Thc books

were called at the time of their publication "condition of

England" novels, and one hundrcd years later, "industrial
novels". They dealt with dramatic, traumatic, nefarious
circumstanccs of thc laissez-faire stage of the industrial
development of the country, around the "hungry forties"
decade before things got any better in the ireyday of the
Industrial Revolution.

ii[[,*ton.

e,on,. Shirlel'. Oxford: Oxford University

4l

Press, 1998p.5.

the

Author:hip anci Identity

in Conternporary Fiction
Lodge lin ks the lr
Year,wilL tllal
Painlul slagc
Indtrstriai n

David Lodge
o1'

rhe miridle years or

",'o,,,,,11"]ly,
lharcherism.,..,;-;"-;;;i;..i::",:ll,
rougll age of ruthlcss
malcrialisnr.
corttpclition. ar,r, ,ri'r".' ''
',r,,,o.ph.,.
,"1,,": is invircd ro ger
tr,"

il;",;,:::l

.lr,::,

s lrtend Bradburv'' bot-rk

satirieally i"r,.,ira',lrr,
l'uugc
timc' crrs .l Sincc Banhcs
trad proclaimec ,1r"
o.u,ft'lftl1ltr
-i;;;;;:",."'
the
author lwo decadcs befo.e
roage', buok
l(
wa5 n61
atllhor's schcme to
achreve this genre
-1;.'t
mcrper was rhe Goyemmenr,s.
rlrc.. rLrrhlesso rn;;n,;i;"
or. ralher.
capirarism.
J".Ji-.rred contcnr".ro
as a
"'
;''

n.,,r,i,g'l'o'

,;1:rr.r.:

jj',Ili"'i;l'':l^,il !,:l,q*,o year SS. rt had

Nazi storm troopers.

ircrorrym strnJrng
-a;: 1u, ,1,^t'Tft"l

the

Scheme'
;;r"":
-t"'dorr betwecn For a berrer
rnousrry and thr .,grove. '1Tttt'ont
the worid of
representatives ot
universlties
ol Imporlant executives in
"'. ," ".i'^
various indusrrie;
;;J *;i1""'*s
them one dav a week
lor a coupre
specificallv.
"t;";;:',;"1:cconrpanv
during the l0-week
winter rerm). i, .; ;;;;;;::
an d bri n g th e
*
iJ i? ;"Jqh:;:ff :ili",
r o make matters
wo
acajelig shadow and the
business t^"t'']".''ullh.
.li'"t^I:
plot inhabir Rummidge.
the^drab n.,i""r,
s
real
be fur ror ,h. ;;r;;:';;."--:ooge
"rri., ";i:,:1,1n" Birmingham. Can that
traveling around rhe *.,.r, ,,18ht 13'9lt:.."ft9i,t e exrravaganr
underit.rnding

Ilnlj"l::i:l '

*,

;."ffi

"i":,t:

lHi::i:::;hi;*,1,1*,*,::i':!{:ifrq:^liffi Iff J:

with c,ampui fic;,;r;;;';d1,:-larodicaliv be plaving_and

nor onry
r,ut atso with Barhes..
idcas,
^:,",::] T".l :"nventions
and narratological
idcas- in uaairionto'orr,"l"-"lt-t*:*ti"tt
mainlv teminist ;ilr:ii1.':le,cts of contempo.rry th Jory.
of definite ,"."ir;.," ;ili: author is no Ionger the originator
is. merelv a tisiue
quotations, if th;
of
o tonger stable and autonomous,

",";*;.:'r^'l:-o*'

subjecteri to tlte pou,cr of ideology, then

Lodge has
sonrething to start from, and rhcre rvili be I.-Js of p.opli
,ut.,o
rvill errjoy the book, in additron to Umberro f .o,'*t o'
torna
Snall World one of the funnicst books of the century.
irinding ways to represent the bringing togeiher
and the
interaction of diamctrically opposite ctra,Lt"i, i,
on. of
I-odge's techniques of creaiing'hun.,o.ou, .1f".,., Ur,
.ir"
dranratizing ideological and intellectual diflerences.
"f
On the business side of the Run.rnrirJge
SS stands Victor
Wilcox, 45, apparently the epitomc ol the slpirit
oiilro1"f,".,te
bLrt sLrbjects

capitalism, supporting the idea of a stiong,

individual.self asserting his identity in .ornp.tiion^;;;;;;"r.
*iiil otfr".
strong-willed individuals. He is the Manajing
Oirecior

of

Pringle & Sons Casting and General f nginJ".iig.

l.tr.fr.. to frl,
unpleasant surprise he finds out that thc
academic ,rrr"*a a
"shadow" him in his business activities
i. not flo;iniJn"-r", o
man, but Dr Robyn penrose, a woman.
the person coming lront rhe

othcr, opoosite
. ..Dr-Pcnrose.
"wortd'
(Lodge is again playing iith ,pp".*iir' jllr
.r,
opposrrrons laken iiom the l9,h century
industrial novel. the
opposition^s defining British sociery
,f," ,irn", o,..ulil:r',_o
nations
",
the
rich
and
poor,
Gaskell,s
No.tf, anJ Soutfr,
.of

wortds of Gradgrind,s utilitarianisrn

rr.-Clrry,,
l::l:r.a
-*ior.
crrcus
people) is an intellisent and militant
_

u.rd.ri.,

fields are women's studies and the

industrial novel. She is a
temporary lecturer at Rummidge,
teaching, ;;;';;";r"r.
contract, Professor Swallow,s*ciasses (who]'in
tfr" rn."rtir"",
has. become the Dean ot the
Facutry
A;J.
University designates her as its representative
in the SS on the
strength of her Iiterary field, rhe
ie', ."nrr.y i"ar.,lrl
.
Robyn knows a Iot about rhe Victorian.f"*;.r,
""*fi.
aftempting to deconstruct from
her f,eminisi, p".,"-.*.rf
but norhing abour rhe ."rl *orld;l';;_p"ii,i*
lerspectivc,

;i

;;;il,',h"
*i"_.i.

busrness.

43

i"

Authorship and Idcntity in

Contemporary Fiction
Appr rently, I(obvn
D1 Punrosc), lollowing
rnc urircr-s wrro harc-",,i::^:'tl::
outocd hcr critical vier.r.st.
firmly
Dclrcvcs thai
Thcrc is no such thinr:

.r,,,i;;;,*i';;:';:,::,'::
'h"

'serr on uhich

capirarism an'li

llral is to sav' a finilc' uniquc

5otri or ciscncc ,1.,r, ..'J'-olo
'rhere
a pcrsoll's itlcntitr'
is
ortly u r,uhjcct oor,,,o,, 'nt"t''"t
innnl'" r'eb oidiscourses
the
titscorrsc. of power, .ll.'1
;ex. lanrily. scicnce, rcligion.
poctry.
etc.,.

To nrakc things even *o..:,1:.

tradjtional
supporls the poststructuralrst
.writers, Dr Robyn
position about
the dubious
construct
called author:

no such thing.as an aurhor,

rhat is ro say, one who
ongrnatcs a work of ficl
r i, t"n"^ * ui u u, ; ;, i:::"J,

^',::L].

:i

J,,:X:, .o ::? fi : I :: : ii,.,l;:i

texts; and in the lamous
words of .lacqucs ;.";;;i;;:r,
people- lr ke Robyn, anvu
,"
tt v a Pos tlc hors-tcs tc there
rs noth ing outside rhe
'
o*,1{)' "
"

Sensible people for centuries

have been aware of the

fact
comptetely a6
'nrt'ing
t" prove the opposite'
bu r the roma nl ic ;;;;"'"t'
#'':11"'Y::*d
exaggerated
'r"rt'9t
enouBh to iustily
extrcme postsrru.,rlrlir,
wi I I be ptaving with
.,ai., r,

that no aulhor is likelv

,#,r, so,n"

. :T::l

.or.;;;:;;; ill9llu''

i,"o..ii.;i;rl;#:"::'f;.to9g"
ttlts novel as well' in what
'n
, I.r, spectacular
scene of ideological
combat.
appears at first to be

Diegesis initially

i;;; d
::,1 1,.,T,,, : F

ffi

"i,,

enr

;;'.:';,ilJ'Lf

wrth "solidity of specification

(definitcry rrir, ,",'r,.r,

,."

').-:^!,I, ,!

,",0n r.i/osv.

..

i,:ruilT:,#

realist ":writer worth his

,;^;':^'lI
Lcn cases as George
Eliot) salt is

Londonlrensuin. r9e3. p.609.

Funhcr

page number referen.",

ro
f,a;;,ilhesi?ed

44

/y'o.

lrr.[p"i"i a"ii;..ai,,o,

I)avid

I_od_qc

Iikely to delivcr. l'hc readcr gets a iot il inlormation about

Victor Wilcox from thc moment tlte narative starts rolling
(Monday, January l3'h, 19g6, around 6 A.M.): fr"
ir.iiv, f,"
home, his filc at Division, including his CV. T.he.:,"iii"g,,i,
complemented by "showing,,, placing Vic Wilcox in tfr.
iornify
and busincss environment in rvhtch he flunctions. Robyn
is
introduced in. the same u,ay, u,ith flashbacks showng
significant moments from her fomative years, which will
humoror-rsly give glimpses of the cultural contexts of
the 1970s
and early 1980s. One ofthe first things that O.nn"
n". fosition
is her rejection of the concept of character, which isi
as sfre
tells^ her s_tudents, .,a bourgeois rnyth, an illusion
c.eaied to
reinforce the ideology of capitalisnr,;160g.).
When enough has been told antl shown about
the two
_
central characters in their respective environments, the
plot
brings them together, and the various dimensior.rs
that work,
together or in opposition, to shape their identities (folitical,
economic,^ gender representations of the corr..ponding
systems, il systems they be in an age of deconstruction)
are
allowed to play freely.
The tw.o get off on the rvrong foot. Initially, Robyn
_
Penrose, young and attractive, rvill not make goo,i
a
i_p."ssion
on what appears to be a t9g0s version of DickJnr,s
Grlas;nd:
the Managing Director of J. pringle & Sons. Th"1;;';"r"
to,meer on.January 15,h, but at the timc Dr Robyn,
flpposed
th: other academics, was on strike, picketing the
],jk:
University campus. From the initial conversatio",
Vi. #if.o*
gathers that his interlocutor and university
p.opi. i, g"n.rut
are radical Marxists, that they want no cuts
,nd Ino," pu!, ,u"o
extra job security,.rvhich is unthinkable
lor someone'working
haying.lo cope with fierce competition. Robyn
3^j,-.orpury
rnrose seems to be blissfully unaware
that everything depends
on the industries supplying the necessary money.
This ii how

45

Authorship and Lientity

in Contentporary Iriction
Vic \Vilcor ar tenlnorar\
madc by n"oi" 0,,,,,
ii,Jri::;r]r[:"Jdsorrrc"impressio,rs
not just a
i;},:;'t:,I::i:i' ".I:ll:"' ll Engr isrr Literature'
t)ut a trendv

r".ninltt lt.iu... ;; a:l:li:l'literaturc"

r.*i,r.i r..i*o;,j ;#iili'il,:[::1,.1,i:i
The lrvo rvill inevitrblv
set

leltv

),",,

trenay reftist

discuss' during thcir

inreracrion.
the larrs
,'.r""ifr'J.lo
",,0
and compcrition.
rexisr 6nguage
rri l,,lrr'tt'i:.oppression
while there is ar firsr a
round
fierce

oti#;, ii,;J;tlcs
,JI,ffi":ii:,I*'::
:X:.id:1,;9i.;;*iil::',il:"J:,lff
tNooyn s rnterference in
th,

she acts as

of the company where

,r,r.toro.u, jr, i"t Itoo,"r,
srtuaiion) to
:lr#:;iil.l

;;

intolerrnr
"ie;
berte. understa,ij,r.*.''

'i'.di'::"?us

Jr''in"'Hlll.llt:
/;:l::1ltll
rt r\rst

eventually appear ro
i."*1..u.),
Robyn cven aarah"a -l

r.ai.ri'r"J'irrl.l?]n' ',,,*n'tn shc tindi rhat her

g es a d
u,.ii",; #"". I il.: "fj i"..:iT:T
: L il:l

alparently
w i r. o ..
^

less

and
:""oeratio'
scheme u ill
tu some degree
e

Though she could

grasp the detailed
matters of
engineering uro o.tilllT
thar he dealt with in
meetings with nt.tllil"l,B
his
though these meetings
oftcn
bored

jt1"i
tfl could see that he was trying
to reaih the o,1., lti:
to coax and persuade them
r..t r" ir"".y,smen'
to
p
s in a new way (75\.
"i
a? *"r.,"0"

- the permanent arquinr

orhe,'s posiiions
each
l1!*ins.o.r
rcs more
sensible and
sensitive aborir rheir
";',;,,::_'^I::I questtonabte points.
Here is Robyn .*ptu;rine
;;::'::':,"thas even found herself
supporting.,ir"r*ir'.

;:;"Jn"t,.*Ij"lill.

reet the author

r"ili?1"

di,.,*i,,

Oh yes, we argue

find myself

iil-*:

"n-.i,lJ['il:,#U,#Jhite

we can

all the tin

when he does that, I

r;ri;; ;;"il"I',-lnrrvar'
on argumenh
that I don,t

reallv

I)avid Lodge
belier.e an1, rrrorc, likc tlte intpottlnce of rrtrrrrtirining
cultural
tradition, ancl inrproving stLrdcnts, conlnrLlr,i.",i,.-Jiiir'
arguntents that old fogics likc pl:ilip Swallow rrot
ou, ui ,t,"
drop of'a hat. Becausc if I said rve teach students
;h.
perpetLral sliding of the signified Lrnder
";",;i
thc .iguln.r,
o,
it,"
way evcry text inevitably undennines its or,,n
clainr to a
deternrinate ateaning, he u,ould laugh in rry
furt- l..l,ittro
puts? " "V'here's no .such thing rts aJ;.t,
1,,,,i1,.,, f .^0.J, i",,f
say there's- no such thing as a ticc semirrlr
o, ,1".o;r;;;;;;;,,.
Why shouiti society pay to bc toid people clon,t
,r."" *t r,
they say or [don,t] say what theyrn.un:1):2.1.

The protagonists r.vill go from the drama

of

the

industrial novel to unwanted romance. through a

series of
unexpected translormations and reactions of the protagonists
and of those close to thenl
Here's, lor instance, the ..follow. up stage,,
ol the SS.
Thc academic rvas supposed to shado*.a Uuslnesi
ro
n9t thc other way round uhen the ,.t.,r. "*""uilr",
i"
thy
ou"r.
Vi.
sitting in on Dr penrose,s cjasses, for. u chorge?
nniyn'ao.,
not scem to Iike the idea, tire ntore so as
she ii tryin.g io avoid
becoming too much emotionally involvcd lr,,,tfr"
i"f,i..,i
Vic has already spoken to the Vice_Chun".f io.,-'ura ert
tf-r.
university is delighted. Vic explains:
''Yes,.me shrdowing you. lor a changc..
After all. it rhe
roca ls to rmprove relalions bctwcen1...1
industry and the
University, it should be a two_way process.
We in lrar.t.y,,,
he said prously,,.have a lot to learn,
too,,(g54).

],ll,i,.l,r:
ruc Ktno

the Maneging Direcror had exprcssed conlempt

lor
ot \vork an academic did. but somelhing rnrri

changed. The more .,humane,' and

romantic of

surprisingly

lllln:rrrnu*
ocrustons
ot

hrua

tneiwo wltt

rhe pragmatic,
.butenough.
Lodge

Ue,

down-to_earth
wilt be quick to poke comic fun at the
romance. On the ,,humanist,, side, a confirmed

feminist is by definition ,rppor.J

46
47

," u. ,"rei"?

;;;';"."

Authorship and Identiry in

Contemporary Fiction
lucid, so the yoLrne
acadt
move ahead, with a
ura".r,,naing',ii
better
js dinerent
what
*o'la' tnoi it''""';;;;;:,::TI9n'
in the two
togerhcr'
In his book o" oo:'l:lu.'lybrouglrt
Lodge's ,J.""" w""iu"ttwar acadcmic ficlion, dealing rvirh

;iliiJ::1-1lll

,".iut,'orrt,ripi'.'.u,h.;;;:;
rhe rwo

wontack stresses

the sharcd

sides:

Loosely based on

Vick
G"k'ii'";;;;';;i'!"il:i

the

,.r*,i",lil* ,J,l::l

in'dustrial novers such

as Elizabeth
N i ce

lt/o rk examines thc

ir,r,rl|'l,l,i' -11']' betwcen
the academv
";."i';;;l;::l' ;:1: :-":'.:*''ts
th" competitive- forces of and
'h"
int"lt"ttlni
the
t"#'a.":;'^1:::"

uncasv retarionsh

Robvn a

,.,,,";.r;:;:::H:;1";enai,,

ner, near luturc career prosiects,

abou,
finaliy puning the ,.industrial_
academrc romance.,
behind n-:'' o,,
strensth or her neiv
book witr b.
.the
gramour and

;;;;"*i;;'l^

n",.. .o,p.tir#";i::;:"':i"*i, L.,:_..:1l:

ttte tn califomia and
relatively
stabre

posiiion*;;:""'

Dar.id l_odgc

If

originality invoh.es (lor an author who no longer

ri,rites in the poststruchrralist age, but is being *ritt"n bv
u
nrultitudc ofdiscourses) the abilitl. ro play. achiive un.*p".ied
combinations of those lextures of quoiatitns the world at large
and the rvorld of fiction are nrade of, Nicc ll/ork is... original
sork. This^^is no frec play of floating signifiers but" the
concerled effort of an enlightcncd academic ani ofa clevcr
and
entertaining fiction writer rvho happen to be one and the same

person.

I,odge is definitely not a dorvn_and-out postmodernist

.
rvriter,
.but his living and playing rvith poststructuraiisU
postnrodemist lcarures r, ill be important .ornpon"n,,
nl hi.

dialogic fiction, where no discourse appears to be privileged

at
the expense of the others, all of them undergoing parod"y
and
being subject to irony and an all-encompasrin!
.oiri. .rri.iln.

Universitv. Ironicaly,
sh;";";:;;;ln'":'"'o*"
acquainted
with stiff
competition. ,r,".
-or' l"l'' "",.-tnat.leals in theher
field.
u.Lro*r"ag"a
finally
parnotrsm'? ",ll' sownwlll choose the latrer. Out of

atler rhe

J*.$::'j["]"^lT0,"nn*'s

hermeneuric and
p.o,i,..,11
roregrounded
(o'- ou"-"o"t''il;;i;:"J'Y:uslv'
bv rhe text
tnc author)' and their
combined
action lends rrrp."r.""'r,a"lto the plot, uro.nuui.,
ptaisir du
who still cherishes
indivirlual,
somewhat b;,o;;;,
texts' If this be error,
ano upon rhe British
ur,rr". ll^llulilg
he. never wrote, and
person ever
no
ry entertaining and
".isi"";;l;;;;n,l'o'lo:
original book,
ttke Nice

r";;';;;';"#'l'T'nt
oil;;tr

W.ork.

*trT:',l,Y:ffiI;,:;#W,

"

F i c t i on : s a t i r e, E t
h i c s, Co m m

un

i ty

48
19

Fay Weldon

Chapter 3

FRIENDLY (AND LESS FRIENDLY) FIRE IN THE BATTLE

OF THE SEXES: FAY }\,ELDON

Fay-minism, feminism and postmodrnism

Fay Weldon emerged as a significant writer at the time
feminism was gaining ground in the postwar years, more
specifically in the late 1960s, and she has had a very special
relationship with it, showing the various "subject-positions"
she has assumed both in her life as a woman and in her literary
career.

Simone de Beauvoir's Le Deuxieme Sexe (1949) had

in the critique of the roles forced on
women by society, on the cultural constructions of identity
women had to make do with. Woman, irrespective of race and
class had been seen as the Other in relation to whom rational
man used to define himself.
Betty Friedan' s The Feminine Mystique ( 1963)
debunked the m1,th of suburban female domestic bliss in postwar affluent America, whose less harsh rhetoric is bound to
have led to Weldon's devastating fictional blows in The Life
and Loves ofa She-Devil.
One of the important polemical texts of the time was
Kate Miltet's Sexual politics (1970), in which the author
become a relerence text

Authorship and Identity in Contcmporary Fiction

attacks Freud for some of the patriarchal attitudes and male

chauvinism that his theories supported, especially the

incvitability of male domination over ,uorn"n o, Other. She
also confronts such ntale writers as D.l[. Lawrence and
Norman Mailer, considering the ways in .,vhich they and men
in general perpetuate male dominanc., poru.i relations

detrimental to women.
. Luce Irigaray's Speculum of the Other lt/oman (1974)
continued the feminist onslaught on sexist Freudian
psychoanalysis, while her next essay, ,,The Sex Which
Is Not
One"( 1977), dismissing the traditional approach to female
scxuality within masculine parameters (what she calls ,.the
homosexual economy" of men, including and defining women
in terms of a male-oriented common hurnanity), aslserts the
superiority of female expcrience, which can capture plurality
and difference more thoroughly than male ittempis hur"
managed to do.
"Patriarchy", the word which is reminiscent of the
phrase "patriarchal society" that had bcen used by Virginia
Woolf in her essays on women authors, became on" oi tt.,.
fundamental concepts ol feminrsm, one of the targets of
feminist critiques. Patriarchal communrties discriminate"against
women and privilege men by enforcing traditional gender'roles
that picture men as rational, determined, strong, bo; to protect
and dominate women.
Westem cultures, although more democratic, have also
been patriarchal, promoting the image of a nurturing, modest,
unassuming woman, who defines herself through her (male)
offspring and husband: the Victorian ,.angel i; the house,,.
Weldon will grow up and develop as a female writer within
this ideological environment, her relationship rvith feminism
changing over the years.

Fay Weldon

In her approach to Weldon's fiction, Dowling will

the
relevance of postmodem and feminist coordinates to
stress
the British writer's work:
...feminism and postmodemism try to eschew hierarchical
positions and judgments. Feminists and posrmodernists retell,
in subversive ways, the "legitimate" metananative they have
inherited, or tell the stories that have not been told, rejecting
plots preordained by nature/ biology or reason (p.13).

Weldon's "postmodem turn" is obvious in her engagement

with a world in which an absence is a prevailing "presence":
the absence of a transcendental signified, which invites infinite
play and challenging of logocentric certainties. It is relevant to
this position her depiction, on more than one occasion, of

woman

as "fallen Lucif'ette", thus bringing

together

postmodem and feminist positions.

Her relationship to "purely" feminist discourses is,

however, problematic, many critics noting her occasionally
ambivalent attitudes, combining anger leveled at both men and
women. She will realize that part of the blame for the tensions
and injustices that lots of women have to put up with is
attributable to forces transcending the battle of the sexes, which
have to be addressed globally, in a permanent endeavour to
achieve a "fairer" deal through social transformation and befter
opportunities.

89

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary

Fiction

Fay Weldon

her father, but never got to trust him. The father,

ilidntling and prone to infidelity, dicl not hesitate to rvalk out
l9ry.e{

i,l

\oy lun da Fay to the English literary canon: the birth

of the female, the emergenciof tfre writer,
ihe-.f,"plrg ,f
the author
The circumstances of Fay Weldon,s
formative years account to

a considerable extenr for her wild, i..r"."ii

f,rrn"ri"t
commitment to feminist issues, as well
as to fiction writine ".
^i, in
ge^neral. Au.to da F3tt. rhe
memoir prulisneJ ir'zoa;:
aazztng prcture of a woman assuming
a variety of ioles,"
reminiscent of some of her most memorable
female characters.
It.can be seen as the source of some
h",
The story starts with an unusual name"f pranklin
given.by her mother, who thought
that Franklin
fcminine version of Frank, her hrisband,s
"
n;;;.
strll in her mother's womb, Franklin
6ut".,
catastrophic earthquake in New Zeaiand.
fn'"i, UJfi"r". f"v"
a.harbinger of things ro come i, h";
iii.;.-il;
I",Ogr,.y1:
oom tn I yJJ, rnto a familv which, on
her mother,s side, had

i;,;i;;;;"r.
;i.kir;*,
*.. *"a
whi;;J;r.
fuy;;;;;;
;r,

severa^l

professional lvriters (among them,

rn.tl-a
grandfather,
an eccentric and occultisit,
i"ti"ue.
ln-zu"
Iove, was the author of 73 novels).
Unlike some of her relaiives, Fay was
to show
'r"' some
restraint: she has only published trventy_tdd
f""'
addition to other Iiterary products, in"trairg""r.fr
,"i-fif_
iiuy,
scflpts.
(rhemorher, gn asp[ring writer, rhe
father,
o:cro.r wtth trterary inclinations himself)
"1 ,^^.^Iil;."r,:::nrs
went back to New
Leatand. where they got a divorce
when the girl was six. Fay

n*

f,L.

i,

Fay Weldor., Auto daFay. London: Flamingo,

2002.
90

on his spouse when she ened,

just this once.

F-rom that moment on, the young girl

lived rvith her

mother, grandmother and sister, fiist ai tir=e antipodes, then.
from tl.re age of fourteen, back in England. Lile in London was
not easy or exciting for a household ofwomen consisting ofthe
two sisters, their mother and grandmother. Fay had a-feeling
the world was composed of women only. Living ,.down among
them", to borrow the phrase that names her first major book,
the future-writer was probably tempted to assign minoir roles to
the men featuring in her work. The world aiountl may have
been swayed by patriarchy: at home it was matriarchy
that
rergned, even if it was in the absence olmen altogethcr.
Fay enrolled at St Andrews University alsixteen, from
which she took a degree and then
un M.A. in .. psychology and economics. She failed"u.n"d
her exams in English,
though. Psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis,
the woiid of
market research and advedising (ii appears th;t her .,Go
to
on an Egg" was more successful than ..Vodka Makes
-Work

You.Drunker Quicker',) will inform her books ura f,gr."

prominently in the life ofher heroines.
Wlren (1955) Fay's first son, Nicholas, was born, the
tuture writer came to realize that being a
singie parent in the
fifties was not an enviable condition; trri,
,.J
will supply the luture novelist with the materiat
"-p.i"ri,
she will "ii"r,
use in
her depiction of female characters,
with whom she identifies to
a^large extent.
admits that her fi..t ;u;;; p.""g""i",
^She Among
tto*. Down
the Women, b"u.i u itrorg
.
-"-111"j,
resemblance
to herself
as a young woman. ..1 was a mess...
Iotatly and completely',, she says about
herself. This realization
must have prompted her to believe i"
th" ;o;;.;ifi",i., i-,t
9t

"

Authorship and ldentity jn CoDtemporary

Fiction

City of Invention',,

it in Lelters to Alice:)to
chaos ofreality:

as she calls

order and meaning on the

Fay Weldon

impose

Ronald

What is made up. invented. is often lrucr

than what happens in
reality; the latter, drifting, chaotic, withorrt
, ,t rp"i.
form,

and usually open to so many interpretatior.

J.- t-o
nonse_nse
of any attempt to understand or define from-uta
,
the
outside what was actually going on in the
inside.j

These sound like an aspiring writer,s words,

honesfly
craving order and certainty; the autior *f,"-*if
i-"_..g" u, u
result of a dialogue, competition
.*riters, critics, cultural discoursesand interaction *iii'f.tto*
ana chnging .eaaerstrip

oyer four

decades

will

display

preoccupations. Finuala Dowling will "";pi;;;l;'-iin"r"nt

stress the subversive
trend
her fiction, largely iirected
.
narrative, commonly seen as the ..purvey"or
"g"i"r,

in

'

i.li,i""rf
';;it;of i*it una

knowledge". Weldon will definitely not

ulJoa una
thunder tragedy, preferring feminist .",r"ng.--.orr*"iy,
u,
Dowling remarks:

. -.... _

Weldon,s disobedient female protagonists _

madwomen,
criminals, outcasts, and- she-deviis _ issert the po*".
of,fr"
Other. Gynocentric themes _ motherhooa, reproaiction,
singte

parenthood, sisterhood, sex, and marriage

Weldon into uproarious feminist

reveng-e

are transfonned by

comedf,ii---'

with whom she will have three more sons und a 3b_year
marriage. A female Jungian psychoanalyst will finally
persuade
2

Fay Weldon. Letrers ro Alice: On Firct Reading Jane Austen

(19g4).
Reading: Coronet, 1985.

york: Viking-penguin,
lllttnjJ-ata
Y",I",
,f"b":o I/.esr. New
Dowhng. Fay tyeldon's Fiction-

t985, p.20.
Cranbury: Associated Universitv

Presses, 1998, p. 14.

to divorce Fay. The divorce papers turned uD

hours

after Ronald Weldon died of a hearl atiack. Consequeriy;F;y

could considcr herselfa widow, rather than a divorcee.

Th: strange tums of the story of Fay Weldon,s life, a

.
joumey from a world oi women
identity
long
only, through Jhe
challenges of a single parent, all the way to subsequent s,iccess
and recognition, has influenced the outlook of her fiction as
well.

It is signifrcant,

though, that Weldon,s autobiography

recounts her wild years up to her early thinies, *nJn'rt"
becomes a novelist. From that moment on, the reader
has the
fiction.
' It is a world where
men, even the very bad ones like
Carl May- in The Cloniry of Joanna Moy, aie ,},orn io
L.
vrcllms ol clrcumstances. weak, selfish, pathetic
creatures. lt is
her way to create this far from complimentary fictional
world
where individual men are not usualiy cast as .,mad,
Uaa, ara
dangerous to know" villains, but as insensitive
,na :;ai,rf,
victims ofa system created over the ages.
Alan Wildc traces the development of Weldon,s vision
from her early novels denouncing
.na
-ul" in"sporriUlflry''*fri.f,
callousness to an even gloomier perspectiv;
f.orn
women have to fight more than men:
The earlier books [...] are, by and large, feminist in
their
aim. being to expose th-e inauthenticity and
:Ti1l,:",
^their male and, not
bad tarth of-her
infrequently, of her female
characters._ Beginning with praris, howevei,
something new
enters [...] The added element, an inexo.able,
extrahluman
power that controls the lives of women
especiaily,
i" .rutu.",
or, as th eponymous narrator of praris -descrites it, ,,our
disposition, as laid down by evolutionary forces
..Nature
[...]

92
93

Aurltor,hip and ldentity

il

onte,rrl,otrry Ficrion

Fay Weldon

does not knorv best, or if it rjocs, it is on

the man.s sjde f...,] It
seems ro tnc thdt wc mu)t fighr narure
'
tooth antl

Down among the women. What a place to be! Yet here we are

This is what some of her protagonlsts arc going

to
do,
'*"rA]
rvirh awesome (borh -meanings
if,?
;olrcfimes
tcnacrly, as in fhe
"7

cyclical of nature as our timekeeper the moon - and down here

among the women we have no option but to stay."

clarr,..,

Life and Love: o1.a Stte_Df,it.

all by

accident

of birth,

sprouted breasts and bellies,

as

Jocelyn l.ras taken the children to the park, "a woman's

to Scarlet. The men come here only
occasionally, lying semi-nude in the grass and adding "the
flavour of unknown possibilities to the blandness of our

place", according

The place not to be: Down Among

the ll.omen
Down Among the tlomen (197"1) is
; ;;y _ at rimes
extremely funny, at times extrenrely
,ua - oi tn.." ai.iin.t
generations of women in the two
decades from I qSO-i"'-,fr"
book rvas published. The bootis chu.u.i".r"
li:",,h".her daughkr
,."
Wanda,
Scarlet and her female i.l.ra.. *a
Byzantia, Scarlet,s daughter and lVandais;.ilil;;;;:' '
The novel introduces some of the
feature"s that will
distinguish Fay Weldon,s novels:
a ."_bi*ti;;';f;.;;;;;.,
and,third person narration, un rlt"_utinf
stii;;; ;;'J,*",
to the past, a group ol female lriends
,fr; ;;J;;;;,';t";; *
each other, define themselves ln
telms o1-each other. The .1,
narrato_r is Jocelyn, one of Scarlet,s
f.i"nas, *t o ie*in." fr",
storyaelling around 1970, immediately.
g;'U..[ r" ?;"nri,
day in I950. The narrative rvill frequenriy
;;;;;;;r;r,
encompassing significant events
in ttre iives.f tfr"
during the lwo intervening decades.
"f,i*.t""

The first voice heard

apparently quoted by Jocelyn:

in the novel is

Wanda,s,

Iives"(lbrd), thinks Jocelyn. Jocelyn goes on to briefly

consider her friends and their destinies in retrospect, defining
women not only as victims, but as friends and rivals.

Audrey left her young children "on moral grounds" and

lives with a married man in more comfort and happiness than
she has ever known before. She runs a women's magazine,
bullies her lover and teases her chauffeur. Her motto seems to
be, "one can't take a step without treading on an ant".
Such an ant is Sylvia. She too ran off with a married
man, only to be walked out on the moment his divorce came
through, left behind pregnant, penniless, and deaf because the
man had beaten her. Later, short-sighted and still a little deaf,
she goes to the pictures, only to come back home and find her

new boyfriend in bed with her best friend, Jocelyn, the

narrator. Sylvia finds the scene an extension of the film she has
just seen. She refuses to take things in. She goes to the kitchen,
makes tea and brings it to the lovers in the bedroom, telling
them about the film.

Helen, another friend of Scarlet's, is even less

in 1970 she is dead, having decided that

fortunate. Now

5elan

Wilde..- 'Bold, bur Not Too Bold.:

Fay Weldon and the Limits of
Literature' Vol.2q:3. 1988,
'
p.4}q.
Poslstrucfu ralist Crit ic ism,..
Con tem o,crarv

94

.1Fay Weldon. Dow-n Among the ll/omen

p.s. sru'"q,,"ni
edition.

fu!;;;;'";;;;;;;""s
95

(197l). Lorrdon: pnguin, 1973

within the text wiu indicate rbis'

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary Fiction

an),thing was better than staying .down among

the women,,.
The rest of the book will follow up o"n these
initial
analeptic- proleptic incursions, fleshing out
it. .1..r..tun..,
and the scenes that led to the situation ile protagonists
are norv
in after two decades. Rhoda Weir, .euie*ing
tfr? iloot fo, flr"
New York Times, {rnds it the stuff Wome-n,s
Lib has been
waiting for:

Fay Weldon has almost brought off the novel

that Women,s
Lib could call its own. Down imong the ruorn.,
ir ro ptu"" to
be: downtrodden, downbeat, downcast, au.f, oi ,f,"ra
Londoners measures out her life in honeymoons.T

Wanda and her pregnant, unmanied, twenty_year_oiJ

aurgt te,
Scarlet are preparing for the meeting ofDivLrcees
Anonymous.
Scarlet finds the encounter pathetic. She is then visiteJ'by
her
friends Jocelyn, Audrey and Helen. They look
imrnaculate,
lnnocent, and superior: they, unlike her, are not pregnant.
Penniless, without a job and without iny money,
Scarlet, "down among the women", finds herself
on un
tower rung of the social ladder than the other female
"r"n
friends.
She. decides to seek help from Kim, Ir". futfr".,
ifr"-rnun fr.,
mother_ divorced many years ago. At that time,
Wanda _ a
fierce feminist avant la lettre and a confirmed communist _
once went into her husband Kim,s exhibition and slashed
his
paintings with a knife. She claimed stre traO aone
ttra,l""uur"
.,he had "sold out',, he had prostituted himself
artistically in
order to improve his sales.
"Down Among the Wonen', (review)
New york Times

1Y:1"
_Y:rr
Feb.l l, 1973 http://*.*.w.nytimes.com,/books
down.html

tssttOiZstspeciatsi:etion_

Fal,Wcldon

An.ri ing at Kim's flat, Scarlet fincls that hcr fhther rs

Instead she ntects Sr.rsan, Kint,s nerv ,,r.ife. Susan is
in.
not
therefore Scarlel's stcllmothcr; shc is younger than her
stcpdaugiter and about to give birth herself. A nLimber of rvrily
coinic, absurd incidcnts follo*,each other in clutck succcssion.
Scarlet leales tlie flat. stops on thc stairs because she is not
feeling well. is found by her fatl.rer on his retum. She has hcr
baby, Byzantia, in her father's flat and bed, while Susan, who
goes into Iabour mi:.rutes Iatcr, is taken to a honible hospital
rvherc she has to sun,ivc for a couple ol w.eeks, miraculously
m:rnaging to sf,\'c Iter baby's lile.
Susan rvith hcr baby Simeon will rcsume her apparently
..
privilcged place in Kim's houschold, ryhile Scaitet witir
tsyzantia ri rll go back to thc ntilieLr rvher.r- shc u.as lorver than
the conrmon women. Ironically, Scarlct,s .,immaculate,, friends
and her yoLrng stcpntother gridually conre to realize that they
also livc in an unfair, patriarchal workl, tvherc they are not
spared sufflcring, incqurlity and discrintination, a competitive
world in uhich they have to fight tooth and nail, sometimes
finding themsclves at odds u'ith onc another. Scar-let emerges
as the strongest of her group of fricnds. In her struggle lor
survival, she first ntarries an elderly man first, Edwin, ior her
daughter's slkc assurning the role of tlrc r.lutilul housewil.e ol-a
boring man. She will thcn come across Alec, a man her age,
will obtain a university degree, thus getting into a positiorito
successfulll apply for a lcctureship at the London School of
Economics.
Hos cver. it is Bvzantia, her da,,rsl.rtr,r- that is the

stroneest \oman of rll. -sir.-. ;tt riqhtr:.n.

gntndrrotltc- \r.:.,,t1. r. ,, .i.' t- '. -.. n,\i
\{ar)da jtru,-i-1.,j .:_:,:r . iir. .,,:: .,..,
Byzarrrir hr. ir bchirr,J i.., :r. : . : .
,

9l

is ..iikt

l:c,

Authorship and Identit_y in C-onrcnlporary

l:iction
Fay We ldon

of a neu, generation ofyoung rvomen. The

-11:.::11"r::o,,,e
novct srgnrlrcantly ends with Byzantia
reproachi"ng her mother
and hertiends lor definin_q thcmselves
il,.;r;
terms of their own qualities and
worth.

offthe battlefield by

norvy

it's cauBht inside a tract.8

;F;;;;, ;;;'i,,

[...]There is a good novel here, but

However, Iike in Dou,n Among the Lt/omen, the

"enemy" is not very clearly detined in this war of the sexes.
This is how Gary Krist describes the fuz.z,y limits of the
frontline in a New York Times review of a subsequent novel;
the description of the folmula holds for Fentale Friends as
well:
Some writers chronicle lhe War Between lvlen and Women.
Fay Weldon, a subtler observer by half, reports on a rnore
elusive conflict -- the War Among Men and Women. She
undcrstands that the battle lines of this other war seldom run
along gendcr boundaries, but rathcr cut across the sexes to pit
spouses against lovers, first wives against second wives,
children against the parents who abandon or torment them.e

rlritl:g"vincingly
,,'Sll
weroon s t9 /4

porrrayed,.: Femate Fricnds

noyel continues the fomrula employe
d in Down
W'onen.: u:;ing a group of characters
to show
!,y::r,.!,:,
sr m llan tres and di ft'erences,
solidarity
.i"ulry,

compulsions

_ancl
and constrainrs alfining
.# "onn.-irng
;;;ilrg

womankind.
Three women, Grace, Marjorie and
Chloe, friends and
rivals since they were at school,
,;;";;;t;,;;
;"*
;*
appreci a te each o ther. Ttrey
a re,br"r: ugh, [g.,rr.. "r^ j'."^
by people and circumstances: the
jr.n
men the-y love, ,f,.
".a
they.bear and the decisions (and
",f,if
occasio"^f f r' ..Lri.*'f,,.
mistakes) they make. Karen Durbin,
i, h"..;;; i" #r.,'"ifrf r"
reluctanrty admittins Female Friends
thc bad sruff, so con-vincingly portra-ved: ;ioi

;;

ilk, i;rijl.,

What we are shown is the bad

stuff, convincingly portraved,
but sranding alone, a vision .f pr;;.;;;;;;;;';fi,::rr.".
one-sided torture at rhat, the
relations;i, ;;;il;
ila
victims [...J rhe war behveen ;;;;;i
;.#;]:''.*.
complicated than that (if it weren,t
w",nr, *rril;;;;;;il;

98

Grace, inspired by Marjorie,s haughty and elegant

mother Helen, becomes ruthless from having given her heart
au a; . Marjorie, never married, has an enviable career, but still
knorvs of love and pain. And Chloe, married to the cruel,
selfish Oliver, has sacrificed everything to her marriage and
children only to receive humiliation. Will they freeze in these
subjecrpositions?

'

As the female friends make their journey among the

births, deaths, affairs, failures and disappointmenis that d"efine
their lives, they gradually get a clearer Ga about who they are,
3

Karen Durbin. "The Walling Wounded..

1rev. of Fe male Fricnds) Ms.
December 1914, p.34.

'Carl Krist. 'Tle Fuzzy Vision ofa True Believer'. (rev.

of Darcy s
Uropn) The New York Timcs March 3, I99l .
http i//partners.nltimes.com,/bo_oks/9g/10/25lspecials/weldon-utopia.
html

FaY Wcldon

Fiction
Authorship and Identity in Contmporary

of a "poor patient gentle

ironically starting from the words
; woman dutifullv "flip-flopping" all through
mother; her picce of advice ?td l":."l1Tllt'
to any hardened woman:
i" irr. .Lr"", are hardly appealrng
what my mother lltlgh't *" to
Understand, and forgive lt is
she
genile ciristian soul' and the disclpline
;;,

fell off his

r,r,rinrie thinks she killed her Ben, when the latter
illi."nrn rrit neck. and then dred in hospital Marjorie was stx
was hcr clumsiness' undoubtedlv'
nrurrlrrr r" -D"-"'
rh too far and fall. As for Chloe,
which had caused Ben to stretc
to have. a
l,lJ'trii.J t..rnott.'' sending hcr to lta hospital
out that the
i'ir,.*.i",n, tne ncver really-wanted turncd

ffiff;; ;;i;,
#il;'&l;"':

;;;;A;t

i"irlir p.l"l*a,

alone and
the reason she died in poverty'

lil]l;I".'"""rri"l"l-ii

I
I
I

t:'

which,
The soles of her poor slippcrs'
1,1"^*to shame hcr rn
not
as
so
ay
""-i"ltia
;t"";;;J", the bed and lhrew au qurte^
worn
ir"ri "t 1r" undertaker' were Drifting
:n1:.1?,L^o:t't"'
and dusting a life
eip n"p Slipper-slop
^nd

.'frrinl.L.
away

*""'

l.7691[ was cancerotls'

i
I
1

to

'Chloe emerges as the central

consciousness.

of

the

tells her story in-relation to

novel. the narrator-character that
of a
her voice alternating with that
i
i'a". ilh..
Grace
I
and
Marjorie
to
hersell
Linkrnp
novcl' as rvcll as o main
hccomes one of the *o"tt il the
the
irlir. ;;"i;; u*;i"", reminiscent or Down antong

f".;i;-it;;',
;ii'd;;r;;;;ator

ffi"

Women'.

foolishly we loved' and

Mariorie, Grace and me How
between us' but

we hare had six.children

;;'d;;t;;;"'
'*"" i"* ," death, as if to balance the Scales' some slx or our
the world does not
["*t,- ^rJ dearest And though we
know in our hearts
such deaths as mu'd!r'
""f.".*fJg.
that theY are ( l8)'

by accident'

the

'three'of
She describes how, apparently
relatives' deaths'
theiiclose
of
some
for
them are responsible
accident'
killed her ex-husband Christie' road

wrr",

lives? Is
the rolc of accident in the protagonists'

"
it tnre that women live by

necessity' not choice' ':

-:X:""
doomed to be victiml:l.tate
i'..#,"'ir,i* at first? Are thev The
u omen's predicament' as
i, na""*f . of men in parlicular?
the way their parents
i.irr ,."'r, is considerably alfected b-v
to
"t
understand and forgive? In order
raised them. Will they now
"part'rri"*ir"a
forgive, they (particularly Chloe' ,the
which
".0
character; have io remember'.

il#"""".,".

."J

c"entral

in the book' in addition to th-e Imited

lr'*rr.'i*,ii r*pfen
'p.e'ent'
of narrative- and
The combination
,"*".' "i ,fr"
glitter'
is much more than language
.n'u"
af"i"-"t *fri.fl *ill
, ,'t-r""pi"i", "f New York limcs revier" er Sara Blackbum:

t"t'I ll]tjtl.,t:
The narrative itselt, delicately managed tn
to be ePrgramrnatrc'
;;;., ;i;;" and so witty as oftet'into
tbrm' a,nonio*",i-"t the dialogue is telescoped script
the pace and the
intrusive device which admirably matches
,1."*r" or the plotting' And io muchall.9*-t
.9" ln:.c.luc"
of this as surface
*iln* itt"i i't possitle,i suess' to read
death' But be
i-rf", ftiffi'"i go"ip ubi't lore' fnendship'
racial and
national'
snaps
so deceived This, in a way that
not

'i....-o;".J;rl,

IFuv Weldon. Female

s,;::o;;;;ili;'i'd
of the

novel

l975 p l
Friends.(1974r I ondon: Heinemann'
this cdition
indicate
will
pug'

n"b"

l00

"ferences

l0l

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary

Fiction
Fay We ldon

class bariers lor millions of rvomen around

the world, is the
way it is.rl

him, whtch belies the obliging languor of her limbs and the
of her breath. Hc says as much to Chloe, but
tinre
Chloe
does not reply at all"(lbid.) Why? one may
this
5weet moanings

,.,:,l*: iril:., i* itl:: IIT:;:I;[,ff:,,ffi

tt:i:

friends and consrdurin.g a way out ofher

enslaved position, and
tne rnterconnect-'d stories of the three women'protagonists
going back to the circumstances oftheir
n..t g"ttinf iog"ifr". u,
children in 1940.
Apparently.. Chloe is right about accidents,
..
as lots of
lhings seem to hare happcned Ly mistake.
C.rarufjv, u
pattem emerges. which the third_person
nu.ru,o, inA "".tuin
ilL.
,o grasp. and orivei. chroe's r,uru,na.'i.
t.ying
nrro lo get hls spouse l.o dismiss;.,There
is no point in rai.ing
he says.. His advice will not u"'i"ir*"a;
il-jl^.,,.1".:]
rronrcally. they do not relate to Chloe.s
undertaking, but to his
and shametess egocentrism. why,
d";s;; ;;k,;;,
Loi:1,:,r:
r nloe thlnk that rhe nightmares he has
been having are related
to something he drd in the past? Maybe
francoisel,f," ir*.f,
maid. and Oliver's official lover. should
give up'.""tmr'i"
butrer? Chloe should try ro persuade
the maid,o ur. olf-inriira.
yl,-",".r, *o-]:9, rs asking his wife about the threat Francoise
mrgflr pose, "you don'r think she is
trying to kill me off with
Sensibly,.C.hroe r."r, t",ript"aio *,rrr
iiri, u
:::]:r^,,.:ll_(r,
rrancorse
were rr illing to kill anyone, it
would be herself, ihe
wife of her lover, but Oliver is not
sure, as he remembers
the
^ii.r'i"*r,1,
coldness in the Frenchwomanrs
eyes *ir"" ;rrr"

l]:::.]lt:lyll,
:

lr
I

Sara Blackbum. -Female Friends,,l

review ). The New york TimesNov.lA,
974,hnp://partners.nltr mes.com,/books/g gnODS

Jemole.htnl

t02

iprri^fi'i"ii

"r-""',

wonder.

The succession of l" and 3'd person narrative sequences

gradually
put together significant pieces from the female
will
friends' past, and the characters will develop in a predictable
manner at first, quite une.tpectedly in the long run, wirh Grace
even coming to look human!
Marjoric, Grace and Chloe as children met, quite by
accident, during the war. At the station in {Jlden, Grace is
waiting, "a princess dressed like a prince", next to her father,
"the uncrowned king of the village"(23). The train on which
Chloe and Marjorie and other evacuees wcre moved away from
London under the Blitz stopped at Uldcn, although it was
headed somewhere else:

When we are children, so much happens by mistake. As we

grow older, and see a pattem to things, we are obliged to agree
that there is no such thing as an accident. We make tactless
remarks because we wish to hurt, break our legs because we
do not wish to walk, marry the wrong man because we cannot
let ourselves be happy, board the wrong train because we
would prefer not lo reach the necessary destination (22).

Chloe is on the train with her mother Gwyneth, while

Marjorie is all alone. Her mother Helen in London has gladly
sent her daughter away from Hitler,s flying bombs. She is
supporting the war effort, while her husband is away, by
offering the house as a hospitality centre for polish ofliceis and
entertaining them in every way she can.
I
Strangely, Grace the young girl bears a strong
-resemblance
to Marjorie's mother, Helen. She is a selfiSh <in$
child; disappointed in her father for aceeptiftg-to shelter dn
t03

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary

Iri.rion
Fay Weldon

evacuee in their horne. She would

rather have Mr. Hitler
conquer Britain than share hcr home with
un ., u.u.",-,h.'nro.a
so as "she doubts her scholasric .apaUifiti"s,
rrd suspecls thc grubby rilf_raff may ,,"ilnoi'do,Ji,nor,
b.,,",

in thc .,patrick Bates Company,,, the man

having fathercd iour children by three difle reni.Jrf,"*.ii
,rr"
rvomen, including Chloe, are not flawless, $,hat
can they
1vere, sharcholdsrs

Illllr
rnan ner at sums and spelilng.,129y.

expect from occasional husbands?

It

Chloe, in her tum,

.wiJl resenrble Crace.s mother,
Esther, as well as her own, in
the *uy ,h.
sacrificc and dornesric rcsponsibilitics.
"iii".".o,,"ff
,p,o on"
foini 5.u." ,
morher, Esther, is a vicar's daughte;,
*iti, *rr.'Jf irty,
undermined by an even greater sense
of loss, "in relation to the
masculine figures that have marked
una

a.tn.J

tunls out that Chloe will, in the process

of
rernembering and witnessin_q new developments
in
her
relationship rvith male and fcmale friends, tlam
a lot'fro_
better or ryorse characters. Will she leam
anything'fr""] ,".f,
female friends as Grace, or like MarjoriJ,.
,,Lrii".,'tvrr"

appears to out-Grace Grace? Standing by

ruthlcss and heartless

fr.r'.;i;;".,

Helen's deathbed towards the ena ofine nouel,

tind-Cfrto"
compares her own mother and Marjorie,s.

She lost her faith, rvaking up one

morning to the dour sense of
her father,s dislike of her, tne tnowteageli
ni,
r",
his sons. and rhc tcelrng rtrat God..;;;
ceftainly not good (J.] )

,."i*.rl
iiH.;;;';^;;i, *r,

comments on the scene

with

he^r,

ura
ungrateful employer, r,,,ith rvhom she is
humbly ."J'i"p"i*rry
in, love- Gwyneth brings the pathetic
i,*it"g" ,-,i.ti_
Chloe, having undergone a serGs of
"i '""^'
rhe,bcginning of the novel. therc is evef
indication
."^. Lhloe
rnar
-,
wrll p_ut up w.ith a role inherited from -her
mother.
Dne nas accepted !rancoise's special status
in the household

traum.ti;;;;

l,

and is looking after six chiliren,

"
illegitimate parentage, out of whom "f
t*"""rnpli."r"J,-l".tfy
fr",

"*rlhn.

relationship between and among the female".1friends anj-rivals

is partly "consecrated,, by these children.

flr"r."..r r*, r, it

104

of

frm

rcjected conventional roles to live a

selfish life. Olthe three
mothers, she is the most admirable,
Ctf..
t.
end like Helcn unlorgiving and unforgiven. ""yi:.E"tt..

who

for Chloe, she will live in modest circumstances

poor mother, who works fo. un inr.nJiiu. '

fouff..

In.conhast Marjoric,s mother, Helen,

has choscn the path
self-inrerest. Doublless. she is a had
_",f,"., Uri-.i.'

Marjorie w,ill be taken by Edwin and

Esther, much to
their daughtcr's dislike. Marjorie,, .ott
.r"n
forget about her daughter, busy entertaining
"r-H"f
the ",i';ji
officers

are stationed in her house in London.

Lunu

Urace, at least alrve.'rl

e.ul.io lir;-iit"

Oliver's initial image gradually changes,

according to a
pattem that Weldon will develop
in her l.iion- H" rvii?
orher, catastroph ic men, be seen
"",,
as a downright
n. would cu( too glamorous a picrure. The ..viciim
]]1,11r,"
:.r.ulnnS young OIiver,s rootlessness, discontentedness
appears in the retrospective thread of
ll^o_u'l"n1,,on:,gradually
urc narrattve. H rs parents were
of Russian_Jewish descent. His
oliver hates his father,
rl.,*,,
lr:un::',hates
nates the East.End.
the govemments which have rained
Dombs upon his head. killed his
friends and destroyed by blast
the garden he has so lovingly
created.

ll}:",:"t
ll"i

t.,..ii.

ffll".lll:d

'

Lana Faulls. Fa),

lleldon New york: Twayne publishers. 1998, p.23.

I05

Authorsl)ip and ldentity

Contemporary Ficriorl
Fay Weldon

He first mcets Chloe at a pafiy and is mistakenly

impressed by the conrpany u.ornd her,
by
an i*p"rt."t
'frurU.ni.
person's
_

intercst in her. When he becomes ir".

'fr"'*if
f
on
l.er.
rcnrirrg
yrt
his
long
yerrs
i",rir",ir,
,",r
lok.
ll
numtlratron on sontcolle closc at hand. Howcver.
"f in corrrpari.on
with Patrick Batcs, Ohvcr wrll eventually
.p;"".-;; ;";;r."
tolerable pcrson. Not for the long suffering 'ini".,
*hr'*iI
first reassert her faith in childrin,
immortality:
"", "'"fv'ir.r.,"i". rr*
When I die, they will remember me, as
I remember mv ow,n
mother - and Esther, who, Iike me, saretl
o,fra. *o,n,.n,a
children, stcaling them in passing. Ofsuct
mat.ntri *"._rfr, f
think,
or illcgat, is immo-rtatiry *rJ.. ii ;..r; ;;r"n
.tegat
through the gererations, fcrtilising the groLrnd,
p*p"rirg'iitx

more kindncsses (2g7).

She will then take her children, cruelly

leaving her husband in
a terrible situation, described in the final alr.r.ri"r"

*fr',.n

concludes the novel: ,,Oliver says ,But

you can,t leave me
"'- wittr
"
Francoise', and I reply, I can, I ian, ancll
do,,(31

11.*

'

_ A few lines belore this dramatic frnale, as a

her group ot women

*r," fr^"" g"r" in._,gr,

through
pain
and
pleasure,
hostility and
Td
solidarity, Chloe as charaiter and story-tellei
,aj."r.'"r'ifr"
"young female generation,,:

i3""f:rf:r"]l
,n1:T
thrn.
"r

So treasure )our moments of beauty, your

glimpses of truth,
your nights of lorc. They are all you
tuu". br.r, ur-m,
weddings, alt weddings. [ejoice at
Uinfr., f iiiir. i*iry"
can be happy _ whole futures cannot (3
l0). "f
In addition to the moments of beauty,
she has also learnt to
cherish lemale solidariry. in spire of everyfrirg
i" irrr"'f_
female) nature conspiring a-gainst it.
106

A Lucifette fallen and redeemed: prarrs

Praris (1978) was short-listed for the Booker prize, 1979,
thus
being Weld-on's most highly acclaimed book,
out oi rnor. thun
t$'enty so far. Is it any consolation that th; brilliant Angela
Carter, for example, was never short_listed,
let alone awarded
the prestigious prize? F'emale readers might
natr.nityUia*e at
thrs on patriarchy, and right they may
be.
Weldon.explains the titie, thus setting up
a couple
^. -^^,U1,
readlng expcctations: ..pra:.is is a Viclorirn
ol
gIrl.s name; it
also means orgasnr and for a Marxist it
is the ir.roment when
th,::ry t*es actual practical lorm,,.,, The '"".orf '.fr"r"""r,
wno ls atso one of the narrators, is no
Victorian girl, as the
story starts_in the 1920s, but the point
of depirture is a
conventional snapshot of Victorian
innocence, an '""g.i
,h.
beach at Brighton: ..Round angel
",
face, yellow *.'fr, p"ff"a
sleeves, white socks and ltttte whtte
.h;; - ;."-;;, o,i. on,
while she tried.ro rake a pebble f.onl
bet*een t *imf'pirt ,".,
- delighrful!"ra The ..Victorian girl,, label, *n.io".iig'.o*" of
. the
.cruel determinism that is yet t"
i;-;;''.;";i,
reminiscent ofsuch characters
";rn;
"
as Hardy,s
Zess.
The mother, Lucy Duveen, appears
.
to l-avour her
elder
-"f""av
daughter, Hypatia, who is
the *o.. ,"n.itiu", ;irr"

prettiness',(drd.j,

]:I^..d_yri,iyjty..above
narrator
sarcastically remarks (in the body
lr

rrri.J p".*"
of"ttre no,ril, tfre

F. Dowling. op.cr.r., p. 5g.

London: Hodder
Iwurr d
and
u !)rougnron.
Stoughton, re88,
Iy66. p,,.
p.7.
,,[:LY:]:::;j-:f:islez8;.
'uuscquenl parenthesized page number references

wir

107

indicare this edirion.

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary Fiction

narratiol't wiil s\,,,itch for l.t to.3d person,

the lattcr apparently
being a more detachcd story_telling version,
behinrl ;lii;h
can dctect the I-narrator hcrself. Fraxis,
at five, is just frctty,
in her mother's opinion.

"".

F'ay Weldon

Praxis doubts she got her deserts

dominated by rvomanJrating lorces :

I cannot believe it is a punishmcnt: to have a ccrtain natufc rs

not a sin, and
any case who is thcre to ptLnish us? Unless
as many do - rvc predicate some Iau, of male dominancc and
femalc subsen,ience, and call that God. Then what wc leel is
the pain of the lemale l-ucifer, tumblin.q doul from heavcn,
having dared ro defv ll)e m.rlc deiiy. . . . ( I 6.y

Lucy Duveen may be sensitive, but she rs hardly

_, ,

il

sensible. She had married a young army

officer when she u,as
seventcen. The husband went to war and
never came back; he

was.last heard of in Hollywood, where he *o.ked

fo, tf,.
movie industry. In the nleantimc, Lucy chose to ,.live
in sin,,
with Ben Duveen, a Jewish man who beats and molests
her.
-..S-!e wils her freedom when, hit
hard by
Bcn,
rt
.uti,
f,irn u
"dirty Jew". The two girls, praxis and -Hypaiia, "
,." f cfi *itf,
their unusual first names (changed to ihe mor" o.ttroao*
Patricia and Hilda rvhen the girL go to school)
unJ ,or.
Jewish genes which are reminisCent oia man
that dn$ish Lucy
(let alone respectable Je*.ish women) does not
upi.u. ,o U.
crazy about:

What decent Jcwish family rvould allow a daughter

to many a
drunken wastrel, with a degree in classics, and-a reputJon
for
arguing with rabbis, doubting the fundamcntals of his
faith, his
eyes pink from alcohol, hands trcmbling after
a night out at the
gambling table, haggard from screwing barmaids"and
the like:
no thank you"(l

l).

Lucy has already become estranged from her family and

friends, because of her mesalliance,-and gradua y frvrt.ril
*iff

overcome her, affecting her behaviour towards hei

daughters.
_

. Chapter Two changes the perspective, witi' praxis

speaking in her own voice. She is no longir an innocent

5_year_
old, but an.old woman who spent two yeirs in prison, cunentiy
willing to bequeath the reader her memories, which'chronicle
the events that brought about a great deal ofpain and
suffering.

The image o[ the rvoman seen as a sort ol unfcfiunate

female Lucifer will recur in Weldon's Afiliction, u.here the
fenrale protagonist is writing Lucifettt: Fallcn. 'the angelic
Praxis Duveen will also enact a fallen Lucifette, assuming a
succession of rolcs she plays or roles lorccd on her. Kathy
Pollitt, in her review of the novel, briefly summarizcs thenr,
describing the heroine's plight:
Fay Weldon has managed to cram at least onc instance ofjust
about every kind of manipulation and aggressron that men use
to get women where they want them, and just about every
nuance ofguilt and passivity that keeps rvomen thcre.rj

Praxis starts as a fatherless daughter in a special

relationship with her mother and sister, Hypatia. She will be
hurt by women and men, and will grow up to hurt people in her
tum, before she becomes more compassionate. She wrll be a
"perverse" girl, student, housewife, prostitute and incestuous
woman, serial wife, unscrupulous career woman. One of the
points ofthe book will be to deconstruct such words, arbitrarily
applied to women, as Weldon hersell says in an interview
about her female protagonist's metamorphoses:
'r Katha Pollitt. "Hcroine as Victim"(revicw of pra;r is\ The Nev york Tincs
I 7, I 978 http://partners.nyimes.com,6ooks/98/
I0/25l specialsi

Dec.
108

weldon-praxis.html.
109

t-

in rvhat appears a rvor.ld

Authorship and Idenfity in Contenlpo.ary

Fiction
Fay Wcldon

went through all the bad words women

are calied and made
her these: whore, adulteress, murderess,
in."rtuorr, it i.f,
lecher. And she is all these thirg.,
brt i;; ;;;;;il",,:r.
by one to explain rvhv thr
portmanteau words cannot really

rr"

,prri"i ,"""".;;'1" "'*t

Gradually Praxis

will leam to sympathize with her female

frrends, furthering feminist causes.
How.t" got to U"com" un
inlanticide and how shc had to go
to prison, paradoxicailv. rs
,h:
story of her gra-dual i.".ri' i"a".rii"r'r""0
lo_1
"1.
lntegration
in the female world. She ,"o
becoming a mercy killer and a
"riwoman
"f"p"".lpf.,
owrng a young
to seek
her.fortune in the wide world.
She *ra. ,p f,?.
,
positive. note, firmly convinced
""
that her fif", "r""r1".
,f,fr"r*il
extremelyi,appy,.had a poinr: ..1
have lhrown a;"; ;;;ji; ;rO
"",
garned it. The wallwhich
sLrrrorrndea .. ;. q"it" 6.ol'.n'ao*,
I can touch. lecl, see mv i"lr"* i,,,""" ;i:^: ;:::'] ":".

.,",er,;iis5iii.";;i;i.'.-"*ff i,,?iliLT,I#.l,1li

wit h her fel low beines, nn ; n,

tt u. i.nJ;
muddle and arbitrariiess of her
existence.

;;r;;;,;' ii:";h*r,

The structure

of the n46n1iys highlights the crazy

u ,,1 LUrjrprcx.,he1rotagonist,s.".,bilil;';"r;;r.r,"J*rr
tn uence, at times catastrophic, that
lots of
m-en, but,also some wornen,
have had o, h". iG'u'iii; ;;*,
away and

*ff

,:1.:,lf

eventually re_gained.

l6 ^
Kpl. rn l-rnuala

Dourlig, op..il.. p.77.

I

'

A terrible chip on a special woman,s shoultler: The Lift anrl

[,oves oJ a Slrc-Devil
After a series of novcls featuring women as pathetically
r..ulnerable victims of patriarchy and of their own female
nature, Weldon comes up rvith a signilicant variation in her
feminist scenario: horv about choosing as a protagonist a
monstrous, vengelul freak?
The nanative structure will combine third person and
first person narration, the latter the expression of Ruth's
destructive anger and fonnidable consciousness, the former a
more detached and ironic story-telling manner.
Ruth is a very submissive, and very suburban,
housewife, apparently Iiving in a care-free paradise called Eden
Grove. There are some problems, though. The wife is trying
hard to play the role of a good wife, is putting up with Bobbo's
systematic policy ol honestly sharing with her the latest news
conceming his marital infidelities. She is also making a heroic
attempt to tolerate her children, although Bobbo reproaches her
for having got them wrong: the girl is large and looming, while
the boy is little and girlish. On top of everything she hai to put
on a smiling facc when her condescending, positive thinking
parents-in-law come for a visit.
:
At the moment Bobbo, a tax expert, has an aflair with a
beautiful woman, Mary Fisher, a rich and famous writer of
romances. Ruth, unlike Mary, was not very lucky in life's
lottery as far as physical appearance goes. Her mother used to
pity her, calling her an ugly ducking. Brenda, her mother-inlaw herself, apparently sympathetically, is aware of Ruth,s
condition: "I was once an ugty ducking
[...] I know what it
feels like"(27). Brenda's husband
i".; unlike Ruth,
who is hopelessly... un-beautiful,"ont.udiit.
ugly ducklings, at least in

l0
I

lr

Arrthorship and Ideotity in Contentporary Fictiotr

Fay Weldon

fairy{ales, turn into swans. Ruth is fully aware she is no

bear-rty.

This is l.row she sces herself:

I am six

feet two inches tall, which is fine for a man but not
for a woman. I arn as dark as Mary Fisher is fair, and have one
of those jutting jaws that tall, dark ryomen oftcn have, and
eyes sunk rather lar back into my face, and a hooked nose. My
shoulders are broad and bony and my hips broad and fleshy,
and the muscles in my legs are well developed. My nature and
my looks do not agree.rT

Later in the novel, Fay Weldon rvill be tempted to play with the
fairy-tale scenario: what if Ruth is a genuine ugly duckling
about to tum into a swan? Can Weldon give the story a
Weldonesquc twist? is obviously a rhetorical question.
Ruth's submissive naturc will soon undergo dramatic
change, in order to agree with her forbidding looks. This is

done gradually u'ith Weldon skilfully piling up, with half

funny, half wryly outragcous panache, those little, apparently
innocuous remarks and incidents that will eventually make the
patient, passive housewifc explode.
Ruth will become mthless, mctamorphosising herself
after she is called a she-devil by hcr husband. There is nothing
so far to justify the accusation, but Bobbo, without knowing it,
is a visionary, foreseeing a terrible future.
Ruth takes the insult for a label, and begins to work
hard to justify it. Now a number of previous details fall into
place, being added to the pattem that will wreak havoc on
whoever deserves Ruth's anger. At first the suburban
housewife displayed a mixture of resignation, hate for Mary
I7

Fay Weldon. The Lile antl Loves ofa She-Devil. Nerv York: Pantheon
Books, 1983, p. 5. Subsequcnt parenthesized page number references will
indicate this edition ofthe novel.

n2

Fisher, love for her husband, and. apparcntly strangely,

thorough knowledge ofher husband's lover's property assets
and financ'ial situation. She had probabll. spied on the woman,s

financial records, kept by Bobbo, who is also her accountant.

Ruth will tum her hate and knortledge ofthe "enemy" into the
motive force that will aninrate her subsequent "devitish"
behaviour'
Ruth sets fire to her house anr1 Bobbo's, brings her
idiotic children to Mary Fisher's sumpruous house and leaves
them there. After all, there is no place for them to go to now.
Mary is used to living in peace and quiet, and the presence ol
the unruly kids can hardly be called a bliss.
The aspiring she-devil is not done yet, though. Now
homeless, she gets a job in an old people's home, where Mary
Fisher's nuisance of a mother lives. plotting to make the
management find the old woman intolerable and expel her to
her daughter's still inhabitable home. Mary Fisher will now
have to put up with her lroublesome mother and Ruth's messy
and unruly children, in addition to Bobbo himseli Too much of
a good, thing, it turns out.
Ruth next -gets a job in a hospital for the criminally
insane, finds a job as maid at a judge's house, where she also
becomes the judge's lover and confidante, goes on to start an
employment agency.
All this is not a series of loose, picaresque adventures to
which the she-devil adds some lesbian and heterosexual
flavour. It is all part of a plan: to find out, through the spies
sent from her employment agency, Nfary Fisher's frnancial
position and to undermine it; to ruin her husband, by accessing
and changing his book accounts, to ger the judge to show no
leniency when judgment is to be passed on the she-devil's
unfortunate victim.
I

l3

Autliorship and Identity in Contemporary

Fiction

At thc end of the novel, Mary Fisher has died

and
Bobbo has just been rclcased from p.i;"r,
;;;;;;r;';;";."
ugry dLrckting has turn;d into o' ,..y".tJ"uua
ll1l..,If"
ncautrrut sqrn. which is iomething
that can happcn in ,1
rer cnge lantasy rutlrored by Fay $.cJJon.
The most cxtravagant thing that the she_devil
u: d:nakes (rarher, that lhe author gir,
a"l"i,
. ' : rrmrng. costly. agonizingly painlul and very ii*t _,".f,,
a long series oj.sulglca] operalions, irrctuaing
1,,, ..i,T-"1.11.^1
.llr,.rS
most ot hcr bones. The l-abulously generously
l,
naid

t",,"

lemale

lascination and flirtation with extremity as far as shc could, in

handsomc Garcia, the youns rnanservant

r
that used to"fal.",iitf,
belong to

irlury.ntst

...

Is this the end of a feminist fantasy, in

which
woman

the
is stronger than the oppressive, patriarcfrai
.rrf"Z
ifr"
--.utf,".
indeterminacy and ambivalence
of the trut" ls
poslmod_cm. though. A horrible
lemale ,"rri".
whom Shakespcare's Richard Iu *ori;-;;-;il;d;*,
"".0"."j","
innocent creafure, has tried fr*a
to U"cori" ;';;r,

nrlnerable-looking woman.
is difficult to say whether Ruth has won,
or whether
_,-^. -Ia
yu, "o:p"l]ed.by prevaiting discourses (extolling f";;;"
il:
b_eauty as "un-Ruthian appearaqce,l)
,to shed he. G"i""'""a
be engu tfed u, u",r iirr.,3;;;.
over. Mary by her being difierent
i",r".ilan
rsr rvalr 0y provrng that.'uslv,'is better
".a
than..pretty,,;
she has
only imitated a conventiJnal, superlicial, very ..feminine,,

;ffi ;;,

ll,::,1

f: :lt3h

It4

Loves

economy

of Weldon's fiction, which of them claims

of She-Devil, where these opposing tendencies

manage at last, not to resolye themselves, but to reveal, in the
or

assumes the primary and regulative role.r8

is

oll:-eyed. sexy:. she r,u,

dead Mary Fisher. She "rrr-"J-ir,"
">rr"'i*"r"
will buy Mary
Fisher,s
beautiful High Tower on the sea shore,
will g", lr.. Jr...[ of
husband back, will have him know
"
aboui f,".

of Alan Wilde:

.. .cutting across Weldon's fascination and flirtation with

extremity, countering the sometimes extravagant defiance of
(or submission to) men and nature alike, one finds a less
immediately apparent attachment to an ethic of nreans and
middles. And nowhere more so [...] than in The Life and

:
surgeor)s come Lp rvith a much
bctrer crearure ihan
;:
-i:illl,] s monsler. Eventually,
.rurKcnsteln
l?",T:'l:]:.
u1 roe now

to perfection, and Weldon has pgshed thc playful

the opinion

j*"-

the lormer she-devil

Iray Wcldon

Former-Ruth-as-currenlMary appears to acknowledgc

defeat, while indulging her newly-acquired beauty, power,
wealth, submissiye lover and husband: ,.She-devils can make
nothing better, except themselves. In the cnd, she
[Mary]
wins"(231), she has to admit. If this chapter on Weldonended
here, Ruth's statement would provide a very anti-feminist
finale. Does it?

ili r:#:d

I8

Alan Wilde. op.cir., p.412.

I l5

Angcla Cartc.

Chapter 4

THE ANGEL(a) IN THE POSTMODERN HoUSE:

CARTER'S DISRUPTIVE FICTION

The challenges of feminism, the carnivalesquc and rnagica!

realism
Angela Carter is still (despite an early death in 1992, at the age
of 52) one of the British writers most actively invoived in the
reconsideration of authorship and ol tr.aditional cultural codes
and discourses, as one of the most prominent authors of
"writerly texts", to use Barthes,s phrase. paradoxically,
she is a
very strong_ figure, vcry much alivc, of the age that Barthes
blesses with another famous phrasc, ,.of the
death of the

She is also the most prominent lemale author in

Britain not.to have received. or noi having becn shortlisted
for,
the prestrgrous Booker prize, probably as a result
of a certain
prevalllng masculinist bias in the critical circles
olthe age.
In his 1968 essay, Barthes invites readers to"engage
wrth writerly texts and be instrumenlal in thc prodLrction
of a
plurality of meanings; the undecidability oi rv.iinf
ir^ u
fundamental dimension of narration, not a'weakness: .ieveral
codes and several voices are there, without
priority. Writlnf is
precisely this loss of origin, this loss of .motives,
to tt pr"ont
author".

"

117

I
Auliorship and I(lentity in Contcntporaty
fiction

ol' a r.olurnc of inclctcr, inations

or o'er-dctemrinations,,.
lVrrling

Ancela Cartcr
r

by my stories".a fler texts rcinterprct all_too_neatly pacLaged

historical constructions involving iieologically .ont.oit.J.iu$

ntay bc secn as a ioss of origin

for Angela Carter, but
lr.,r,rr,rk nral eqrulll bc co,sider"e,j
, .i lii",*. '_"i ,.,
rcrd(.TS. \\on)eI and Dren.

rre invirctl ,"

lbr sr;rrrrerl. cren rhcir g"nd.r.

";; ;;.i.,;.;
,,;
l:ll:11.n.1.,,:.*:

and gender, urdermining them lrJm

a posfmodemisr
lerspectlvc. as Christinc BcrrripLrls it:
She lanrpoons tlte need fbr single, uncomplicated
historical
causality as she dcnonstrates th- rvays
that class and gender
historical
]1flr.1.9 strategiesproduction. In s't,o,t, Lt,.ougt ^ fr"* "f
narratrve
oftcn labeled,,postmod"ern,,, Carter
c.hallenges history and fiction writing
tf,ri a"grir"l
-----.'.-" ia*Lgv
'---'
through representational fidelity to
thJ..rt.,

,,r.

,,ii/,.,r,,
I constructions, sontctit
sccn as idcrtiee j62; slruclures
"'ll'lcs
;r\sunrn.r1trr" ,r*r.",
mytlts
soc

ta

lhat necd
',r-^t'l'l't''
ol
several
roiccs
arrd codcs
,rorki,rg in ,;i,";;1".
,1" challen-eing inlertextual
riirrrcnsi,rn of r,,-^-i-. .--.,o
arso acknorvJedped bv Jago
Murrison.
i;l;k.
;iJ;."
";" nppropriarion :-t:'lt,"t "constantly engiged in
urc quorarior).
and subversion of other
texts. As
*cll ls lolt o,,u
c.i-...-,sources.
".,r rdryrJje
hcr
rre

rrrl rhologisrng. Barrhcs.\

toea

uork elrgages
lvrd(. rirngc ol' olhcr
lc\tS trnd retcrences,.-,
in addition to bt.rng

nrvths,

h;;;;";;;l

witlr

Her fiction has also been associated with magical

realism, an association that was first prompted
Uy fr". Ifrira
-rf,.
published volume, the novet The u.si,
title invites the reader to answer the question:
*f,;"h of tt. t*o
is the more magical place, the idyllic
childhood home in the
countryside of the lemale protagonist
or the ominous Gothic
house rn London wherc her maler
olenl master puppctecr of an
uncle stages patriarchal dramatic p".fo.rnun".ry' "

r"irii-(lqiil

'i:5,'1,1."v "';tl"u1 reader or cultural

and..a confinned

*.1, o...r",'lli'st
t:.1,"^-1:'lo havc prelerred the lerm
to "lrigh .ur..r..rI'"n.'
u itch queen")
Arrgcla carrer

.opr,i,,,""or"J" i, t*rro
wrore ro derivc

socialrst.

She basicarry
",ilno,'""tvolent

"r;ir;;';i:^Tert.
ff ::T:

in

read and

ft ii"':[il;l,f ;H]1
t, *,t,' *it.r'
. , ii1!i:1"
U\E ru u.rrte about
writers
..

plcasure. pleasurc

ll:::" ;;

l?j,
r rowever. no

has aiwavs

;-

;il,;;:t,J;l,j:::,:i11.,1",,il:,1

sooner has shc madc

on to stress the seriousness
of h

ti,i. strr"rn",it

tt;":#;:*

an is politicalind
so rs mrne' I want readers
,o u:t:-Y:tk'"'All
nderstand what it is that
I mean
in*Eds. David Lodge an,r
;t:,,"i"*:'ffi#:','*li.:l*
u
*,.,*r"
c' i'
|
):
;
;
;:ff
;
"
i';,: i;:,"tJl'#:j,,
"
p.t1t.
Xff
'Jago
a

2O00,
}J-ffi ]

"

"', "1,,i

Morrison. Co tp Dornr' F;-,;

" 'tcu?u'ur.\' r tctt04' London and Ne*' York:
:oo], pp. tso2003,
t56- r157.
Routledge,
izi

ffpa.

^-tijr,on f^

rvho givc mc

t()n,ed. Angela

Carter.New york: St. Manin,s press,

I r8

Magical realism

is now

commonly seen

as

manifestation
of postmodcmist wriring,
,1. pori.oO..n
condition is linked to ,.the condition
""J
1, i'fr" _"rt
highly developed socieries',.6 However,
"it"o*f.jg.
tfr. g..iJ.
if ir.t.i"*
promoters did not come from postmodem, 'highly
"suchdeveloped
societies, but lrom South America:

w.iters
as Aiejo
Mario Vargas Llosa, Carlos Fuentes, and Gabriet
!iT::,:"
Magic reatism was initirily a way of deating
:if :ithe-r"lq*r.
wrtn
nature of realiry in rhar part of
the world:
o

lbid.

]_!lnlt]*"

l.r"j

"Takrng an Axe ro History:

The Historicat Lizzie Border\
Historiography of Ang"tu Cr.t.,... cito.

iZl.

ffi;:: 1T,r".-

Jean-Francois Lyo tard. Tlte posnnotlern

Condiion: A Report on
finowledge.L)niv ersity of
Minnesord prcss. 1979, p.xxiii.

119

lf, i

Authorship and Idenlity in Conlernporary Iiction

Arrgela Cartcr

In. countries previoLrsly rulecl dcspoticaily

as colonies an<i
sLrb.,slgyenftl negotiating independencc'
*ith
;; i"rtr
established institutions or freedonts, the
fact that info.n,rtio.n
can easily be manipulated or even conrnrand"","d
by po*.,
.u.'ottps nnkes lrull) a filr more pror isiorral, relativc cnLir,

Mrqic rc.rlisnr lrotlr nrimie:, and crploils ,1,i.

throrrgh iis own merging of realisnr on,i

fnrtoar.l

;,.r;;;,;;
Desire and reason in The Infernal Dcsire Macttines
oJ_
Doctor Hoffntan
One extended adult anti _ fairy-tale with a
t,/ist, befbre the
subsequent collection, The Bloottt Chanber,
i, in"- trj"*ot
Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffnan qZil. if,"
aJ"mr,,
tf
,Jjlrg:Sh lacking a final doubte
,rf *a", ,o
:r:?
", "U"io*ly
E.T.A. Hoffman and his fairyrales. Angela
C.,;;;;;;;""
shared Jack Zipes,s views on the Germ"an
;,;;. ;i;;",
Hoffmann, although an important Romantic
*.it.., u,
definitely disapproving of an excessive ,"liun".
,pon'n.rn_,i"
th"'ur..
and imporlance of_ imagination, othcnr,.ise
,
t"y
.
concept. The critic, however, admits that
Uofi.un.irrppo.tr-

Angela Carter's use of the fantastic is remarkable;

her
fictional recipe also incluiles .social and politi."l
;;;];;l;in",
In her t-lction, tantasies are interwoven everywhere
with the
controlling realities, and thc magic features
oi myth unJ ioi,ytale are made available in what his come
to be *if.aii," *".fA
of the "c_arn rva lesque". Thrs polyphonic lnoO"
*ut"r'iu.t..,,
Jrcttoni. Loma Sape vividly notes,
prorr,'i around on the fringes

of the proper English novel

like dream-monsters _ nasty, erotic, brilliant creations
that fced offcultural crisis. She has iaken
ou..1lr. .uU_
g,enrcs (romance, spies, porn, crime, gothic,
science
fiction) and turned thcir grubby stlreotypes-' into
myrhotosy ... she writes ujg.esr;,,"ry
::lI:li.r::d
agatnst thc grain of- puritan ism_cum_nrl uralism,

the freedorn of the creative individual,

oppcses the grorving

mechanization ol Iife anrl the alienation

and implies that human berngs must
master both their talents
create a new u.o-rld where nr,"_ir. ."ig.r,

.;J.J;;;;;ii;,n,

producing adu lt lairy rales.8

h-": been played with the carnivalesque, but

91t:.
she never
indulged in.it lor too long. Writers and readers
il";;i;;J;
,p
and forget the carnival after a short break
from ..ulit; ;;il"y
have to come back and challenge some
of the issues-which are
taken for granted. Carter comes back as a hall
enic.t"i"rg, ndf
dehantly disruptive critic of the unjust
.o"ri'*"i.a
fictions that people have come to tak; for ""ftr.ufff
the."rt ining.-"-The.Cambridg,e-Guitlc to Lirerarure in Englrsi.
Cambridge:
-1"j3_1t'.Or::0,
Lamondge
Unrvcrsity press, I99J. D.591.
"lnAidan Day.Angela Currer: The Ratictnal C/ass. Manchester
and New
York: Manchesrer University press, 199g, p.2.

120

;"t

fl9*,1*.
narmony. rr"

Carter herself plays with the uses of

the imagination, but she
also imagines some of irs misuses,
,"h.;

;';;;;g.l'ana

suppons total i tarian power.

Il a critrque of power associated with the misuses of the
lmagrnatlon- the protagonists
are, significanrly, men, not
the elusive image of u woi.,an *iff 6" tn"
19men, 1nd
rf
oDJect o1 desrre
"L"t
the narrator-protagonist,s

in

postmodem world devoid

of such iotaliz'ing
e

Jack

Zipes. Breakutg

quest.

In

air"oiro.r,

Suf

fy

rhe Magic Spet

af Folk and
rd,er. Loncron: Hernemann,
r97g,,.':;.nou'""' 'heories

t2l

Fair!

Autlrorship and Identity in Contcn.tpor.rry Iriction

Angele Carte r

{{obinson notes Carter,s preseryation of.one master

narrativc,
"an Oedipai narrative that places man in the position of
qr:esting, speaking subject, and wonran in the non-position
of
object rvho is sub.ject to nralc rcgulation, exploitation, and
violence.[...] Desiderio is a subject gendered nialc, but not
in
thc fllscly univcrsal sense. (,aner.s rcvision of the Oedrnal
clucst nan'ative /b regrounds, rrth(.r than trlnscentls gcnder,
de_
irnivcrsalising the malc sLrbrjcct by engcndering him.
Desiderio is a halfl-lndian, <lefined noiin relation
to the
filher. FIe is the son of a single parent (a prostitute; somewheie
S?rl, Anrerican town lMaiquez,i one Hunired years o1
:: :
,\olitudc
had jusr been pub)ished, and magic realism
was an
i

nterr,5ttnt chellenge).

The old Desiderio does not appear now to define

himsclf in terms of his given name, the Spanish
for ,.desire,,.
He scems to sharc with the British officer
.,The
of
Ludt;;';.
Llouse olLove" in Carler,s The Blootty
Chamber on ini.r"ri,n

rcason, but the book problematises and explores

the apparently
clear-cut distinctions between gende.s, reason
reality and fantasy.
^";';;;;i;r,
The narrator _ protagonist is an old man now
who looks
Duck on the events in his youth that tumed
him into a hero of
the Urert lMar. In his youth, his native town
was full of
mrrages, whrle now, ..shadows fall only
as and. when tttey are

expected"( I I ).
The town, somr:where in South America,
an appropriate
for a strong dose of magical ."utis-, ii
9l.1cg
"diabol ical" doctor Ho flman.
whose in lernal rr.f,r lr?r-r""#,"
slano Ior passron, desire and imagination
as un or anli_reason.
The Doctor waged war on reason and
discipline.

il;td;;;';.

It is obvious that the old narralor is definitely

against

Doctor Hoflman now, but one cannot

help considerine his
name, Desiderio. He claims he survived
th. t.;i;i;'*_
because he did not surrender to the
attacks of tne imagi*tio.,
122

thrch now hc fintls... boring. Desiderio

says that, as a young

man, he had aclnrired the aft of the Ancrent Egyptianr, u, it *u,

yery drsciplined, cverythrng perlbrmcd n..oi,ling to nrles for

thousands o1' years in a row. We realize that rvhat he
Lrnderstalds by their art is just conscientious, painstaking craft.
When we also colle to consider ti.re bchaviour of The
Minister of Detemtinatior.r, the leader of the resistance

movement against the "infernal desire machincs,,. our

confidence in tlrc narratorial voice is further weakened. The
Minister sends the Determination Police to hreak all thE
mirrors in the town, becausc of the subversive images they
convey and multiply.
The main devices Dr Hoflman employs in hrs tenor
attacks are huge rcality-dtstorting machines wiich undermine
the space and time coordinates on which realitv is founded.
The creatures created by these machines, actualizations of
desire, are nrore than shadows, having the solidity of reality.
These fignrents of the imagrnation are both oLrtside the city,
lr)rng srege to rt, and in the minds of most of the people inside
the city.
The Minister is immune to the ellect of thc machines,
ins,ensitive to the solid rnirages that assault everybody
else. He
only bclieves in objective reality, which ii limited and
measurable, in his opinion. He thinks that irnagination is

dangerous.

At the end of Chapter l, The City Under Siege, the

Minister invites Desiderio to ,.go on a litile trip,,: the"young
man is asked to assassinate the arch-enemv. De.siderio,s little
trip tums.out to be a long, picaresque series
ofjoumeys all over
the world. Desiderio's quest for br Hoffman
becomes at the
same time a journey of exploration
of the nature of Dr
llottmitn's world of desire. The central figure
in this world ol
desire will be Albertina, an elusive character assuming
123

Ai.rthorsllip and Idcn(ity in Contcnrporary Fictiorr

diflcrenr idcntitics *.ith r.r,hom Desidcrio falls

apircars that she is Dr Iloffman,s daughter.

Angela Cartc.

in iove.

Iior Caftcr, inragination is vcry intportant. but it

should
not be cornpletely separated lrom thc coorclinates of rcason and
the real. This is a possible message thc reader nright gct lrom
this surreal novel, yct...
'Ihc novel is just another example
ol u,hat M. Keith

It

Thc protagonist leams morc about that world

from the
9wr]:r ol a peep-shorv, \vho appcars to have U"",, O,

iloflman's tutor. The blind propiictor t..p, .tungirg

,t"
lantastic pictures in his shorv, metaphors of
a succession of
parailei rvorlds. He foresecs the estabiishment
,r".fa *fr"."
"Neb,ulous Tirne" rcigns _ a penod
"f
"
of absolute .nung" onA

Booker calls "transgressive strategies of ieaciing und o,riti,.,g,,,ii

of the cenkifugal cnergies leading to altemati.Ie readings.ihe

author is so good at counterbalancing the forces of reain and
dcsire, at bringing together contradictory attitudes and complex
characters, at ovenvhelming the rcader with a language that is
both clear and sensuously ambivalent, that the mJssaie is not
that clear. What is clear is the author's attcmpt to exilore the

mutability. Another former teacher of Oocto. Ho?frnun,

Ilcndoza. claims thar '.everything it is possible
to ir;;j; .."
also ex ist" 1971.
The narrator follows in retrospect his surreal
adventures
as a young man, and it dawns on him
that some of the shocking
things. happening to him, Aibe(ina una
.o*. otfro"i"opf .
around him, are emanations of his own
,:.ro.r, hiaJ.n'in hi,
unconscious. Albertina herself rvill tell
the protagonist thai she
has been made real in her various upp"urrn.",
Uiit p"*".
his desire (204).

.. . desire.

It is a significant addition to what she does in Zre

Bloody Chamber, whcre she challenges the patriarchal
ideologies of the trailitional fairy_tales ona .*ito.",
if,.

"f

"

Finally, Desiderio remembers his assignment.

While he

is to a large cxtcnt unlike the minister, n.

uncharted realnts ol the imagination, the urconscious and

desire, ironically glimpsed in this novel through the nrediation
of a rational, wise, unimaginative old man *h"os" nurlt. ..ur,:;

t" i""fi^

that the complere liberation ol the imaginati;

""pp...,
;;;;;;rr.
When imrgination escapes control, it m-ay lead
to urUEu."UI"
rnrngs. In thc flnal confrontation with Doctor
Hoffman in his
ca-stle.. Desiderro
r..r""l U*
1ol .only kills the arch_en.ry
tl:
obJecr o[ his love, Hoffman,s daughter,
"f Albertina.
1so
Peter Chri stensen, wh i Ie exploring the
acknowiedg.a-rnlf
,n: r,,9r,"r.:j.the ..orher (E.T.A.) Hotfman,,(n), approves
"""*
:,.,
Ihe endlng: "the novel's outcome, despite ihe tiiumph of
of
prosaic reality, is a berter one than the
victorv ii
an
irrationality manipulared by the power hun-t..,6'-'"'' -'

darkness and radiance of the human unconscious,

cclebrating
the power ol_thc imagination and sexuality a.fy;ng
onA
reconsidering the myths our civilization is maCe
oL' tt"is an
undertaking to be linked to the questioning olsexual
difference
by such radical feminists as Helene Cix'ous. While
dd i"
predict developments in this field in the
,"r. unO ..rllotJirt'u."
the French critic describes the bewildering
."*pf ..iiv Ji.f.,

to come:

n:en and women arc caught up in a network

of millenial
cultural determinations of a complexity that is practically
unanalyzable: we can no more talk aboui ,rvornan,
than about
'man' without getting caught up in an ideological
theater where

rc

..The

Peter Christensen.
Hoffmann Connection: Demystification in
Angcla Carter's The Infernat Desire Machines
of Dt.
ofContemporary Fiction. yol. 14: 3, 1994. p.
63.

illj^.i:'.Vi'n*i".

124

"

M. Keirh Booker. Techniqrte" ofsubversion

in Modertt

t ttlemlu.rc. Tro4sg-t?srion, Abjpctiotl,

anJ the

rL: Unrversiry offloridr prcss, 1991,p.241.

125

Carliralc,qlre

Carnesr ille,

Authorship a d ldcntit_\, in Contenlporary Iiiclion

thc multiplication of reprcsentations, images, reflectiols,

nlvths, idL-ntifications constantly translomrs, tlefon.ns, altcrs
caclr person's irnaginary ordcr and in aclvrnce, renders
all
corrccplrlrlizlrioir rrull lrr,l lr_rid r

Untanring thc fair].tale: Tha Btootly Chanfier

flr, Bloody Cltatnbct. ( I979) is :r coilccrion ol .,adull lairy
tirles", versions ofclassical tcxts Iike Bluebcanl and
Litfle Rett
Riding Llood. Carter considered that the oral fairy_tales
recorded and "tamed" for chrldren bl,penault
or Madame de
B:aymgnt give insights into the mysterious .,heart oldarkness,,
inhabiting men's, but also t,omen,s, unconscious und
reinfor"e
pratrierchal stercotypes. She also claimed
that she was.,in ifre
demythologizing business,,, rvhich is an invitation
to probs and
expose stercotyped ways ol takrng things for g."nt"d, .,I,m
basically trying to find out rvhai certain
. of
imagery in our society, in our culture, .eally
"uni,gr.uiion.
staiJ i".,'*fr"
they mean, undemeath lhe kind of semi+eliiious
ilu,
makes people not particularly want to interfer"e
*ith """ii"g
th"*.i,j
The collection is secn as a sort of watershed by Merja
M1k,:"1, as vision goes, between the earlier UogX
ioysh:op
and the la^ter- 7le possion of Neu,6ye on
the on. t""na, uia tfr"
the last years,
u the Circus uii Wir"
19l:l.r
-fearure
"f Ihe former groupNighrs
.,aisquletingty
Children.
lauage
analyses of patriarchy,,, while the latter
..!irU"rr"i"
;re
celebrating "the sheer ability of the female protaeonis;'tJ
survrve, unscathed by the sexist ideologies'..ra
in bef,veen, the

Angela Carter

1979 collection copes

with issues related to sexuality, violence

and pomography, and Makinen, as the title of hcr chapter
shows, undertakes to consider ways in which Carter's text (in
poststructuralist, postmodemist parlance; otherwise, Cafter
herself, as author) attempts to "decolonise" women,s habits of
thought, to decolonise feminine sexuality, in the first place.
Robin Ann Sheets also deals with questions of artistic
representation linked to pomography, bringing under scrutiny
relationships between Carter's The Sadeian Woman and The
Bloody Chamber in the fictional formula which justaposes
"pomography", "fairy tales", .,feminism,,, and which marked
the early stage of a controversy in feminist discourse that
would span a whole decade.l'Is Cu.te, an adventurous sexual
desperado, to borrow Vianu's all-encompassing term, but to
bring it closer to its original meaning in Spanishf
The title-story, "The Bloody Chamber',, is told by a
female narrator who sees in retrospect her own escape from a
modem combination of Bluebeard and the Marquis di Sade. at
seventeen she had married the Marquis (who will be referred to
only as such), the richest man in France. The list of his
previous wives includes a Romanian (Transylvanian?)
countess, an opera singer and a barmaid in a Montmartre cafd,

among others.

The heroine had lived in very modest circumstances:

her mother, whose husband had diedln a war, had had
to sell
her wedding ring to provide the money the girl needed to study
the piano at the Paris Conservatoire. The itother is seen
as a
v,ery tough person, having fought pirates, having
shot a tiger.

When she asked her daughtei whether she rea"lly loved'her

PHelene

C^ixous. ...qonies,,. Lodge, David, ed. Modern

Criticism
Theory: ..4 Reader. Harlow: pearsoi, 2AO0, p.
26g..
,

j.ir: :::::::,. 1; l1;: T;^;i'!"d#i"- ;"";.," r

ew of
riurtt. Vol. l4: 3, 1994, pp. I l.
,C;i1"ytgr.ry
' M.ryu M"kin.n -a"y"r, c"n.i, ii fr'tooay cnort u ora n"
Decolon
tion o/
_,

isa

Feminine Sexuality " in

t26

E*r..

ZOOO,

e R ev i

pp:i

-ii.

I^l:?,l.j"l:*:rs.
.pornography, r.airy Tates, and Feminism: Angela
"The Bloody Chamber,'.
yi.
ilthe

uart^er s
4, 1991.

pp. 633

- 65j.

"/ouma!

127

Htstory of Sexuatity.

l.-

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary Fiction

future husband, the answer was "l am sure I want to marry

him"(111).
The scent of the man's cigars reminiscent of her
departed father, the expensive clothes and wedding ring
conspire to seduce the scventeen-year-old away from her
mother's poor home in Paris. Later, on the train to "the bloody
chamber" castle which rvill be her home, the girl visualizes her
seduction and abduction - "our destination, my destiny" - and
"his great ancestral bed"(l12) as defining her identity from
now on. She will be the mother of his heir.
As a matter of (ominous) fact, the marquis himself had
the "great ancestral bed" fixed, complete with a multitude of
mirrors all round it. When the girl is in the middle of the
bedroom, the older I-narrator sees her younger selfagain in the
3'd person: "The young bride, who had become that multitude
of young girls I saw in the minors"(l l8). The Marquis does
not see her as "only you" either, but as a collection of "she's",
gloating over his acquisition ofa whole harem. If a male reader
might try to dismiss this as one mere fantasy harmlessly
indulged by the husband, the Marquis's perception will later be
placed in a terrifying context.
The girl's enslavement symbolically sta(s in the city,
before the couple reach the impressive castle by the ocean. The
girl is wearing to the Opera a dazzling choker ofrubies, one of
the marquis's lavish wedding presents. The tight-fitting
necklace, as its name suggests, figuratively chokes,
overwhelms the bride-to-be. It shows the man's power over
her, which forebodes violence: the red choker looks like a slit
throat when the girl looks at herself in a mirror at the opera.
However, it is the mature narrator who sees it that way, now
that the story is behind her. It is interesting to see the narrator
looking at herself in retrospect and contemplating the scene in
3d person, thus giving an intimation of the wlnerability and
incipient self-alienation olthe young girl: "the white dress; the
128

AnScla Carter

frail child rvithin it; and the flashing crimson jervels round her
throat, brrght as afterial blood"( I 15).
Docs the Marquis de liberately allor.v his innocent young
wife to discover his collcction ofpornographic books,/ Does he
really have to ieave the nerv bride alone, cntrusling her rvith all
the keys, specifically lorbidding her not to enier one par.tiiiilar
room? The double perspective older I-narrator younger
protagonist shows the young woman,s gradual iniriation into,
and increasing a*,areness of, her husband,s horrors.
When the young bride first makes olrt the torture
instruments in the forbidden chamber the lron maiden, the
whecl, the rack - she has taken a step further in her getting to
know her husband, but shc hasn't learned everything yet. She
thinks of the sclup as a perverse mctaphor of sex as tofture, ,,a
littlc museum of his perversity"( l3 I ). Shc is in lor a honible
shock. This is not a dead metaphor, it is very much alive, but
there is a Iot of death around. The bedroom mirrors lantasy had
displayed the young woman as a multitude ofcopies ofherself,
objects to be possessed by thc marqr-ris. Nos., inside rvhat
appeared to be a mock torture chamber, she s:ares in disbetief
at the "entirc collection": the grucsomc bodies of hcr husband,s
prcvious wives set in a diabolical dcsign.
The denouement of Cader's version of lhe tale of
Bluebeard is significant: it is not the young w.oman,s brothers ':
therelore the traditional fairy-tale ending with strong men as
rescuers - but her formidable mother who kills the murderous
serial husband. She rvill.shoot the Marquis much in the samc
way as she had killed the tiger. Also, the young woman riill
this time do the choosing herself when it comes to her next
marriagc: it rvill be her young, innocsnt and shy piano-tune1
(not teacher), Jean-Yr.es. In addition, he is blinj, thereflore
unable to possess her with the outragcous ,,male gaze" of
patriarchy. His blindness will prevent him lron.r seeing the'
indelible mark lefr by the bloodykcy pickcd up by the traa-rquis
129

Aulholship and ]rlcntiry in Contenrporary l..iction

Angela Cartcr

in the chanrbcr of

hon-ors and rihralisticaliy appLed to his

wife's forehcad.
The rcmaining nine fhiry_tales ol thc collection are
gloupcd in threcs: the first set focusing on fclines (iion,
tiger,
'snorucat),. the_ ncxt on magical creatures
vampi.c,
if."n,al"
child, crl-king), the last on were*,olvcs. .t.he individual
tales
complete and complcrncnt one another, showing
not only
ii:r'nrnist. responses to patriarchal stcreotypes,bur atso

ol the garden by the righful owncr himselfl, nho

hinr
of theft. Thc Beast, howcvcr, catches srght of
accuses
Beauty's beauty in a photo hcr-father has, rvhich nrakes all the
rose out

yoLrng

explorations and extemalizations of lvomcn,s jesires.

"The courtship of Mr Lyon', is a reworking
of the
..
Ii,..r,.rrr and the Beast tale. Carter,s storyz begins
irlit
,fr"
Ll:r::ir's father's realization of his financial ,irir, ..nrln.a,
Lrn.(.; tilen mined again, as he liatl leamt
lrom his lawyers that
yery moming ... And not
even enouqh money lelt ou", to buy
h-is Beauty, his girl-child, his pet, the
or,. *irit. rose she said
she wanted"(144). Although iond olhis
aurgi t"., ifr.-ioit,",
secs her as "a pct" rvhich he orvns.
_ Iletuming home lrom his lawycrs, the erstwhile rich
and powerful lather accidentally stops outside
the--Beast,s
house, as his car has broken down _
unotfr...y*Uoii.-rl.ln".
As by magic he is lured into the frouse, wfricfr aiiears
wclcoming, but deserted. The only creature
that g.""t. iim i,
the.Beast's pet dog, a bitch that one cannot
h.l; ;;;;;i;;;rg
rvith the way tlie Beauty is seen by her father.
The female dog, in addition, reminds the
reader of the
protagonist of the previous tale: like
the girl wearinf ihe
marquis's ruby choker in .,The Bloody Chamier,,,
tf,. Uit""n i,
wearing a. diam_old necklace, an obvious sign
of her ;;;;";,,
power and wealth. Miraculously again,
the lather aircou"., in
the Beast's house, still absent, the c-ard
ofa -""a-,f,"-.i""t
rhoq nTl ro rhe retephone, which
settles his fro;i;;. "_
l:fri.
hrs
way out ol rhe mysrerious house, whiie
crossing the garden,
he discovers w.hat his daughter has been
*ri ire i"i, ;iirrtifuf
wnrte rose. He is caught in the red while
taking the (white)

b,

130

diflercnce under the c ircumstanccs.

The situation that arises appcars to be definecl in tcnls
of nrale properly in a patriarchal world, 'I'he lather lias a pet,

his daughter, his properry. The white rosc, likc the bitch,
belongs to the'Beast. The lather has taken the Beast's rosc for
his daLrghter, but has to bring "his pet" to have dinner rvith the
Beast in retum. Propedy is sacred in this rrale-dominated
\vorld, so the father u,iil honour the agreement - contract.
What's more, the Beast rvrll assist the father in rccovering his
fortune. In exchange, rvhile the lather is away, attending to his
business in London, the Beauty r.vill stay with the Beast. The
girl rvill do what is expected of her, lully arvare that .'her vistt
to the Beast must be, on some rnagically reciprocal scale, the
price olher father's good for-tune"(148).
When the girl leams that her father has regained his lost
wealth, she leaves lor London after promising the Beast to
return soon. When she does retum, after a f'ew months, she
finds a dying, reniarkably gentle, Beast. Mr [-yon has not eaten
anything since Bcauty letl him. He has not becn able to go
hunting: "I found I had not the stomach to kill the gentle
beasts"(152). Surprisingly, he has developed feitures
associated with the "softer" gender, an aversion to violence and
sensitivity to the fate of weaker beings. Or is it a trick, a
gesture of "pure emotional blackmail,,?16 Whatever it is,
Beauty is impressed, and her reaction, in retum, is rcmarkably
"masculine": "She flung herself upon him, so that the iron
bedstead groaned, and covered i.ri. poo, paws with her

kisses"( 153).

16

in the opinion of Aidan Day, in Aidan D ay, op.cit.,

l3l

p.l3g.

Aurhorship and Identit), in alontcnrporary I;iction

One ol thc rccurring thentes in lhc collection is that

social mlcs rnhibit, r'cprcss and rnisreprcsent anintal energy in
both l'omen ancl nten. The aninral figures fcaturing in thc tales
arc to a largc extent not only fearsor.ne crcafures endangering
or
preying on u omen's weakness, but externalizalons of
rvomen's desires. This becomes particularly apparent in the
next tale, "The Tiger's Bridc". another ve.sion-of the Beautv
and the Bcast story.
Thc heroinc's father is arr invetcrale gambler rvho plays
cards u ith the Beast - a tiger u,earing a mask with u tnun,.
1u..
on it and loses everything, includrng his daughter. Comclia
Macsiniuc comntents on the ,,contmodification'; of the female
in the trvo versions of thc Beauty and the tseast story; she
notes
Cafter's someu hat contplicit stance, as
Her t',vo versions of ,,Beauty and the Beast', ,,The Courlship
of Mr. Lyon" and ,.The Tigcr,s Bricle,,_ preseFr'e for woman

ihe san-re fate as [....1 objeits of exchangc, .hanging nr^rt"..

(from father to husband) anrl thus scrving as insiruirents for
men's sexual subjectification, since the heroines end up
apparentiy jn the same srate ol (actual or suggested)
subnrission that thc patriarchal system of kinship pr-elcribes
lor women; Cartcr appears thus to sanction an ordei in rvhich
u.omen do not have lull rights... r7

Angela Cartcr

that the saying "The tiger will never Iie down with the lamb,,
may not always be true.
Askcd to strip before the tiger, the girl will first consent

to it, refuse, ask the tiger himself to strip before she does it
herself, in recognition ofthe Beast,s complcx nature. The rnale
tiger himself is trapped within a scenario ihut t"ll, him what his
self as appearance should be. The girl will discover aspects of
the tigress in herself, as the Beast is peeling off successive
Iayers of her skins, cultural constructions imposed on her by
life in "civilrzed" society. A year before, in The Sadeian
lloman a_nd the ldeologt of pornography, Carter had,
surprisingly, defended what one may saiely call these days a
male chauvinist pig: the marquis dc Sade. She agreed with
Sade treating sex as a political reality, as the Frenchman
(democratically) "de^clares himself unequivocally for the right
of women to fuck".r8 The girl in..The Tiger's griae" witt a;it
herselfofthis right.
The heroine of "The Company of Wolves,, rvill reach
the same realization about her own animal dimension and her
right to assume a non-subjected subject position. She is one of
Angela Carter's versions of Littlc Red Riding Hood. Like

Penault's good-girl character, she crosses the forest on her way

to her grandmother's house. She meets a young man who looks

However, rvhether Carter condones patriarchy or not, the

heroine does not allow herself to be overwhelmed by her
father's behaviour. She is fully awarc that he has vicwed ilor as
a possession all along, and objects are sometimes gambled
and
lost. She has also acquired from various sources knowledge
and su,perstitions about sex, a fear of and fascination with,
powerful animals. She docs not reconcile herself to her
commodrty status, to hcr role as passive victim. Shc will realize

better than Perrault's wolf, but who occasio-nalty does what

werewolves do, which is what he actually is. Theiwo agree to
take part in a sort of orienteering contesi, each trying
to reach
the grandmother's house fastei than thl other, fo"llowing a
different route. The "wereman" is obviously quicker, findsihe
house, remembers he is a werewolf, gobbles up Granny
and is
ready for the granddaughter. When -the girl arrives, the two
engage in the traditional Red Riding Uooa *
Alg Bad Wolf

r7

Carter. The Sadeian ll/oman and the Ideology olpornography

New York: Panrheon, I979, p. 27 ( reprinted
in Sritai;under the'icss
smkrng title of fre .tadeian l4omon: An
Exercise in Cultural Hisrory).

I8Ang:la

Comelia Macsiniuc. To*,ards

Perspectives.

Ias

poetics of Reading: Poststr.trtrnli\t

i; lnstitutul European.2002. p.25q

r32

133

Authorship and ldcntity in Contemporary

Fiction

Angelil Cartcr

dialogue. The girl is amazed at the size ofthe

\verewolfs teeth.
To make thingsrvorse, patriarc.hally speaking,
f,e i. tfr."ut"n,ng
to eat her. up. Unexpectedly, the girl is not'terrified,
.,
convinced she is not dead meat, but live flesh.

;;

laughing and rips

"
Sfl" lu.ri. out
off her clothes ,na ... tfr.'loung
.,aggressive,.,

s. The girl,s

1i: -:1:.1.*"lf
s.exuartty
herc ls pan
full feminist

u*iorr,"a
of thc ovcrall story illuslraring Caner-5
'

agenda. Whcn rhe srory

irr.ln."r.*
.'

-' ' girf

,
"ria.,
ofthe render wolf,iZZOf.
The lady of the house
love in the tale bearing the
.of
same title is .... a Transylvantan
countess. At first, the title
appears more than ironical. The lady
is a female ,ersion of
sleeps "betwcen the parvs

Dracula, rn fact, his last descendant.

ir," U*riizuiqr#'Jr,n"
-,i"..
vampires uses her Tarot cards at
night, ., iirr", "*i.,
aren't many potential victims around.
She always *rn, ,o',h.
same configurations, sDL,liins death
and de.olar;on:
La.Mort. La Tour Aboiic. Aidawn. ,h".1;,";
.." a catafalqrre. Surprisingty, i, h.;
:n"
yeams to become human. This
ii not what ihe .."f.i.r.'".a
unsuspecting advenhrrers chan-cing
in the square in.-"*rUy
deserted village will realize beforelhey
U*"r* "f "--'
Things appear to be about to cirange
"i.tirn"
lvh"n,
on.-ru.*".
l9l0s,-one innocent young British officer
who is
]l^,,1.:,f*:yvrsrhng Vienna undertakes u
lormei to tf,. ."ri..".o.t
Austro_Hungariin f.nrli,e,-ffirrt ffv
.1"^1ra,iv
1fr.
rrar ne rs"fabout

a;;#r..,
;;';; il[;."
tr;gjj;;;,

::ll,

;;;;."

to

DIav the innocent victim,s iole in

a
Bluebeard scenario in which the
female ,._pi." ir"rrp"p"r"i ,o
be the victimizer. The roles are
complex and ambiguous: the
vampire is not a ferocious monster,
but Iargety r ri.,j, i"r*ff
of the wild", of the tegacy
frJ.J"""ri".,'ti. _rr"

:l*,L.-^.r,
vamplre.

She

"f

is herself.

like the terrible building where her

catafalque is_ placed, a haunted
horr", *h"..-Ii".';;;;^
come and make their murderous
claims. ifo*"r"., u, ,k;;;;,
134

officcr is naking his way torvards thc vampire's mansion, her

cold fingers tum up the first card having to do rvith love, The
Amoureux. The way the two will develop is partly revealed.
One cannot hclp thinking about thc huge chamber of honors
rvhich is not inside the vampire's house, but rvhich is looming
Iarge in the ycars to conle, having to do with the savagery of
WW L The vampire wi)l leant how to love and frce herself
from the savagery inherited lrom her ancestors. The virgin
young man, lond of pure rcason and geometry, as innocent as
innocence can be, is likely to make the joumey in the opposite
direction, towards thc hearl of darkness of what war stands for.

Sexchange story, or surgery and deconstruction in Zre

Passiott of New Eve
This maze of cultural detemtinations was given a more striking
illustration in Carler's The Passion of New Eve, published two
years beforc The Bloody Chantber. Carter vu,as aware of the
current developments in leminist theory, intent on exploring
the far lrom straightforward relationship between sex and
gender, the latter being a socially, culturally constructed
dimension of identity. Helene Cixoux and Catherine Clement
were questioning the meanings of femininity, female, woman,
were promoting the image of ,,the newly bom woman,,.There
were arguments for the annihilation of the clear-cut distinction
between masculinity and femininity. The idea was to support

androgyny

as a

substitute

for

extreme, sexist ginder

stereotyping and polarization, before a new, more radicai stage

would stipulate adopting a woman-centered perspective. In her

novel, Carter undertakes

to

deal with bot-h aspects of

androgyny and a readjustment of perspective, a shift from the

patriarchal "Other" to the leminist
Self.
135

Authorship and Idcntity in Contcnrporary

Fiction

Angcla Cartcr

The book's Evc starts

Evclyn, and a vcry male

Evclyn.this character appcars to _as
be. Shown as , L^iri ,,." rvfr"
-p,"""i"d
revels in-his nlasculinity
*h." l, i"ir,.ffy
U,
ilg the central
rmagcs of feminine vulnerabilrry,
.f,^..r.i.,
,",ff
n:." than .onc subject position, i, ,r".", -."A' U"
]n
,f,.
translormation he is undergoing will ",
teach him-'r'f"i'lfr"",
human identitv
_ Aheam sees thc novel as connected to a ,,dense nctwor(
of^relercnccs to occLrlt and apocryphal
trra,t;on.,.,rr+ii i",
back, to such apocaryptic
;;
novel is far from traditional, .frolt.nging
urrr,rrli.ri ,"fr"i ,rr.
patriarchal reader takes for o,ranted.
Bl*i;;;;'air"r.*,
the "subversive fantasv,, oli

;d'

*i

;;

l,

".,

o,

;;,.,,

";

;;1;; ;,r[:';rt"il:
H;"t

lH"X?:iiJffi :il,,,;,J-,;Jli Jl:

Cartc: tuily descrves io U.-".".,*.a

, *ri,..
1.,:i::_:
or gcnurnely revrsionist ficrion who
aims at enhancing female
'-"
power arrd countering thc inscription
of parriarqlf ,'2,""

:lll",

The beginning ol the Uoot ,to*J

Evelyn as
protagonist, spending his last night
in fonaon L"fo-* Jn'"p,.
Joumey across the Atlantic (to New york), and
tfr." ru.tfr.,
away across the New World (to Califomiaj.
Trur;i
the mind,
.they say, but the kind oi uru.fUnf f u.]i,
f
engage in involves morc than changing
pr..",
world. h will also mean changing
'_"
*."a* ana
more about the cultural .onu-tr-i*-oi
,r,"r"
rmportant?r,
coord inates o f subiects.
The changes of sex and gender also
affect the way we
and. the narrator himself/herseli
a.ut *itt ,"r"".iri'
-iv*^.1
Evelyn starts as being thc male narrator,
"r"1"",
tfr""
f"..".

iirii_ -'.,

}jl"g
.

Ie

ir;;;n,
iif
i"J,.ir*it.

Ahearn, Edward J. ,,The Modern F

hglish Visionary: peter Ackoyd,s
.-.r

pi.,il"'"ir.i"*t ::::' ;;:;:;

X::l'::::Lg
Century Litera.htre.
",f,.r:
Vol. 91n:,,:,r,"
46: 4, ZOOO, p. OS:.
Hewtrch^^.

i:^::"',':"::::"#;;;;;;;frrs,bversiveFantasybyAnge,a
Caftct". Th e Review o1 co, t"
rory'iit,;;-;;;. ; ;,' ;li;i,;:i;.
^pi
136

Evelyn takes over. This is how the narrator expresses

6ewildennent, although from the vantage point of a

subsequent. relatively andlogynous. posit ion

Masculine and feminine are correlatives which involve orrc

another. I ant sure of that _ thc quality and its negation are
iocked in necessity. But what the nature of masculiie and the

nature of. feminine might bc, whetlrer they involve male

arrd
female . . . that I do not know. Though I have been both nran
and *'oman. still I do not know the answer to these questions.
Still they bewilder mc.2l

Back to the beginning of the novel, Evelyn, still in London. rs

haunted by a fantasy inspired by Tristessa, an actress who was
famous in the inter-war years (the novel is set in the late 1960s,
around 1970), associated with the image of a sad, lr,rlnerable,
suffering heroine. It is the kind of female that appeals to
Evelyn, and when he gets to America, the protagonisi rvillsee
Tristessa in the flesh, but s,&e will be in for a ,r,p.i...
New York is, at the time of Evelyn,s arrival there, in
the middle ol violent riots involying rebellious blacks and
women, far more violent than those of the .,real I96g,,, a little
bit, like in other texts by Carter, verging on parody and flarce:
aggressive women attack helpless men, found guilty of
patriarchy, in the street, while African Americans are bi,rsy
building a *'all around Harlem and drive tanks across the city,
engaging in battles with the National Guard. In this chaotic,
nightmarish world only ruled by Carter's mischievous
penchant for exaggeration, excess and the grotesque,
Evelyn
has his share of pleasure as well: he meets"Leilah
dif itfr), u
black stripper with whom he initiates an intense, violent sexual
relationship. Evelyn, still a white male, is captivated by

Angela

Carter. The Possion ofNewEve. London: Virago, 19g2, p. 149.

5ubsequent parenthesized page number referenccs point
ro rhrs ediiion of
tlte b('oL

137

Autlrrrrship :rnd Idcrtiry in Conrcrulorary

I:iction

Angela Carter

l-cilah's "dillerencc,,, obviousiy vicwing

the strippcr as an
object of dcsire; horvcver, there is ionrcthing 'srrangely

na.eissisric in rhc reiariorrship. as he secs proUaUty'forciccit

t
,n
llre w\,ntan a glimpsc of hinrscll. ..thc nearcsl
thing tu mlsell t
h:rd cr er n lct"( J 7).
Ileyond this relationship and all around, Apocalypse
lp.pcarsjo bc inrmincnt, and dubious propltets lo...nri ,r.ring
jlinu3 f -v1l11 is told by onr ol rhe it-rg" .fru.u.r".. ..*ra
hrm that "God hrd arrived on a celestial
bicycle to proclaim the
hst Judgment u.as at hand'. (12). ,,Surely .o*.
.",j"frii""-i, u,
nirno., ,
cannot help echoing yeats.s ,.Second Cominn.,
_one
and probably Carter, in postmodernist frrhir^,
;;;i;;il;
crrgag,.s uirh patri:rrchrl texts in unexpccled
uays.

The central revelation is related to

Evelyn,s

translormation inio Eve, The man i.

t.yi"g- ,o"
annihilaticrn, but hc rvill have to undergo
".Juo"
an unexpected
trtnslurnration Running away lronr the ha'voc
in rua*-V"rl,
bvct)n will find herself at the opposite end
ol the UniieO

States.

Caught by warlike, anti-masculinist

.
southwestern American

women

in

tri"r'i"

the

desert, the protagonist i,

in.
core of a radical feminist underground
*o.fa, i.oni.ufff .ufi.O

Beulah (meaning "marriage,, in Hebrew,

uttelei

In rhis
m),Inologles.

t.n-iUf"

,.ia1l'U"
-

context). also reminiscent of gfuk",.

l'he women here worship Mother, a creature

who

is far from the traditional mother figure.

ffri, i, u ;t.*r"
many-breasted. enao*ei witn
1'"] T. lrt".
;;;'".,
New, york strilper Leilah. alinougi
trris'figuie
:1.^:"1::l:f
uoes nor appear to have much sex appeal.
Evelyn discovels in

froi;;;

,r.ut" that he had long relegaGd ," ,rr"

3n
or nts mate psyche. a mystcrious presence:

!i:

rliaa",

..."r.",

nre, rvhere I'd exiled her, dorvn in the lorvest

room at the roor
ofmy brain (58).

In addition, this heathen goddess will turn out to be a gifted

and competent matriarchal plastic surgeon. In her freniy to
eliminate any male she can lay her hands on. Mother will
operate on Evelyn, remove everything masculine, thus dealing,
in a surgical manner, with the constitutive structure that
informs the development of male sexual identity in
psychoanalytic theories: fear of castration. The far from gentle
mother will provide the new Eve (former Evelyn) with a iterus
and with the necessary sperm (from Evelyn) io make the new
female the virgin mother of the .,Messiah of the Antithesis,,, in

an attempt to "feminise Father Time". These

I did not know, then, who it was that waited

for me, I did not
know
[...] the parience of she who,d

rtd

strange

occurences half parodically confirm Simone de Beauvoir,s

statement about the woman not being born, but rather
becoming a woman.
When Eve sees her new body in the mirror, the former
male self, still hidden somewhere in her mind. seems to be
attrac,ted: is this a man seeing a woman.
or just a narcissistic
rmpulse assoclated with a particular male
character, Narcissus
0J name, belng transferred to a creature who
is now a female?
Eve w-ill find o.ut that the epitome of womanhood
Evelyn had
been. fhscinated with while he was
back in England was the
creation ol a man: Tristessa, the emblem
oT the Eternal
Feminine, has been a man who has played
the part of a woman,
quite unwittingly. Roberta Rubenstein notes
two distinct
constructions based on the realization
that each is an Other:
-..the source of Tristessa's vocation of sorrow and Eve,s
vocation of narcissistic sexuality is the
deeper recognition that

"t;;t; ;;; ;ri,i;;;",

139

AUlhorship and Idcn(iry in Conternporary Fiction

each is an other, an object constructed by othcrs

nrirror or in anothcr,s gaze - and not a subj6ct or

Angclil

as

in

sclf.22

Therc will follow anothcr unusual sexual relationship,

cen the man Tristcssa and the woman Eve. e,
Uotf-t hure
knorvn rvhat it means to be male and female, Aue
s".. te.setf
and Tristessa as two versions of Tiresias. The .,new
eaami,
it lvere, is secn in delicate images, as a wary unicom, asasg
vulnerable Baudelairean albatross. The union
Uet*ee, the Lo
results in "rhc great platonic hermaphrodite,, (l4gr,
;ko
annihilating time and space, un
.ruUing
"*p..rrion
language: "speech evades language.
"f,p"..t
How can
I hnd words the
cqu,ivalent of this rrute speech olflesh as we
folded or.r"lu",
within a single self rn the desert',(16rd
)
Carter avoids happy-endings and closure, and
Eve, after
Tristessa's brutal death at the hands of some u 'too
.*t-lrnut.
chauvinist pigs" will look back, not in anger, at
the j;s; us
the origrn olher new identity, and forward-s, in
unti"ifution of
new cxperiences. She sees herself going lower, into
a sort of
temporal maze and tunnel, immersed in fresh water,
very cold
and then.very_hot, through the liquid of the matemal'*orib,
alt
bctr.r

thc rvay to the "amniotic

further

sea',I

of primordial time Uri-ut_

further backwards or further forwards?

The chances and hazards of identity: lyise Children

The 1991 novel, Angela Carter,s last, may be read,
due its
complerity, in a variety of ways. Readers can see it as
last will
and lestamcnt, as a swan song showing the author,s powers
having reached their top of artistic
or,
u, u
"*"i11"n"",
"u.'n,

'

Roberta Rubenslein. "Intersexions: Gender Metamorphosis

in Angela
Catter's The Passion of New Eve and Lois Could,s Sea -Cirrril.T"U^

Studies in Women's Lirerature. Vol.l2:1, 1993.

140

p.l

Il.

Car

tcr

of

rcconciliation tr,ith ... Iitcrary patriarchy. In hcr

othcrwise very pcrccptive article on Catci.s novei, Beth A.
Boehm suppods all of thc abovc reaciiuqs (inciucling, most

sod

importantly, thc Iast):

it her most Lrnabashcclly joyful novcl bur, like the

l/r'.sc Childran, at iilcgitinrate dauqhter rvho seeks
rcconciliation and ackno *,ledgnrent lronr her iather, a larnous
not only is
narrator

ol

Shakcspcarcan actor, Carter sceks and finds reconciliatron

with that most mi thic of lite rary lathers in l[ise Chiltlren, the
Swan of South London meets thc Su,an of Aron.rl

Boehm mentions some very imporlant coordinates of Carter,s

discourse, or rather, olthc nan-ator and protagonist olthe book,
Dora Chance. Ho*. these issucs are dealt ri.rrh. rvhether a sort

of reconciltation is dcsircd and/ or achieved. are difficult

questions to answer, and this is probably what any writer

hcr salt and canonical slatus \\ ishcs.

wofili

. . Thc novel appcars to take shape as Dora Chance, the

twin sister of Nora, defines herself, on tne particular day in her
life, in relation to a nirmber ol people, placls and event; in her
-her
Iife and in the life ol rnembers of
highly problematic
family, in her intcraction with these, as well airvith^lriends and
acquaintances. Shc is currently rvorking on her memoirs,
she
says, and researcltin_s ,arnily history.
The parlicular day is April 23.d, rvhich happens to be
.
not only Shakespeare's day and St George,s (the pairon
saint of
England), but also Nlelchior Hazard,s birthdav. On this
particular day (probably set in 1990), the grcat
Shakespearean
actor turns 100, and so rvould his trvin brothcr peregrine
if he
were still alive (he has been reported missin.-r
lor sJme time).
The saint and the abovc-mentioned men rvill
te closely linked
and associated with patriarchal imperial Britain (peregiine
will
x Beth
A.Boehm. "lllise Chiklren: Angela Carter,s S\ran Song,,.
Review of Contemporury' Ficlion. \,o1.
l4: 3, i991, p.E1.

14t

I,e

ALrthorship

a d I(l(--ntity in (__ontenrporary Fiction

occiip)/.a spcciar posirion,. though).

In that mare-dorninated
\iorld, is ir any trse menrionin;that
,h;;-i, ;;;; ,1"."'"ro

Nora's birthday?
There rvill be lots of othcr rveli_planned
coincidences,
'u,J'
doirblcs. trvins, disqr-rises, unexpected
oppor;tiorrr,
;u."
rt t,Jcrs rrray not ir1 lyjlllpp lo accepr
.c,-.nr all
,,,, that.
,i,j,, What
,r,"^.',I'lll
.i
if
all
thrs rs
r..,,,_r..

-_.-^r,

book's intensel;, irtertexrual ,".U:'Wirt

if
r,i(',tJy clcar-errl oppositiuns u.ill
be
deco.nst;;;1. ",
,"
, r ,. ,:lo\tstructul.alist lasltion,.,
Ir all stafts rvith the title proper:
who are the rvise
': ,-.r in ll/ise Children?
A saying, *f,i.fl *if f i.
i .r'i.riiri.c Hazard, goes;, .,It,s
"""i.i U,
a wisl child ,hr;-k";;;;;*,
i:tirii...." Thc ad<iition is also usefui: ,.fr*
*ir..l.i ,fr.'Lifr*
.r ho knorvs his
orvn child,,.2a Apparently, the
wise children are
Dor.a. an d
ra : they are ilr" il. g, ri.nuii'ao;r;;".'r:
.No
il"r:'*.*
rr, o[. Me ictiror
HrzarJ. rvrro
n.,",
lhenr ercrr a. such. pcregrinc. 1r',
hrs trvin brothcr, has playcd the
at'ti.crionrre. adverturous ana pirgrim
irii.i."?rij,J.rJrr,,
traveiling alt ovcr the rvorld,

o";;;;l;iil:.

:'11;

;{i;'i;ii;'*ij.Ir.o

'

;fi;ir;-;;;i;r:'?i.l"l"o

:::I']i":t.

tuming Lrp unexpccredty. mysreriousty

.

orsirppeunnB afienvards, broke

at timr,s and illrhy ,i.f-l
trmes.

,i'oin".

will be other sets of children, usually

twins,
will be questioned.---Are' ni.rcili-ano
Peregrine themselves the sons
of Ranulph, ;,1"'i"rralr,
Ihlher'
There

*'hose "wisdom',

ol- the Hrzard Shakespeare rheatre

dynasty in the
Victorian age? Whar abour
Melchior.. i*f , Or"f,i"rr., ll.i.,"
and imogen? Aren,t they peregrine,s
other questions and prov isiona
,u

ir

","",g".

il

il',' ;:::l

I Angelr
Ca(cr. lt/ise Chitdrt:n t tqS
s,u..q,""i p"e",,.i:;;:i;J,:::1,,
o
bod) ol rhe

lexr.

a*gh,.., iirt"riZTi_"
r.J;
i,*r"J5l"lrr.T.T:l,
i,, ;";

London: vinrage. ree2. n 71

this edition will be included
in the

An,qcla C.arter

challenged or undenlincd at the very

end, in a roller_coasrcr

succc5sioll olstrrlrr isg. .rrrpri.c irrcitJcrrt:

On.^.o: easily get lost in the maze of

the strange,
bervdv' ( anti)romantic ro.*,i"",'u
.oi. *",
1"1]:::'::.!1,.'..il'
lo KCCp sale
enjoy

the ljctional

ridc ts to focus on the

ccnrrilr path ol-and
ldentity dcfinition, although its heroine,
Dora, as
is r hunrble nna u:rurginoiMis N"U"av
X:,1.1r^l::jll,,',sisrer,
tor tosl ol lhe clrlracters around.
The process of idcntity definition
starts with a question,
lollorved.by an answcr: ..e. Why is
I ondon f ,l. grdrt";ti A.
Eccilrrse rt ls two cilres dividetl
bv a river..( l). Wjth London,

like *'ith England as a rvhole for a

rvhile, ii ir,fr"-Ii"..i..
between the Norlh and thc South,
the'poor'r"J ifr"'-d"f-r
districts. Dora and Nora Chance.
the illegitirnate auugn*.r,
49 Rard_Road (orrc of rhe fir,r
ironii ,rrofiru:on!'*,,r-,
IJ:21
).
x ron. s w2. while rhe .,rcspecrable,,
Hazards
:j:Ilp^.:,r.
arc to De tound.y.r
"on the rishr side
ofthc tracks,,. Holvever, Nora
quickll remarks that cleir-cut ai.tir.tion,
,." n"i irl"ir'," U.
preserved even at this level: ,.Once
upon a time. ,o,i
mrkc, r crudc di.,rincrion...l...l
"orfa
tr,

;;:;;';;,rlin",rr",

stay the sante"(/6r.1.

).

,"

Dora and Nora are ,,on the rvrong

side of the tracks,, in
more rvays. thrn one. it appears.
The nanlator introar..r'ii.r"rr
.l.un.", and rvelcomes the narratee
or reader to the
:i^::.,
4uuv
u-Ilrentroned srde. She iq
lully aware ofthe lact that she, a
to teil the srory of her life in
relation to the more
S,1.1:::,n::
r [ustrrous Hazards:
I, Dora Chance, in the course
of assembling notes towards my
n.autobiography, have inadyeftentfy
fr.i*. ti" lfr."ri"f
,l: Iiazards. atrhough I
".
rhini
i;;,';r-;;;;;; ,,
1.1-?,1
"houtd
as publ.icly unrcknorrtedged
B"
by thc re.r ot rhe
::.]]":]l
ulrrasry as my brological
career has doni for not onlv are Nora
u, q. *
l. -r have a I reidy . l,r
a pillar olthe
iegir. lhL,arre...(t l)
ow

y;;;;;;r"'#:;:'r"iilJ;,"

142

t43

ALrtlrorslrip and ldcntity in Conlemporary l;iction

Angela Carter

Slt. l\itows sirc was born i;r the house at thc Brixton address
tltr.!- qraricrs of a century ago, to the day. T'hc twins defjne
thcnrsclvcs first in relation to a pcrson they call Grandma

Ille.qitinracy will gradually erncrqe as a dcfining feature

characters as rvcll, thus acquiring thematic
other
lbr
st'atus in a
dazzling and confusing play of identities ai difference. As Kate

(rathr-r than to a rtother they kncw, who gavc birth to them and
brouqht them up, and a father who left a sumame and a certain
iegacl'. matcrial and otherwrse).

Webb notes,
legitimacy,..

Dcra's suntame reminds us that she navigates by chance,

lacking normal advantages (let alone the rich entitlementmoney, Oxford, unlimited nurture [...]Dora, a chorus girl of
iliegitinrate and myslerious birth, may be descended fionr a
famous family of Shakespearean actors, but she has been
raised in a seed.y quarter of Brixton by a retired prostitute with
a heart of gold.ri

Thc cornplicated ode to illegitimacy will also includcs

more impofiant stanzas. The story goes that the hit_and-run
father. Melchior Hazard, was a young man who was to become
the most famous Shakespearean actor of the 20th century, the
son of the most famous Shakespearean actor of the previous
one, Ranulph Hazard. This is how Dora ironically comments
on the connection to the great man: .'We are his natural
daughters, as they say, as if only unmanied couples do it the
way nature intended"(5 ).
25

Carol McGuirk. "Drabble to Carter: Fiction by Women, 1962_1992,.in

John J. Richetti et al, eds. Thc Colunbia History ofthe British Novel. New
York: Columbia University Press, I994. p.963.

144

it is

also

celebration

of the vitality of.

otherness".26

As the narrative uniblds, it appears that an unlbrlunate

yoilnq woman, rvhose ide'ntiiy is unkrown, called ,,pretty
Kittv". gave bil1h to the trvin daughters and died. The babies
u,cre adopted by the lady owning 49 Bard Road at thc time,

who tells this story to Nora and Dora. insisting that they should
call her "Grandntother". Her surnamc is Chance. One will start
r.r'ondering soon rvhcther it rvould have been safer for Dora to
be a Hazald than a Chance:

"llise Children [...] not only challenges

Was it - against all expectations _ a chance for Nora

and
Dora to be adopted and raised by Grandmother Chancc, and
how hazardous is it to be a Hazard, or to be associated with

one?

It will become obvious that the Brixton world of the

is a
underprivileged, largely fatherlcss realm,
.poor,
romantic
where
illegitimacy reigns supreme, and loyc stories
have.unhappy endings. Illegitimacy uili not keep a very low
profile lor long in the .,other', world, either.
Nora and Dora, and their goddaughter Tiffany, are
associated with the more modest, and more iazardous ,,ro.ld
of
dubious and cheap entertainmcnt, and are put at risk by
members of the influential Hazard dynast1.. At tie beginning
of
the novel Tiffany, a beautiful _ and noiiceably
i..grnit _
yoyng *oT1n (fathclless daughter herselt) is reported
missing
and fcared dead. Has she commited suicide because
35_yearold Tristram Hazard, a TV host, one of the twin soni (of
course!) of Melchior Hazard from his third marriage,
considers
he is too immature to assume responsibility for- a wife
and
impending baby? Won't he ,.make an honest *oman,,
of hef to
use a patriarchal phrase? A .,Carterian" answer will be
provided at the end of the novel.
A hand has been held out over the great divide, an
invitation has been extended to the twins. For"the
first time in
their 75 years (each) of existence, Dora and Nora
have been
a
their father's (and theirs, but nobody seems to know)
llr.i,:d
birthday party. The text of the invitation from
Sir Melchior
Chances

ft

[1*

*"00. "t".,ously

Funny: wise Children" in Earton, ed. op.cir.,

145

Aulhorship and Identity in Contemporary

Fiction
An,!cla Ctrter

Ilaz.ard (the ntan has been knighted

for his dedication to Great
Shakespeare and Great Britain)
ends
Shakespeare, Jaques's rvords in
As you
t]"""nar"
his -l inre plays N1any parts',.

,ri;i;;";;;;;;;-.n
2,f"7;

The old actor will contcnt

rvith the parl ol Ilanrlet,s
lather's ghost. Estella wiil .hinrself
b.-.,,.."rrr.,I
,",
only on_the stage. She will bc. found
b, ;" ;;,;,;;;.; R,ir,in ,,
bed with a handsome Amerrcan
orj

l,

progrcsses; ancl rhe trme fbr

the birthday
,,j:,jn.:^:orel
or.tws
rrearcT,
Iri,rty
sonte ol'lhe f,arls Mclchior has plrryed
",.,,,.,
his iong tife will bc evoked. The i""n.^ir.l-.tjrijrir. in
You Like 1t rvili be includctt in
a very tigh,;;;;;;;;*o.O of
Shrkespeare scenes, motit!, themes:
tJve
rllusron, a game. tliscasc. thc confusing
".
,""n., frojr.J"rrr"
Uy
succcssions of trvins, doubles,
characle^
air*Jr".
Shakespearean comedies
p,ouia" ifr.'
f,.
addrriorr.ro As lou Lrke lr. ir wilt
a" i:ii*i^i,li"i,rn,,,
DrtLttn Lhil rriil le ccnrral lo the pcrodic
wcb). but l{amlct and
King Latr will rlso bc used, ,"
d"*riU.-r"a-ian]ffi;, ,,
typical. Carrer slylc, parrirrchy
in Shakespeare'"r1 "rn' ,fr"
Hrzards' Iilcs. bur rlso the use
of the Swan ofAvon as an
impoftant component of the British
i_p-irli.r li.."*r."i"r"
should not forget that Carter was
a confirmed Socialist. not
only a chance poststructuralist).
. Ranulph Hazard the Victorian actor had a colonialist
'fr"il".on
Shakespeare which will be
takcn
:1.1".9,
Mctchior in thc 20n cenrury. Dora
"".r-U,
d"..-;;; ,;;;;
tlrrarir" it
much, though:

pair dead and wiit then

c6mp1i1 suicide. Th";; ;;";"".y

rndicatior thar the t\\,ins that Estclla
ir.,i g;;"r';;;; to n." no,
They rviri be separared lbr
iir.vhilc rry ii,.'ilgi.
.-l:l:lltl', and reunited
clrcunrstances
Iater in lit_e. p...gri"""rrlil U"
brought up in America ar
rvilr pray
Ameiican i"r", i,ir,. u.^.X,lril,,il
Ranulph had olavet't anothei ,,iatriarchal,,
role with
Estella bclorc they gor mrrrred:
he hrj b..n-f]rn t"l, the
young wonran _ Cordelia. !\,hether
Meichior is . *?.. .liia
i:
impoftanr for the trmc being,
:ot l9t
bur he will follow ".
a
Ranulphian scenario when he
nrariei rr;.' ,r".i, ' ,#,.r.r,
younger u.ile: likc his lathcr
playing King Le;;';";,; ;,;rr"
wife Estella playing C.ordelia,
Nlelchior and his future third
wrfe will ptry thc rotes and rau
rn 1""; _
.:,a*,rs.ion conrbined u.irh an ";i;;r;;;.,.ii_ *,,,
unconscious desire to
9^:l:._ll
contrnue the family Shakesneare
epic/ tragedy? i;;;l;
rrrsr.. IS evr
;,y
indicarion rlrar carter i, rbnd., ,,i;;"";::;,
BrrJ's
carlv
conredres
rr,rn or

,,

*iff

;;';;;;,
*
*Ui"r..

He.was half mad and thought he

had a Call. Now he saw the
entire wortd as his missionield

f...f *^.;;;r;;;;,n,i.L*,
,il ;;
w..a
";;;.;r"r"ii.
his wite IEstella] and
;;d;,i::l F".
hakespeare

imperative,desire,.lo spread
overseas. Willy_nillv. off

.r,iroren lMei,irio;

*r,... sr,or...f"u..

;;,";liTllir;

J[1; l]

ji*

As a result of his missionary_imperialistic

zeal, when
old rnd now. unfir ro play the pnnce
ol.Denmark, Ranuloh will
pass Hrmlet's part

y"r"g.r'*if.,'f.i"il;l;,
bi6;k;;p;;;

on to his much
America desperately asks to be
ovir_hJmed

t46

;,,fi;,;;,,all
R;J;;";rili""i *"

l:l:.

tess

*,..,,

rr" r,rg.;i;,.,ii. ij;;;:-;r.the

il:,]HlA,Tffi Ifi ,J::;:k;

in rhe novcl. *fr;f"

symprtherr:c.;;;;;i;

rfr.

fu,r.i-p#;i. l;:;;r,
oi;;;;";. ",.
-whoo'ri."r,

l.r_td.ilRerialrsn:
srtualrons..
celebrare exubcrance and
the mixing

Aidan Day is one of the

critics
connecion that Carter hiotliigl15^2n6

,n"

;"ri;;.,";;]rgi.n,

and Sha kespeare,,

o ith.
". r/,r,r ursLuufse: _,lhe novel is about the wayon.
:tngllii';;l::::ll:::,r1".1r&,
in which
i1fi --."

rsh i mperia i ism and

pa I ri

arcf,r rrp."*ri"i'l;,
'*l-g."i,,1""u.o
i, ir,"iJ

and cast him as a lounding

nry,r,

27

i,il:;r.

"*"

Aidan Day.

and yew

,,,r.lu Co*. T,n ro

york ri,^"r,_,.,'u,iii:"l,lJ?,iil,i;;r:Ji,-rT.
t17

Manchesrer

;\uthorship and Identity in Contelrporary Fiction

Likc his father, Mclchior is kccn on conquering the

worid with Shakcspcare. LIe will go to the heart of the country
of dreams and make-bc[eve. Amcrica: Hollywood. An
American fihn producer lvhom everybody calls Genghis Khan
wanls Mclchior the actor and peregrinc thc scriptw.riter to
pe rfonr a meaa-production of A Midtlsummer
Niglir,.s Dream.
'I'ire dreanr
does not comc true, but N{elchior will ieave his first
wife and marry Genghis Khan's Delia (maidcn name, Daisy

Duck). This is how Dora places the event within thc context of
hcr natural father's re-conquest of the former colony:

I think he thought that hc vras marrying, not into Holiyu,ood

bLrt Hollywood itsell, taking over the cntire factory. rhus
acquiring control of the major public dreaming facility in the

r.rhole rvorld. Shakespeare,s revenge for the iVar of

lndcpendence. Once N4elchior was in charge olthis lal.,Lrlous
ntachine, he would bestride the globe ( I4g).

Melchior rvill roam the globe with his fabulous

tireatrical machine, and Nora and Dora will occasionally be
tolerated as marginal, minor figures in the glamorous cast.
Their careers will be in the music-halls and strip shorys, as
pretty, lar from memorable, hoofers.
_ They rvill not only bear the unfavourablc conscquences
of^ their "othemess": not being male, not being Hazards, not
being high-culture, serious Shakespearean actre;ses. They will
also play, and occasionally (and temporarily) benefit from the
... "identicalness" of their identiry. They do not have to define
thcmselves in relation to their father as origin, but each in
terms of not being the other twin. However, when they find it
necessary, they will play at being each other, thus deceiving the
others, making the most of what would have been their inost
vulnerable feature. It is a trick by means of which the two
women aiso defy their being defined by patriarchal structures,
as Michael Hardin observes:

148

Angelu Ctr tcr

ln

l4'ise Cthildrcn bcinc au itientical t\\,in is onr

ofthc primary
l,hicir the icntale charactcr rcnrovcs hersell fronr the
defining domain ol the patriarchal strIclure tirrough tire
blurring of her selL Nora and Dora Chlncc are conscious of
their comrnon individuality, and lhc-v dircct cYents to conlLrse
thcir public or external identities at the saIne timc that they
rvays by

affirm and define their personll or individLral identitics.rs

Dora and Nora look the sarne. but the lornler is thc
reticent,
the latter the ntore anlorous and oLrtgoing. The
more
reticcnt one will claim to be Nora, when she falls in iove rvith
her sister's innocent lover (Nora, tbr herself, is not crazy aboul
him). Dora will, for one evening and night, ar.rd witir Nora's
acceptance, borrow her sister's perlumc, idcntrty and lover,
wtthout tlre young man noticing or ever knou.ing it. She rvill
then, dutil'ully, return the gift, although shc s,ould like to kecp
the boy forcver. IIer sudden identity transfontlation dclights
and amazes her:

smellcd tire unfamiliar pcrfumc on nty skin ancl lell

voluptuous. As soon as they startcd to call me Nora, I found

that I could kiss thc boys and hLrg the principals rvith gay
abandon because all this came quitc naturirlly to her. To me,
no.... Now I was Nora, rvho uas alraid oi nothing providcd it
was a man (84).

Dora claims that, while shc is writing hcr mentoirs in order to

see rvhere she comes from and where shc is going, she will be
inexorably be drawn into the story of the far ntorc important
patriarchal clan of the Hazards. Her cngagentent with the
revered lather and everything he is associated rvith, although
highly incverent up to a point, combines parody and irony wilh
celebration and admiration. The complex attitude seems to
parallel Carter's position conceming the patriarchal literary
18

Michael Hardin. "Thc Othcr Other: Self-Definition outsidc patriarchal

Institutions in Angela Carter's,Wise Children'. The Reviev" of
C o n t e n po / a r!- F i c t ion. Vo lume 1 4 : 3, I 99 4, p.7 7.

149

Aulhorship artrl Idcntitv in Cortcmporxry

Fiction

tradition, pafticularl).

her

Shakcspcarc.

complex attitLrde

Angela Carlcr

toryards

'Ihe birrhday
party scene close to the cnd of the
rl:1natr\/c conllrnts Dora and Carter,s
ntixed attirudc in ll,lic
toscrhcr parhos and thrcc, n,"roaro,rro, i.""v
*',
J
.11i,1]-:]ll
il, I
;rn(l_
.

to

cul,tptssior. Dora, lbllowing in Caficr,s foctsteps,

secms
lrave rc'ld I]utchcon,s The p.)liti(.s ,/ p"r;";;;;;;irrn,

of 1 i-irr.s beforc. The ,rrru,o, o.-l".ul.

r\rsc cn d ctlitracter ,,both legitimizcs
and subverts that
rvhich it parodies,"2e patriarchal aititudes.
Thcre u,ii U. if,. Uy
no\\ stclcotypical, parodic, but touching momcnt
castinp, one
ce ntr, rr.rri:tn Lcrr asking lbr
forgivencss fron, t*.o ZSlV.,ir_old
1ublishe1l., q..co1rple

Cordcli.rs.

l here rvill be tears and joy, recognitions

Lrnexpected

and

romarce. 1t looks Iike camival tintJ, o,ra

o*],,
remindcd of somc other canrivalesque
ritl.,utiorr-i""ifr. i"""1,
ntany involving peregrinc, Melchior,s
U.oti,... iii_ii.l, o
carnival", h..
thinking and saying. Do.o, ;h;.irgt;;;.,,
f.?r
peregrine that
vrcws, reminds
the carnival to, to ,6p,-aoa"
time: "You listen to the news, that,ll
taf.c ttre smiie iiflou.
hce"(222)..Thc camivat rs justu,t,o.t
una U"rr,iii ili",'*i,ir,
onry cnables non_camivalesque, oppressive
discouises
to
"^rA
cndLrrc, giving. the oppressed temporary
pr(lsure, the lllusron ot' frecdom. The
"*ufa.""..
carnival
is there, but
thcre are obvious signs that the grandeur
of th" Hurn.ds is un
rne wine. lo owtng in the lootsteps
ofa post_colonial Ensland.
Horvever, Dora and Nora will enjoy
.
the *rr"ir, ?i,i"
realizr how young they
i,
is.
ilr.v ,r"."
-.
:^a{and,:,itl
,f.: beginning of rhe day. Now, seeing
"i"*
:1",,::,]lli!li:
", stjll alive, they
rnerr centenarian iathcr
realize they still have at
least a quafter of a century to go. .Ihey
will feel more than

lil

'Iind,

Hutcheon. The politics of postmo.lemism.

London: Routledge,

natural daughters for a Iittle rvhiie, Dora rviil also experiencc,

alter a iong:rbsencc, intense physical love in very u,,.^p".*.d
company. What they learn, guess or suspect in the end
rrray
nrake thenr even less wisc than at thc bcginning of
thc da}. Do
they. really knorv norv, al.ter Melchior icknori,ledges
the:rn as
his daughtcr-s rvho thcir father is,l And r.vhat their rJlationship
is
rvith_an alleged nrysterious nrother and an equally
etrsi"e s'ett_
proclaimed Gr:andmorher? It rvill appcar tnai
tlrey *if i l,r"fly
define thcmselves in relation to unexpected people,
not to
matemal or patemal .,origins of identitv,l as it *e.".'
By a providentiai gesture. *itl, Clr., smiling hall_
ironically in the backgrouid, Oo.o and Nora will
tum into
s.eptuagenarian adoptivc mothers, gcrting
back homc happily
drunk and pushing a pram wirh,*o-r,
..ibrb,., o. iif.t[il,"g
away,
as
Celesrino Deleyto desc"ribes
l]:a,], iid .patriarchy
ot. dancing, srnging and laughing,,, and the
..T-", 1n.,n",,y9
{tcnrrtc).iaUghtcr wirh a simultancou\l) cr(ali\e
^:ijr,.lllt,r,
and
destructtve force".,', No rvell_behaved
angels in Carrer,s
last novel?
newly acquircd pram accommodates three-month,, TheThe
reeder.might have got ted up wirh the large
numDer ot twins already swarming
in the novel, but these are
unusual twins within it: not ident[al
male or female, ;; o".
boy and one girl, a dcvelopnrent that
seems to foreshadow
some soft ot rcconciliation in the
battle of the sexes. These are
babres.for,the sepruagenarian twins to
U.ing ,p _ u,
(:r:^el:il
nances orland Hazrrds in

lillllll;

cn cnvironment # .u-"r,

rrd

constructed, rather than inherited,

::Iil."T, The twoassumed,
Ioentrtres.
women will be, each of them, mother and
father, and the babies will be r,,,ise
children in a worla ln rvfLicir
..We

Dele),ro.
are no
l-9r:t,l::
-g"ls o,onlon r".sus history in Angela
l.anet s luke Childrca" in
Susana Onega

ed.

Tclltng Htstories.

Historici:ikg Lirerature.
f;1?11!t,11yf-n*,rries.
r\uuopr. ty9), p. lg0.
150

l5l

Ari.rsterdam and

Attanta:

Cirrhanr Srvift

Authorship and Idcntit) in Contcmporary I;iction

they u.ill have learnt that beautiful is as bea ilul does, that you
imagine and make y'oursclf', rathcr than you are, a father,

mother, male

or

femalc child, an authorial rcader or

an

ar,rthorial daughter.

Chapter 5

SMALL PEOPLE, THE }IAGIC OF THE ORDINARY ANI)

THE MYS'IERIES OF HISTORY:
GRAHAM SWIFT

From "mimetic representation" to "performative

historiography"
Graham Swift's literary career has already spanned a qulrter of
a century, since the publication of his first novel, Thc Swee!Shop Owner (1980). tt came as the natural continuation ofthe
earlier fomrative years of a bright suburban boy, the sou of a
civil servant. Graham Srvift, those who have read ll'aterlttnd
and who have been impressed by the author's thorough
knorvledge of the Fens rvill be surprised to find out, rvas born
in 1949 in Catford, South Lontlon, attendcd a good public
school bcforc hc went 10 Canibridge, where he read English (he
graduated in 1970). Norv the surprisc is somewhat dispclled:
the Fens, the haunting setting in Ll'aterland, lie east ol
Cambridge. It is also significant that the setting for his most
highly critically acclairncd lasl Orders is South London.
Swilt's ultimate recognition as the worthy recipient of
the 1996 Booker Prize for Last Orders is the culmination of c
creative journey whose landmarks are such novels as
Waterland and Ever After, where the recuperation of liistc\ry in
various, sometimes contradictory forms, features prominently.
However, history and realism in thc trlo novels arc ratiter the

152

153

___-___I
Airthorship and Identity
in Contemporary Fictjon

''stulf thc
aurllor,s dreanls are nlad:
on,.. ..Serious questions
narratlve historl. and
of
ficti
'arch,eoiots)'
... \verc .n
rn)r\orrrnr parr of rire .*r".,:111
M;ricolm rr.uurr,'ai.J^lT'1,"' tirc Lightics novcl". 53y5
lhe dccadcr Hc secs in
r'ririn.r of rhc p"ri;; ;;il;l'g
thc
l fomrs, ro a
convenrronarizcd riterariness ',:.,1r:
, ]: _:*d,,lona
ol purc historical
o,
..,,,in-,"n,ri
1,"
:,.,,.ur.
nni,
'..crc,rtron
rin," . gooo irr,,,ilJ;'ji;"rtfli.,,l,fJin'. writing or rhar

.o'

ll'X,",;f

;iilg:$

ist voices hrvc c Ia morousiy

of history". as rrctt as

"*,il'
orne,rriy
;;"''il1;'::"i":ilto adopt a more discreer
"'.o,;;;,
srance. even
i,tr,,i ,ir,-",,.r,

I:':'::':
dtsplav "po-mo"

tendencies'
di,lcn,i; ;;f :
thar c.nrrccrs him ro
po.rmodenr ,"0.
rhe
I li,.'
rhar has been secn as
ch;rracrcrisric
",rli.1it-l':lO
a
W)ii)7iL^realism
rrrrrucnce ol (iebriel
Rnor hc,

Marquez (novel prrze,

iilr;;"'

Carcia

authors rs Ansela
cartcr rnd c,.r',J'
s'in
t:o:l
Inlo
I odri eoes ,. ,;,.
'" rwrtl accoLrnt. Rich;rd
'"Xilll'',"'l''n
"-.",^''.1:
*
as a maqii' realist
"conlidcace rri.ky
.;;rr";'
plaving uith. rhr.ranino
cxpccrarions
"rr.'

ill

bas.d on

;l#r:i:::9
representation:

rs of ntagic realisn piay

confidence tricks on
re.roers, drslro*i"" ,,._ *,their
srraigh I ronvard claint
i.
or the
r.rriii;
"'";i,..,, T:::
'","' happencd
shc
he is nar*ting
acrually
i;';';:,"'j:: . "n.'t worldorrelated
ru rhe one
NJ rra ro

',.1r"* ti"",,r"r,j. ;":;:T::"t''c realist na.rato. disto.ts

rhe very idea ,t
"#irn, #]le-magicsvncreticallv' asking the
reader io belieuel';;:i.il:-"p:i.t:s
.u, b".,bu.n.j l;;;
or- things
'"g".

#[:;n:,j;f Hlf

IBradbury,

l;ii[|fl#

M. rhe Mocern Btirish

Novet. London:secker

& warburg,

[ffi:31;^,;r:TiiK"[:"]fi l" j::..1e;romrativeHistoriography:

'ffMordecii
and
I1'ffi.,:"'xii::ffi,.,,:l,"ii:ff
s *i rt. e"t..'cu'."y,
j:, 9f |.1
r"il.ilr'iil,.*,Y:^,
T,,.,...1y
, d s ano Lols
parkinson
-{{l1':;#iH'"'.%x..:i,
^,",,,".,;

Zamora, cds.

ts4

Grahanr Swift

The

teginnings of a Srvi{lean forrnula:

Tlie

Sweer_Slrcp

Richard Todd goes on to ellgatse

..nlrrativc
tnckcry.,,
-a; with

"performar i ve

storiography,,

"r.p;"r.;;;i;,

identitl," in. among Ith.r'nou"ls,

"i'.",,o"^,
-l.he
Swrft,s Waterlantl.
phrases, while useful in
the rcading oi the nouel ,frui _ua"
Swift famous, are of lar Iess relevanlce
a
U""f., Ur'fri.,
such as his debut novcl, Tlv
Sweet Sn"p ",fr".
Oar,,,ni."i'ilii.
ino
book^contains some of the
fcatures tl]at rvill be enrblematic
of
the
lornrulrr, accounting fo, Ootir,Swjftean
;;;;;;il";"d
weaknesses
Like sorne
",' of the subs
,i,j
r., t,.,
;
;;;:X;'j,,Xl::1::5f J, ilff
"ot
marn.localiser of the narrativc. pursuing
,fr" ,ru.r.,,
experience in the lives
of far trom ;";;;
o

i;;

il:

;:";i; ;,il';.J",r.",
and Kazuo rshisuro, a sood
Llj-lt^l:ln':.orcoc,..upations.
",r/,,u ur Jwtrt s. l.aving undcrtakelr a ,imilar
lJr*.y ii ni,
most celebrated novels, is
perccptive
enough to

;te:

for depth of emotions and he doesn,t

[e [Swift]-goes
like to
show
off. He goes into rl

r,,,*"*i.,*#;J'ft
think thar he tooks

J,i:,.ff i,li;.,:*f J;;'J:,11?.",:,:l

fr. th. d;s;;;y-il;r""*;,;;,1"

ordinary, drab, almostdefeated

j'
liies.

Magical Realisnt.. Tl,"rry.

Uriversiry press, tois,o

11,.1,,,-]-_*_l
n*,-_ NC:
coDthtulti^'. Durham,
^- Duke
ioi."""':"

f:U*ly:t.*,Ul;:ff

l:;:li: ;;mr, ;;n,

i55

rh e G

xa

r d i a,,

.\uthorship and Idcntity in Contt,mporrry I..iction

Su,jtl's first novcl bcgins r.r,ith a puzzling phrasc lor thc

protaconist and for the rcadcr alike; .,ln thc end...,,. William
Chapman- thc swcelshop orv;rer, has received a note from his
daughter-, Dorothy. She has rcceived 15,000 poLrnds, she thanks
him for the rtroney, she thinks that it rvould probably be better
if shc didn'r come. He will sec, shc says, that she is right. 1n
the entl. lt uill tum out, at the end of thc noi,el, thatlhis rs
Chapman's last day, so will hc see anything rvorth secing on
this very special day? What will follorv rvili be an attemft to
capture the point ofmany elusive issues, the meaning of nis
:O_
year marria<c, the relationship to his daughter giving the
substance of his quest.
Ruth Franklin, in her review ol Swill,s latest book. Iie
Light of Dar (2003), discusscs the paradoxical challenge the
writer choosing to tell "thc story of a day,' faces, having to
bring together something really spccial and the routinc qua'lity
ofthat special day:
The writer rvho confincs his novcl to the space oI a single day
faces a paradox. The day that hc chooses must be soitehow

extraordinary in the lives of his characters, a day not like all

the others, so as to justify its selection. But it mJst also be. in

some \\ ays, a da1, just like all the othcrs, because it bears thc

burden ol illuminating the entircty ofa lile. \\.hcn this device

is successlul, the day scems to respond to its authorial prcssurc
likc a balloon, expanding to encompass all the moments of
prcsent and past that come to bear on the cuffent action.a

In order to copc with this underlaking, the novelist has

"cheat",
to
\\'oolf s Mrs Dallowav being given as an illustrious
example. So does Slift in 7'he Steet-Shop Orvner, in the
critic's opinion:

Grahanr

Sl iti

The S*eet-Shop

Oiyrer examines lhc cour_ce of a thirty-year

maniage through thc refl.ctrons and fl.rshhccks ot tti. ii*"
character, wasting little time on the pertunctory outlines of his
routine (/rid. ).

William Chapman rvill u,ake up carly on this Jrrne day,

and rvill have the time to piece togethcr iia,entents {.ronr his
past. rvhich u.ill becomc clearcr to the reader only gradually. It
all starts rvith an attempt to undcrsrand his inability to
communicate rvith his estranged daughter. Dorothy (Dorr_v).
What went wrong'l Gradually, it rvill tunr our that the girl's
alienation is equally duc to her mother's indilference and to hcr
father's weakness. Thc dilticult father-daughter relatioltship
foreshadorvs a similar one in Out of This ll/orld. between llarry
Beech the photographer and his daughter Sophie.

As he fotds Dorry's letter, feeling the usual pain in his

chest that will probably kill him at thc end of the day, Williarn
perceives a farniliar sight, among the objects in the roonr, ,'a
shepherd and a shepherdess in eighteenth-century costume for
ever on the point offlying into each other's amts".,
The man imagines himself as one of the two porcelain
figurines, and hopcs that nothing rvill change, although the
terms of his hope arc unce(ain. Does he make a connection
between the china figurines and the figures of the young man
and the maiden, frozen by art in Keats's ,'Ode on a Grecian
Urn"? What ensues will become tvpical of some of Swift's
charactcrs in subsequcnt novels: an overwhclming number of
things will be beyond their understanding. Later in the book,
William is engaged in an imaginary dialogue \i ith his daughter.
The Keats scene recurs, the symbolism is there, but somehow
the meaning escapes the protasonist's noticc:

Ruth Franklin. "Day 1'ripper" (a rcvicw of The Light of Da.y) The Nev
Repttblic, Ilurte 5. 2003 http://www.porvells.com/review/2003 06 05.html

156
i
J

Graham Swift. The Sweet-Shop Owner(1980). New york: Vintage, t993,

p.10. Subsequent parenthetical page numbcr referenccs s ill indicate this
edition ofthe novel.

157

Authorship and Idcntity in Conrenrporary

Fiction

.r'o,r rver(.dorng
yorrr project orr Keatj itnd ovcr
1,our
I, rc,rd tinc. of vcrsc
"houltlcr
{drd you kr"*'. D;;.,.;.
i'oj*."U
,,,,,

;r*

thosc books rvhen you u,ercn,t thcre?)

rvhich

runclerstand:

dicln,t

Bold lover, ncycr, nevcr, canst ihou

kiss...(i47)

William, it tums out, is neither a ,,bold

k.lver,,,, nor does he
bccome a glanlorous Workl War
lt ,uario.,

i"f

husband or father. As Janik notes,

"".1amounts
""",f
Willy,s existence
to
of-ordered parrerns and .outines, ,.,fr.
1^llllf".:ior.
aclrvrry in lhe Hrgh Srru.el. tlrc habirs
of fri.
custonlers, the pattem ollrene.s
"rpf'"r"".'rrO
Progrcssi|e ilfrarr,
lfr,. pattaa
ol Dorry's progre5sivc est rangen tent,..n

,ri"-, ",

Irene, the womari who decided

to be his wile also

decided-on his irlentity: he rvill

be

th".o,,r.i"ntlorr"r;;;;-;"0

owncr. Flis lack ofdistinctiol r-elinds

un. of ft"
o.
Major. Major M:r1or in Catch_2),
"l,.'tuluJ
Uut, *tit"';;;;;",r:",l
wrircr's clraracrer, Srvifi.s ,..,,,";;, .; ,;;-r,:^1,.^"1: l
gradually excites
compassionandunderstandino.protagonist
. Is William, both as a itanator and protagonist at times
and as focaliser at othcr times,
supposcd to be the ccntral
presence in this novcl,J The
ritlc appears to a*ig""i"irr,'y"

n,inly seen as abiences, nruk" ;h;;ii;;;".".

l,ll;:li":.r.*,
t'lldrrr ,c sw(-et-shop owner is

Crahanr Swift.

or bargain of keeping feelings under control by ,,vell_planned

emotional distance will be maintainecl until 'Irene,s'death.
Because of the sonrething that has happened to lrenc,
the
reader.will gradually find out more, the r.vonran is firmly
determined to avoid love in the future. Willrarr Chapntan
rvill
do for her quitc nicely.

A numbcr ol things rvill be revealed, others r.vill

_
deliberately tie kept shrouded in mystery. isn,t
ieats,s
influence to be detected here as well? Sruift,s te.hnique
ol
preserving ntystery, revealing only pafts
of thc past, is
reminiscent of John Keats,s ..negativc capaUitrty,,,
*Ucfr
becomes apparent ..when man is capable of'being
in
uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without iny iuitable
,.u"hing
after fact and reason',.7 The writer who completed
fris V.a.
thesis on the city in the lgth century British
literature scems to
be under the influence ofthe Romantic poet
as rvell. H;;;;".,
d:::
it
deliberately,
his
proragonist
is closer ro ffrif,p
3"d, |r".
Larkin's
"Mr Bleaney', than to Keats'i running youth
u"J Uofa
Iover, forever young, in his ..Ode on a Grecian'Ll-;,.
H; ;;lr"
close. to young Wordsworth's experime"t,
*itfr--.irrpf"
situations and simple characters in a Lnguage ,,r"uiiy
,r"J'uy

men".

yy

what he has become because

woman, Irene, ntarries him after
a traumatic ,ffri.'*ltf, , *r"
she. chooses nor ro rnarry,
much
to
her pr;;;;;;;;;;.ir"".
rwll. many lViiliam. as -hc poses
no dangcr as l-ar as she is
conccmed. This mlrriage is supposed
,o U. u_"t"_r,_oi-i"",
,,
bargain for William: h-e rviil naturally
take it. Irene wants" to
sweet_shop shop.as a wedding
und _ooing.
llTIn the
t1l:
present.
retum, r.vhat he musi do is not
to lov'e fr". i,ri.'i?.,
a_

"Del Ivrn lanik. ..History and

rhe .H(re and Now.: Ihe Novels
ofCraham,
Swifr". Ir.r'errrrcr,4 Cetrury Liurarur..
vol.:S:f f qis.p

jbl ,f:

Chapter 3 l, William as narrator remembers

a scene

past. in a,n imaginary dialogue *ith

he ts addressing a fi.iend of his daughrer's:

,;;;, ;;.*

He.spoke deftly and fluently, crossing his

long Iegs on the sofa

and clasping his knee, and

I felt -/o*, uol"" ?uti".'*i., r

offered: .,History. Now l,ve ul*nys b"", f;;i;;t;';y
history". And I felt forlom as you looied
ut rn" ."p.ou.tirtty,
then turned your head in embarrassment
,, ,fr"
that failed to follow ( I 79).
"o^."..lrirn

i;:'"",",",,"

'M.B. Fomrun,

ed. The Lerrers

ofJor, KeaLr.

158
159

E----

hi,

London: OUp, 1935, p.72.

Authorship and Identity in Contemporary Fiction

William's long rcpresscd emotion is gradually

emerging above thc prosaic, hun.rdrum surlace of his
uneventlul existence. He is fascinated with history, both his
and the history ofthe world. In both stories, though, in his orvn
and in the more comprehensive one, he plays the extra, bowing
to the others, trying to understand what is going on, unable to
connect in a clear, definite way. The protagonist,s insertion rn
history, and its attending mysteries will recur in Woterland in a
more convincing way.

"The end of history',, the beginnings of .(historiographic

metafi ction": llaterland

Tracing the author's development, David Malcolm

notes

Waterland's return "to the grim oppressiveness of history seen

in

The Sweet-Shop Owner".8

History appears as early as the epigraph of the novel,

whose first part consists of three definitions of Historia, _ae,L:
"1.inquiry, investigation, leaming. 2.a) a narrative of past
events, history. b) any kind of narrative: account, tale, story".
The second part of the epigraph is a short quotation from

Dickens's Great Erpectations, which indicates the marsh

country where Pip's story starts (..Ours was the marsh
country"). The marsh country in llaterland (I9g3) is equally
memorable, and the various definitions of history will all be
accommodated in the novel which is beginning.

' Tom Crick, the

narrator and protagonist

is,

significantly, a history teacher. He is made to acknowledge,

from the very beginning, "the end of history,, by one of his
pupils (see Chapter 2, "About the End of History,,), although it
8

David Malcolm. Llnderstanding Craham Swift. Cofumbia: University

South Carolina Prcss,2003, p. 78.

160

of

ralram Srr i i't

ls raihcr l-crvis, thc hcadnraster

ol thc school. titat wants to put

an end to it. it is wofih noting this is lirc rimc of the ucilknown cuts in education (and ntany oth:r-thin-es), rround 1980,
satirically andT or huntoroLrsly capturcd by D;rvid Loclge and
Malcolnr Bradbury (sec Nice Work and Cuts ).
Lewis, a teacher ol physics and chcnrrsiry, considers
that Crick's subjcct has no reievance to todai. s real rvorld. Ilc
thinks that education is for and abour the furr.ire. Ihat is s.h-y,
u'hen the school has to face stalf reductions he decidcs to cut
back }Iistory. Is it only bccause he thinks tltat tlic sub.lcct is not
important or because Cnck is "a thom in his flesh", as thc lattcr
claims? The narrator being Crick hirnself, it is difticult to
assess to \yhat extent Lewis'decisron is unjustified. Readers
have to draw thc necessary conciusions, liltering and weighing
the narrator's comments, his version of thc story/stories.
The bcginning of the novel is ntade in a tonc *ltich
solne may find excessively sentintental, but * hich convcys the
narator's father's vieu,s concerning the primor-diai innocence
of man, hor.vever depraved:
"And don't forget", my lather u.oulC say, as il hc expected me
at any moment to up and leave to seek n)) fortunc in the rvide
world, "whatever you learn about people. howevcr bird they
turn out, each one of them has a heart. and each one of them
was once a tiny baby sucking his rnother's mrlk..."e
Some of the people will tum out realiy bad in a convoluted plot
blending various stories and histories wiih an unmistakeable
Faulknerian (and Marqucsian?) imprint, r here madness,
violent death, and inccst affect the Iives of several gcnerations
of the two related families, the Cricks and the Atkinsc.'ns. It is
much more than about solitude, and the tinre span is ntuch
more than cien

os.

Graham Swift. ll/aterland (1983). London: Picador. I 992, p. 1. Subsequent

parenthetical page number relerenccs will ir:dicate this cdition of the bock-

r6l

Authorsliip anJ Icleutity in Contcnlporar\ Fjction

lor the time being, thc readcrs wili sec a slice ol

curcnt history, featuring Tom and his wife N.{ary, who appear
to have bcen behavins strangely lately. The history teacher
fecls.nrole and more teulpted to mix history and fairy_tales rn

his classes- Born and brought up in a lock-keeper,s c;ttage, by

the riyel Lcen, in the ntirldle of thc F.cns, Tom Crick is
obsessed by thc story ol his native lanrl, of his idiot brother
Dick, of his parents and lorebears, the hunrble Cricks and the
more anrbitious Atkinsons.

The novel unlolds as Tom's prolonged monologue

about'-rlrand llistory" and about his family,s itory in lroniof
his pirpiis - or at least what the teacler imagines in a
problcmatic tlialogue as monologue with them. ThJar-rdience _

the pupils and the readers - may rvonder, as the story begins,
rr'fy the history reacher's field is graclually nooaed by f4itasy
and u hy Tom's rvit'e hls just tried an astonishing thing:
to steal
a baby and to claim aftenrards that God mide h-er do it.
Fxplanations may bc lound as one progresses through the
book, as the narrator leads his audience lnto the past: in
an
attempt to unravel some of its mysteries. Crick,s erratic,
eccentric behaviour may bc shmgged off with a smile.
but tt
evinces. a broader unde(aking, wider than Crick,s
antics, an
undertaking which Georgc Landorv assesses in all earnestness:
...as Tom Crick, the secondary school teacher of histon.,,vho
is Swift's protagonist, seelc an explanalion of how his
iife has
tlrmed out, he tells his storJ, but as he does so, Ile
finds that he
must also tell the stories of the fens and of his
ancestors rvho

lived thcre. In the course of telling his story, their

story, he
questions why we teil stories to ourselves ind
our chilOren,

how the stories vye tell relate to those lound in literafure

and
history, and what these stories teli us about selves, ou...lu..
[...]the book, is in part a detective story. It ls also the story ol
trvo families, of an entire region in England, of
England dom
the industrial revolution tr: the present, of technolJgy
and its

162

Cr ahant Sr,,

ili

cffects, and it is, finally, a ncclitation on stories and story_

telling - a fictional inquiry into fiction, a book that winds back
upon itselfand asks why ue tcll storics.r0

The llatness ol the Fens being secn as the corrolative of

Nothingness and uneventfulness, a minor imagc of their drab,
r.vorkaday existence. the pcople of thc I.'cns, Torr.r Crick
included, are drawn from early chjldhood into thc fantastic and
the occult, into a fictionalised recreation of the past, a retuge
against "the tcrror of time". It is his mother's stories about
kings that stir Tom's interest in history. As he grows up, the
young man demands "an Explanation" lronr history, only to
find out that the more he (re)searchcs the more problematic his
field appears:
So

I shouldered my Subjecr. So I begrn to look intu history

not only the well thumbed historv of the w ide rvorld but also.
indeed with particular ,.r1, tire histr-rry of my Fenland
forebears. So I began to demand ol history an Explanation.
Only to uncover in this dedicated search more mysteries. more
fantasticalities, more rvonders and grounds for astonishment

than

startcd with, only to conclude forty years later -

notwithstanding a detotion lo tltc uselulness. to the educative

power of my chosen disciplile - that history is a yam. And can
I deny that what I wanted all along was not sonrc goklen
nugget that history would at last yield up. but History itsell,
the Grand Narrative, the fiiler of vacuums, the rlispeller of
fears ofthe dark'l (53)

Convinced now of the part that fairy-tales played in his

region and in his family's history, Tom is spinning his yam
before his pupils, or, much more likely, he is imagining he is
doing so. He goes back in time 40 years, to the moment the
dead body ofhis schoolmate Freddie parr is found in the water,
rn

George P. Landow. "History, His Story, and Stories in Graham S*,ift,s

Walerland' Studies in the Literary Int agination, 23:2, 1990, p. 197.

l6l

Craham Sn'ilt

Authorship ancl ltlontitv irr Conterlporary I:iction

near thc shlicc-gatc of thc Iock. l'his is syntbolically sccn as

the critical monrent that nrarks the transition ftom an innocent,
a historical, blisslul existencc out of history, throtrgh "the lall"
and the rnevitable insertion in history, associated with
something bad happening. Toltt realises Frcddie's deatl.r is not
ar accident, gradually finds out rvho the docr is, but is also
fully aware of his own sharc of guilt in a more comprehensivc
story of crime and guilt.

Brian McI{ale sces postnlodemist historical fiction

violating the conventions of "classic" historical fiction "by

visibly contradicting the public rccord of "ofilcial" histotf, by
flaunting anachronisms, and by integrating history and the
fantastic".rr Through his nanator tn lf'aterland, Srvift stresses
the indcterminacies, contradictions and "lfs" of history, rvhile
also concentrating on thc "dark areas", apparently in
conformity to the norms of "classic" historical fiction but in
fact undermining them. In this rvay, the author illustratcs the
convergence of the "trvo meanings of revisionism in the
postmodemist strategy of apocryphal or altemative history".l2
Simplifying, one might say that "the dark areas" are
filled in by the Cricks, rr,'hile the "bright ones" (in the sense
that they are "in the limelight", but othcrwise equally beset
with problems) are occupied by the Atkinsons. Todd describes
five distinct historiographic threads being woven in Tom
Crick's apparently erratic narraliott:
Publicly available documented political historiography, events
such as the French Revolution and Napoleonic conquests
(1789-1815), the coronation of George V (1911), and the
1914-18 and 1939-45 world wars, run alongside the dynastic
history of the narrator Tom Crick's orvn family. We shall see
that only jntermittently can public history be said actually to
rrBrian McHaje. Poshrodernist Fictiorr' London: Routledge, 1989, p.90.

"

"make scnsc" of, or offer an explanation lbr, tltc private

dynastic history: Tom's shell-shockcd fathcr is nursed back to
health by his future bride; the teenage Crick himself cnters a
relationship with the equally youthful Mary N,[etcalf the coLrrse
of which is certainly affected, though in no uay decisJvely, by
his being posted to Gennany in the mid- 1940s. Ir
The stories of the Cricks and of the Atkinsons get entanglcd,
elusive and a,ltemative, showing a permanent deterioration
after a mythic fall. Here rs how Crick sees "this precious and
full of clues bag, history":

History begins only at the point where things go wrong;

history is bom only with trouble, u'ith perplexity, with regret.
So that hard on the heels of the word Why comes the sly and
wistful word Il If it had not been for... Ifonly-..- lVerc it not...
Those useless lfs of history. And, constantly impeding,
deflecting, distracting the backrvard searchings olthe question
why, exists this other lorm of retrogression: I f only we could
have it back. A new Beginning. lf only we could retum.-.
Historia or lnquiry- to uncover the mysteries of cause and
effect; history is that impossible thing: the attempt to give an
account,

with incomplete knowledgc, of actions

The story of the Atkinsons and ol the Cricks is inevitably

incomplete, yet the thorough documentation Graham Swift
undertakes to map the real land of the Fens is impressive. His
nalrator does it because "a fairy{ale must have a setting, a
setting which, like the settings of all fairy-tales, must be both
palpable and unreal".

The Fens are a lou.lying region of eastern England,

about 1,200 square miles in area, bounded to the west by the
Midlands, to the south and east by the chalk hills of
Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. To the nor1h, the Fens
rr

Richard Todd. ap. cit.,p.3o'1.

Ibid.

164

themselves

undertaken with incomplete knowledge (92).

165

Authorship and Idcntity in

Contenrporary F;ction

(iraham S*,iti

meet thc North Sea at the

he engages in such
chapters as "About th.
F'"y'ltl^lh:refore
containing
a ntinute description
'
of tile ptace.
Fens, rhe painstaking,
conrinuous
effort of
a permanent confrontation
with
Ivott,ingn"ss,
complex symbolism of the
eels as
denizen"s
woven into an alternative
story, a
"-vtti"
the pro'blematic past' as
ou'"*"'
:"::"*llh article
dealing rvilh
s*in',
;';;;j,"tJ:ceptive

their stories become, as it has been saici above,

Faulknerian
or
'n,,r.i",,
M1,101"1,1, througlr the graclLral revelarion.
ot: -.".,,
gutlt,and rnsanlty that bind (or rather. fctter)

il;;;;r:"
i;;;;.,,;,ljr,he
us';;;;;, ''
;il#"*,;i,1"-

:"ll

the trvo families

togcther. As the stolics unfold over two hundred years
of
and less.olfici:rl, years ol history, other important
1|fi1;al,
fleveropnrcrls. such as thc trvo World Wars
are woven into thc
narrative fabric, each one adding son.rething
to tn. o...olf
story, where fairy{ales also figure constantiy.
Ilsome ofthe elements olthcse stories
and histories are
indisputable, some other details lead
t" *.i";; i;;;r"iuuo,r.
as to what really happened and
especially why. Wtty a,J fo,"
C,ri:,k': fa,rh:rt coming lrom a modest
iamily, rvounded and
shell-shocked in the First World War,
rnu.ry un Atkin.on? Why
does Tom Crick's wife think God
told her to steal the baby?
These questions related to personal
destinics will be
by more gerreral, comprehensive whys. Each wlty
1::^o-T?r.i.d,
ollers
several possible answers and- sends
the inqutrer further
back into the past, into a sort of
infinite ..gr".rion ;h; no
ultimate origin is ever reached, and
the .Imetanarrative,,

yu-l;inli;.i;;;,:

;; #;;:T

"rgag"r;;,

The .yarn'., the mvth

hi.ro,ii';

l om, rashions

oI rhe naturat
;r ,;; i.il";.'l'1,th:i: ubiquitous out
eels
the

;::
,h. ,ir.-;;_;ii";?.;:r*
nirto.v or ine'.no;;:".

persrsrence or.rhe obscur"

of his parents'Iiues anJ

human

rectamarion, rhe stories

of
"iland
and the. dogged
'
FIrt a'Iu
"ilu:I"::,
rrrs
'

rlrciootamatlc events

and middle age. played

our againsr ,1.,. uo.lo.",lltrolxyotrth

hvo worrd wars herps
him
i)rii'"'
---o' '-"'q(r/e accommodltion
with the prissures
ofthe past.rt

::;;;'l:: :'

'"*"i-"

The beginnines of
complementary dcstLi,:.

the Cricks, and Atkinsons,

;l'HffrK,l:nf d:::::t:iifi i1i::['R"]J,,,i:L:

t ina,
i,fl :"[i,,'j, I J;,X,,f,.:ff
Ill
[: .Tj
terlrng rhe"1,,,,.',.o'l
emergence of rhe Atkinsor;';l;;;i.,,,;;0.,
u

progress and ultimate

{hilure.

While the Arkinsons

to.accumulate wealth
make hisrory ;;;;;'rJi:.:trive
, oa", t ..pty J";
;:;;" : #',li

lil#.i.,ir:,:

and

:i:::
scrutinised more and "'
more clcrsely by their descendant
(Tom,s
lather is
c.i^', L:^
^
was
an
Atkinson)'
who
metaploricilfi.;;rl";,.i;tntr
e punty of his mother,s
milk,,,
;;i:l#".?#i5;x:::,":I;;il,,:::tl1:.,:iT,:i:i,"#:xfi

1*

:::

01.

progress is seriously questioned.

The uncertain, ambivalent statlls of

the water in the
a, powertut metaphorical load,
having
to Jo-with the
I:l:,.!"r
rtuldrty ot knowledge and meaning.
Everything- is flowing, and
is probabry as easy to do aJcatching
eel,
9llli11:r,*1."s

il

empry-iranded, in thc Ouse.

David Malcolm summarizes Tom

Crick,s realizations:
beliefs in progress, purpose, and utopia
are dubious;
,3ii
rney :y
are narratives - stories _ to fend off
the nothingness,
and matigniry of things.,.15 er, g*J

:::.:ill,t",
readcrs also realize. are far

ri

better than nothingn'ess.

D. Malcolm. op.cir.. p.to6.

166
167

"".."*"r,

Authorship and Identity in Contenrporary Ficrion

Grahanr Sr,,

ift

thc moon. His fathcr, Richard llccch,

manufacturer, had j

Photography and deceptions: Out of This llorld

Out of This LYorld (1988) at first seems to break new ground, to
mark a significant transition from Graham Swift,s previously
discussed novels in terms of narrative perspective ani outlook.
Whereas Walerland and Ever A"fter are .,unitary,, first-person
narratives, Last Orders is a texfure of four monologues,
reminiscent of Vrrginia Woolfls lie llaves or of Faulkneris ls
I Lay Dying and, The Sottnd and the Fury. lts narrative structure
foreshadows the formula that will eam Last Orders special
literary recognition.
The book's epigraph proclaims, ..What the eye sees not,
the heart.rues not". The only problem is that people are trying
hard to see, sometimes to recover from an unknown, forgoiten,
or misunderstood past, aspects that may cause pain, that may
redefine their sense of identity in relation to their .,inner core'.,
but also in relation to history: personal, interpersonal,
intemational. These people are members of a family where
alienation, anger and resentment have taken a considerable toll.
Will the individual stories heal the rifts2
. The novel is set in April 1982, during the Falklands
war, which is a significant coordinate that is boind to provide a
larger political and historical background to the interwoven
individual storigs of the narrators. The continuing conflict and
tension in Northern Ireland, and the threatening (and much
r4ore than that, for one of the characters) presence of the IRA
add more io the urgency of the story.
The novel begins with the first incursion into the past,
one out of many, made by Harry, a news photographer. Home
for a brief while in July 1969, Harry sat up all night with his
father*,wagching the American astronauts take the first steps on

intpofiant weapons

tume<I 70.

I{e Iold hrs son he rvas tirinking of gctting his

release

from his work. The two found thernscjves ,nurrroliy close that
night. The son thought it was surprising to see Iiis father
cnthusing over the moon landing, ,.that old dream comc true,,.
It seemed 10 the son that dreanrs and Richard Beech. orvner of
B.M.C., did not go together.
It is ironical to sce the two men so close that night,
considering their divergent paths. Unlike his father, ruho mide
bombs, Harry roamed thc world, photographing as a journalist
the terrrble effects wrought by armed conflicts, particularly
Vietnam, at the height of thc war. Thc son did not appear to be
carried away by the historic event. I{e makcs an ipparently
abenant connection betwccn the Apollo missions and \iietnam:
And maybe they weren't so diffsrent, just paft of the same
programme, those moon-men, mission-control led mcn in therr
absurd outfits, and the marines I photographed out on patrol,
with their helmets and flak-jackets and grenades and antlnnae.

M-16-s, M-60s, l!,1-79s. Just walking hardware roo.

[..j The
space-suits which did not show if there was a real man inside.
The body-bags lined up for the choppers to corn,r in.

t6

However, in spite of their different attitudes at the time, the

two men got closer than they had evcr been. The disinherited
son took his father's arm, the wrong one, the artificial one, and
just a little while after that, but in a drfferent chapter, would be
told how it had happened that his father had become a war hero
when he was 20.

As for himself, Harry Beech has been trying hard to nse

above the squalor and pain of the world, in ordeito report its

terrible aspects with more objectivity.

Is that poisible?

Distance worked, but in a negative way, in Harry,s relationship

16

168

Lrst

Graham Swift. Out ofThis llorld. London: Viking, 19g8, p. l.j.

169

Aullrorship aitd

rvrrir hrs d.rir3/rrcr

rj,.ia, e, ,,

jrlq

( orrrclrrnn'ar)'i-lct'url

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;;

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. ;;u ;;;f i,ir=.llq,.;ir*l

il:, Xll,3l
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"r,,.ni-",.',i,r,. ,u,,,

,,.

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',r;ly

,^

nrore riisranr.

i,l,*"'"anrhrop'l';roui',

:: il:',:J'

I ; ; ;1,'i ;Ii"::l:li ii r# .:,* t:

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aerial

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L,.,ir:i,?,,:;,.i;

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1, it
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way

.rt,e
like il

Sophic rrares her rarher.

i"}.J*Sii*,l;
:*,* 1***l;.iji"mi.ffi
also
lowards
*iff U. a^.r,,11,
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px11r,.i

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lr.\

yo,

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l::I";HtT": ;"k:,
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170

rcmerrbcr r,.
ir.

il';:::;l'rhc

or
u, ,drrer.
rarher. lh(
rhr w
w4)
owner

or,ho r

; - :'
li,[J],i Hll;',i":;:;i ili1,
t";,,sc.lves. il; ;l J i.'J :,i';;
,l,,lg
aIempting ro defrnc
rhcmselves in onnn.ir;^- ,^
crasrr a.nd.""";l;;;;;;Jl.'j-ll
I:,,,,,, ro. rhe orhers rhe

her father's

- *i1 ,,^1"'r,

or'narratr\e

;;;;;"r;

rvrarcorm lrnds unduly

r

iea\ons lhal

,,"r"r..,.ri,,1 .

Sophie's and

orthe interweavin't
"'l'
:11""::::o""novcl whrch
David

ro*rrilllt'*''g

In its conciseness, its

e\perence, rri.i.ri.'

Iti

sco

tto:ta b ,

undenated

voice:

i,prevathng

inlcstarron of cha.crcr.

concems. our of rhi.s

"ra"il;?,id.
,.,nur1r111_'nltllecturl
pertonnanc(, a quire
unjustly
novel.,-

This may be due to the

tact th
Swirr has inrensivery
broughr togerhcr
;,:'j
and tha.r hI p*""ri.s'ir,..Jj,',t-t'lit t]11' he firrds imponanr.
lj le
havc taken ror.,r,ine"u*uu
these idea. may
.of
;:,.
viv.idness of rhe way
represenrs r,rn,r,
he
.*i.rl"J.l'?:
]l,"novelistic
tn a
particular book.
manner in this

:i:hi:
i.lnt

; ;;;;J

r""i"-ltt" u tu"'..,

Ever Aifter

ffi:.f;I'ffi;'.:e;:i:
i"".ii,,.1 ji"ii:^:*
)i-:l:,:.n,
il?;,i"1,:H""1r=;iilitl;1;H:::'T;:';,t:Ti'jl:[1j

in
rn Ever Arter
Matcotm
Arter. As David
studv and hisroricai
psychotogicat
;.;o,t';^,;:r",:ltPusrovel,
t 'The title of Sw]ft's
1992 novel ,rgg.i,.

"'ro.l,ri"-ll:

rl[liz t
" o""ra u.r""r"#.7p'.!0.',t
''Drv.t.ot-.

u.
171

Aurhorsliip an(l ldentity in Contcmporary Fiction

Grrhanr S*.ilr

one think of some sort of progrcss, or rather the blissful,

perrnanent state that is associated with what comes alter the
optimistic dcnoucrrent of a fairy-tale: ..... and thcy livcd
happily ever after".
This first inrpression, however, is cancelled by the very
beginning of the first chapter: ',These are, I should .rr'r'am you,
the wortls. of a
.- [...] the ramblings of a pre maturely
-d..i9
aged one".'' Brll
Unwrn, 52, has survived a suicide attcmpt
which has left him with a ghostly disconnection lrom himself -

he feeis rviped clean, a tabula rasa. However, he

also

cxperiences an inesistible yearning to set pen to paper, to nrrn

experience rnto ordered nanative, like Tom Crick in
Waterland. Unwin, like Crick, will wonder about and explore
'thc
nature ofknowledgc, particularly having to do vrith hisiory.
Llill has two stories to tell: the first, combining a maze
of convoluted strands, concems his own life, his relationship
with.his mother, father, stepfather and wife. As he probes more
deeply into his past, newly acquired inlormation changes his
version about the circumstances and motivation of his father,s
suicide in post-war Paris. Even the identity of his father
becomcs unccrtain. Is he Colonel Unwin,s son, or the result of
an affair his mothcr secms to have had with an engine driver?
llis half cynical, hall innocent stepfather also comes

under

different light.

Is he who advocates ,.the

polymerization of the world" any worse than Bill's mother and

"official" father? Bill will have difficulty presewing his
resentmnt of his stepfather, as conflicting bits and pieces are
accumulating. He is very suspicious of himself being able to
reassemble "the truth", his story, and stories, being .,..lpart fact
and part surmise, just like my reconstruction of th; life of

Matthcr.v Pearcc. .lrrst, ij'it conrcs to it. lilic my reasscntbly,

hclc rr lhis lrlicrrvor l,l of rrry orrn lifi-.'1x)r.1.
l'ite sccond story is pir-ccd torcthcr fronr the notcbooks
one
ol the narrator,s Victoriln .ltucstors on thc
of

onc hancl
imaginatively rcconstruct.d or thL- othcr. Mattherv pearce,
a clockntakcr's son, f'ell in love u.ith thc daughter ola vicar
from a village in Deyon, married her, had chiiiren. It seemed
thcy uould livc happily cver. after. .l.hcn onc day hc told hrs
stepfathcr that he no longer believcd in God. Was it because
t.rl.
the prehistoric fossils he once caught sight ol in Lyme llegis,/
Was it hecause of the influence of Danvin,s theoi
aboutihe
origin and evolution ofthc spccics,l
and.

The trvo stories nterse to creatc a

humanistic meditation

profoundiy

or Iife and death, arl, bliss and sorrorv,

bcliefand unbelief, the mystcries ol indivjdLral and collectrvc
identity and the sunival, a-sirinst all odtls, of tf,c
,nrgi. ot
literature. It is about tlie redeenring powcr
of
lovJ. th"
preoccupation with the historjcal past anj
rhc fascination with

things that never were

The rnajor blemish that seents to nrar Swift,s artistis

dcsign is his peculiar choice of a protagonist,
not the ideas
which are acrtrrted in rhis rnldrcstirJ tcri. Hjll
Unwin, es his
name shorvs, is, to a large c\tcnt, a pathetic
loscr, and Swift
has- to use grcat sl<ill to kecp the
reacler intercstcd in hts
lnderta\ing, It is, as Lorna Sarrc plrls it in t..,=ro*Itrra in
the.title of hcr article), an ..Unwin siruarion,,
Swilt is'tofng
with, by his choice ol narrator_protagonist:
Our narrator, this gricving. grey nlan in his
fifties is (.-.) just

d.oT:,1 - or prrvilegcd _ ro bc the ,"poritory of

::,i""1
oUters :.ttv.es, hts tnlagination the poitt where
their themes

converge.-"
re

Craham Swift. Ever,4fer New york: Vintage, 1992, p.3. Subsequent

parenthetical page number references indicate this edition.

;1.-,i;;..1,,-,,, s -*r;n--,
t 't
"'
qo;g.
n.bli.

rqgj.

;;

'

Tiut'.s

|'t2
173

Litcra,t supplen.'u No

Authorsl ip and ld.1rti1) in Conteotporary

Fiction

Graham Swilt

l'he vacillatiorr bct*,cen facr and fintnsy,

histury and
fa iry-tale, the conhrsion anrl pLrz_zlerncn
r,il.1;ir;;";;;Jrl".,
are corlrrron to Ilill Unrvin anrl .fom
Crick. llcrc is f,i*lfr.
Iatcr exprcsscs his anrbrvalcnt attitu(le
to

far as to contpare Srvift's fictional South London of sontc ol

his novels with thc creations of illustricus prcdecessors:
Thc SoLrth London of Srvift's novels has thc sanre kind olphvsical presence and the same potential for ntythical status as
the Nottingharnshire oiLawrence or tlrc l)rrbtin ofJoyce. Likc
those places it gains in intensity frorn its very ortlinariness
[...]
Sv,,ift's characters too arc ordinary [-..] but their experiences
and their expcrience cut to some of tiie ceniral issues oflife. 2,

hsto.J ;;;;;j,"

nrythic tintc:

... ri,hr:rc hislor_r,does not uldcntrinc

and sct traps lor itsellin
s r.lr rrn opt,rrl)
l(T\1.r.:c !\ir\.

l''''

it creatc. lhis

t i'e;rtt' h i. ;;ii:;,o
r

i"r,,li;;. i;;:;

;;'' ;;;oJ'il' :;iffi

i?^:,:,
!.::',')Hou, u,g yg3p1
r\osrJtqlil.
to retum to ttrat
beforc hisio,y
cnrm.'d ,.. hetore rtrir*s *-;; ;;;,;' time
;^: ".:':':,'l'":

,,"ii,.,:r"i,],rl'lt,:::f o:i",n::.|in :;
C"lJ",, ;;. ii;],,

p, r.rJrse. I crr
cvL'nts that has fnllen betrveen
us and the

lrr spitc ol- lhc inrprcssive hisrorical

anci gcogrrphical
in
rrjalsm
rs
suilused
rvirh rhc
.n.arct.t,ttrct.
::".:::,.11..':i
Ilrirgrc
uJ ordrnrrincss
.tnd
ringed
witlnorirlgir,
.13n135y
prmpcrcrl chiltJ Suirr
b",; ;.:;..";;; ;;,;*t:,
ll::,:1.:
(.,\ , L,rs irru (.onturjs rrn a rvorld.
hall.cummon, hallm:rpical,
whiclr florts trec in rhe rrnire;
with other ..beautij.ul unrruths.,,"i;;.';;;;;;;,,;, l;it":,i.
..al#J"uy'"""i"::-:;1"

glamorous narrator and protagonist

in nis

fverile)

These remarks, while written befbre Zas Ortlers was published,

seem to apply best to this remarkable novel.

While Waterland, now seen as Swift's ntasterpiece, was

shortlisted lor the Booker prize in 1983, Last Order.s *on it
thirteen years later. Is the lattcr "better" than the formcr? For
one thing, it is signiticant)y diflferent, rvhile kceping the
Swiftean hallmark.
The formula used in Oar of This ll'orld rvill be r-rsed in
Lasl Oylers ... with a dillbrence . Howeyer, the narrative
patterning rvill be more reminiscent of Woolls The lyctves,
with the polyphony of the vojces speaking about themselves,
but mainly locusing on a central, elusive character.
While most of the narrators in the llrst threc novels arc
inteliectuals preoccupied with existential problcms, the five
voices in Sn'ift's l,a.sr ()rders belong to careluliy chosen
ordinary people living in South London. Sauerb(.rg notcs the
unusual populajion segment that Swift focuses on:
Sq Last Orders

is a story ofpersonal commitments, chanccs,

frustrations and hopes in representatives of a populatiqn
segment seldonr given a voice in British fiction. rvhich usuallv
locuses on either rhe middle class or rhe ,,r orking class.2l

Last (and best) orders: Last

Orders
Ii^e. lirscinrlion with the
rcal and the ordinary will gradually
than the associa,io, *iiri.lei",r

:"Tiff Hi:-:::'tli::'
;;- ; ;;:;il 1:"'#' ;

l;1"1.'J ;'J :
pathetic figLrres, is praised
by such critics

";

174

h ffiil
,rr,k;;;;;",

"".1 H,

".

"

2'

D"l Iran 1anik.

1989. n. 7.1.

Lars Ole S,ruerbe tg. Interculrtcal l't)iccs tn ('untchtpoioD, Bittislt

Literutup.

The

lnplosion of Empire. New york: palgrave,i00l, p.l2l.

175

Authorship and Id.ntity irr (ionlemporarY Fi.crion

The reader ntay fccl tcn'tptcd to find

Crahanr Swift

sorne

conespondenccs bctwcen Tonr Crick and llill Unrvin on the

one liaird and Grahanl Srvilt on thc other, although awarc that
there is never complete identification- ln Last ()rtlers, horvever,
Srvift managcs to remove for a whilc the traces of his presence
lrom the surface of his writing, hiding sornervhere behind or
abovc his story-tellers, rvhile allo*,ing the reader to recover,
gradlraliy, thc nanating time: April 2, 1990.
The nanativc voices are those of Vic, an undertaker,
Lenny, a fruit-and-vcg stall owner, Ray, a petty insurance clerk
and small-timc gambler, Vince, a self-employed car dealer and
Amy, Jack Dodds's widow. Since the story cornes to the reader

a1d highly subjecrive and

[,:9i1"{,.9]"_,|r::.,r,"huIbJi..
lherelorq pnrellablc volceF, .the rntUal imprc:,ion oI thg
rdi$.9,1,-9 q$-e"hu tho.r it v oice u,i I I gradua I ly sti mul ate tte
$p';
i

$'ditE.fi $t" to'i'66F ror th e" 6i rhb r's fi-ie stilt .. iii lits
orchestration of the rnultiple viewpoints from rvhich the story

ftsa a

e r

emerges.

The story appears to be a very simple and unexciting

one. Jack Dodds, a London butcher Ii'orn Bernrondsey, has just
dicd. ln a sort of last will and testamcnt note intriguingly
addressed "To Whom lt May Concem", he expresses the wish
to have his ashcs scattered into the sea from Margate pier. His
old friends Vic, Lenny and Ray, as well as hrs adopted son
Vince, get together at The Coach and Horses, the pub in
Bermondsey (South London, more precisely, SEI) rvherc they
usually meet at weekends, to fulfil the last wish ol the
deceased. Their pilgrimage by car will take them through
Canterbury to neighbouring Margate, the easternmost seaside
town in Kent. Vince will do the driving of the flashy Mercedes
(which he desperately needs to sell to his customer Hussein to
be able to stay in business), while his passengers x ill take turns
hplding the um containing Jack's remains.

176

This hardly secms lo be thc stuff exciting storics are

madc of. However, little by little, narrative and character
"complications" arise and the story is as much about the oneday joumey to lhe sea as about thc intenvoven lives of the
characters-narrators respcctfully obeying Jack Dodds's,.last
orders".

"lt

aint like your regular soft of day", an initially

anonymous voice (u'hich turns out to be Ray,s) starts the

novel. It's early in the morning and the familiar phrase ,.last
orders", used in British pubs to announce closing time in the
evening, is out ofplace. But it makes sense in the other sense: a
man's last will and testament.
As the people gather at the pub Coach and Horses, as
the author gives them the floor to soliloquize and thus to
contribute to the story{elling, a great deal ol opinions, facts,
suppositions and partial explanations will emerge, creating a
complex and convincing picture of past and present, guilt and
need for redemption, dignity, cowardice, resilience. There will
also be humour, sonretimes involuntary, including what Hardy
used to call "life's little ironies". These ironies will include
death in their play. Sitting in thc pub, watching the box
containing Jack Dodds's ashes, brought by Jack,s good friend,
Vic, an undertaker, Ray comments on the situation:

It's a comfort to know your undertaker's your mate. [...] It

must have been a comfort to Jack that there rvas his shop,
Dodds & Son, family Butcher, and thcre was Vic,s just across
the street, with the wax flowers and the marble slabs and the
angel with its head bowed in the window: Tucker & Sons,
Funeral Seryices. A comfort and an incentive, and a sort of
fittingness too, seeing as there was dead animals in the one
and stiffs in the other.2l

2l

Craham Swift. Iasr Orders. London: picador, 1996, pp. 4-5. Subsequent
parenthetical page number references will indicate tlis edition.

177

Authorship and Identity in Contcnrporary

Fiction

Ciraham Srviit

Each of the narrators will contribute

in tum to the
de:cription of what is going on during rhe vurgor"
rrctr accounts of fragments of the past reconstmct
"*f.Ji,lon.
frt.rm
orlterent pcrspecrives the story of Jack Dodds.
his family and
his friends. They render the dialogue tf,rt i,
iut*g'ifu"",
-Uui
commenting on the events and situaiions
of the day,
ut.o
going back in time, remembering facts
that togetheilom[ine to
show the kinds ofrelationships holding rh.r;p";pl.
i;;;;1..
This is how Vince, for instance, while driving'to
Mf.gate,
combines observations about the remote past,
tt" ..."ni-p^t

and the present moment:

And what did he ever do anyway? It was Amy.

AII he did was
come home from rvinning the war and

tt.re

*as -

tris

welcome-home present _ Iying in that

cot thaf ivas nJant for

JUne

It's got cruise control, power steering.

,t..r. he was, forty-odd years later, lying with the

tubes
, 1ld
ln
hrm,-hrs own bleeding man all right, and
he says, ,,Come
here, Vince, I want ro ask you someiiring.,,
u. aon:ig*-it

adamant:

rest.

It's

Jack Dodds \\'anted to be a doctor, but he has to lollolv

his
flather's
in
flootstcps, ber:oming a butcher.. Lle marrics Anry,
who soon gives birlh to an idiot, JLrnc. Coming back liom the
war u,here hc ntakes li.iends rvith Ray, Jack ilntls thirt his u,,itc
has adoptecl Vince, a bab1, ri4rose parcnts have just dieti in a
bombing raid. Sccing that Junc's condition is hopeless, Jack
ref'uses to evcr visit his mcntally deficient daughter at the
asylum where she is confined, sontething that Amy will nevcr
fbrgive him for. While his wile secs June once a week, Jack
only looks alter his adopted son, hoping that the latter ,"vill
continue the I'amily business. Olving to a number of rcasons,
however, Vince hates being a butcher, dislikes being an
adopted child and June's brother, and he will do everything he
can to avoid being a Dodds and to make an indcpcndent living
as a car dcaler. Jack Dodds woLrld like to rnake amends lbr
neglecting June, so he suggests ro Amy that they should buy a
small house at Margate, the place they wcnt to on their
honeymoon. Thc rvife (or rather, June,s grieving mother) is
He said, "Margate. How itbout Margate,l,, As if we could put
olf again lvhere it all stopped. Second
honeymoon. As if Margfltc rrls another uork for magrc.
That's rvhen I knew that the tables had tumed. lt was me
who'd thought all those years ago, when I 1irst said goodbye
to him, that you always get a new beginning, the world doesn't
come to an end, just because. I still had the power to choose. I
the clock back and stad

a beautiful car.

And that surgeon _ Strickland _ Iooks at me

like I,m his next
"
victim, like it,s me he,s going to stick his
trrr"'i"

<ziJ."'"
The author as orchestra conductor will
see to it that
details
the
past
will
come
gradually,
affectins our
.about
perception and interpretation of the pait,
,""irg f."r. uiirnl*
ellect to distant cause. The first question
tfrat a.is"s i"^..1y1r,
doesn't Amy want to accompany her
husband on hi, lur,
journey to Margate?,, Another
one is, ,.Why aia fact *ani to
have his ashes thrown into the sea at
tf,ut pu.ti.ufu. ffu."2;j"

178

chose June nor him (229).

Circumstances gradually bring all the characters

together in a web where relationships are built around shared
friendship and guilt. The intricacies of the story/stories of the
past are told almost reluctantly, w.hile trying to faithfully report
on the present. The narrative voices cannot help conjuring up
the past, it tums out. In the emerging story evirybody makes
mistakes, everybody has grounds 1o ieproach thirnseives and

t79

Authorship anci ldcntity in Contcnrporarl. []iction

(irahanr Ss.ili

somebody else fbr.somc wt-ong fi.onr tlte past, btrt therc is

alss

gratitudc lor good times had and gooti turns tlonc

to
another at crucial moments.

une

I! ir rvorlh noting that thc nrirltiple viervpoints lrorp

..
which the plot
shape do not highlight it. ,ou"l,,
-rakcs
atificiality or fictionality.
The convincing" nature of the

idiolects used by the narrators-characters, thclrolyphony

of ,h.
voices and the presence of a set ol inten el;te j
**",
;1u..
create a model of potential reality beforc wtrich
rcadcrs are
likely to be willing to suspend their disbelieffor a few
hours
As
realistic details pile up, thcy are invested wrth
. .
symbolic significance as well, sometimcs strr-ssing.,life.s
little
ironies",. somctimes reaching towards some transcindent,
ideal,
universal order. Thesc symbolic hints u.. .onllii,r,",
.
acknowledged, sometimes dismissed by the nanalors.
Reporling Vic's ideas, Ray says:

'

Thc four

ordinary mcn that go on their pilgrimage to

Margate arc nradc to rcalizc their conriuon htrnranity, to lorgivc

each othcr's sins, to weave togcther

a fabric of er.luiing

conncctions.

That rvill outlive thcm in an idcal univcrse, cven rf, liay

says,_ concluding the novel, ,,the ash that I canied in
my hands,
which was the Jack tvho once rvalked around, is canild away
by the rvind, is whirled away by the rvind tiI thc rsh beconres
wind and the wind becomes Jack what .rve,re made ol,(Zgl_
295).
Their ritual enables them to r.ise abovc the drab
dinrension of their lives, or rather, makes the readcr aware of
the dignity and human interest that ordinary humar.rity may
conjure up in this l'ar from prosaic prose.

He used to give nle ail that Snrithfield guff, ali that

Smithfield
blathcr. Horv Smithfield rvasn't jusr Srnlthfield, it ,"o,
t-ii. anO
Dcath. Becausejust across from thc nteat n.tarket there
was St
Bart's hospital, and jLrsl across fron.] Bart.s rvas your
OId
Bailey Central Criminal Court, on tllc site of old Neu
satc
prison, where thev used to string ,em up rcgular.
So what'vou
had in Smithfield lvas your threc l\ls: Meat, Medrcine
and
Murdcrs (25-26).

The joumey to Margate that the lbur people undertake

cdmes over to us as an inverted voyage of discovery:
not from
out at sea towards the shore in an attempt to sight new 1and,

but
from- the mainland towards the sea, the great leveller
that
engulls_us all. making all pcoplc equal for ever and always.
The very ordinary men that are represented by Swift,s
_
characters here manage to attain a certain dcgree of dignity
which one would initially feel tempted to deny them, ev"en if
the cultural and universal significance of their
lilgrimage past
e4nlerUqlf se.eEs to be lost on them,
180

Crinre pays: Thc Light of Day

After the success of his Booker winning book, the author was
slow to deliver his next novel, probibly looking for new
variations to add to his formula, rvhile presJrving the
consecrated Swiflean brand, which leatures
frominently an
evocation of South London (even in Waterland, on" oi th"
memorable scenes occurs, away from the Fens, in
Greenwich
Park, and lom and Mary Crick live not far from
it). Hermione
Lee,.at the beginning of her review, notes the recognizable
London coordinates ofthe new novel:

181

Aulhorship alt(l ld.ntitv in (.ontcntporrry

fiction

Ciraharn

Swift

.I-ou

corrld Irkc r.jtor{ drrrc or opcn

yorrr Lontlurr A
and cover every inch ollhelourney
C-lr"rl

intcnse ly local ncw no;cl, ff

1akc.11.his
lronr Winrbledon Broadury to the llill,

Up
,"-rrr.l,"i;;.
u|",irrr"""
-'"'"

in London rvill af{'cct the lives (and one pafticular

death) of three characters, may have expcrienccd, in her
unceftain capacity. "Was it the lawlessness of life and love,i,,
thc nan rtor tppcars to wonder:

witlr crt.ursiorrs a;

Oh she kne* how to turn cverything to havoc.

Compensation? More. AII the timc. altcr all, she

s,r,iii"

,. f-,gt ,

tuZ

"r,"i_o..

Sr tutary's Road, Lrp parksidc_ ro rhe

"ff ;.;..r.';;"
hospiral,
cr.,rrrllrorr ro,llrr.putncy Virlr. clcllliiluri.]ln:
the plot oltlrr. book

r\ r,o Ioco

D) l( postlti dtrtricl ol.SWlg.

far :r. Chi.lehur ir a,ttl I ic.ttllro\\. )J

l-his is a novei set in Wimblcdon, but

.
it has nothine to
do rr irh the drama of its tennis C"n,..
ijo,"i,-anii""r'<jr.,",
oi, .. r c. n the . . . obseruer: ,,the drama
,lr.i .".i, ifiiri.rty
rLi.r; :burblappens oltt oise.son, i" N"r.;;;;,;;;i;]r,
l,,,
!'ri ,: re i irrd olheadline mrkcr...t.
._not a"All's fair in love and rvar,,, the cpigraph goes, but this
\.ya: nor.el, alrl.rough Iove does pi.!a
p"i. iir"
ls
appears
to be a crime storv and a lovc'story
"*"r
fi. il*'.,"j*l
rolled. into one. The *.ar in the
epigraph .W;";;; ;;;;;;;r.,

:J:.:l:::,

a.nd-ocursionaIty

r.."p,,bt"

ti"j

ilra"r, i"

"rrn...
tegat. more
::iil:::^".l
1"" rcspectable ordinary and personar onc,
a r erv
middte-agetl rvoman (.,earty
il:,l
l::"'':^lJ
rurrres
rorly_t\\,o, lbrlv_thrr.e _ and in good
shape,,), Sarah
Nash, a lccturer, a language teacher
ancl translator. Allusions to
a rc:rl wrr. rhe onc in \.rreo,,Jrvir,,"ill
s;r;ll;;;.r'r'r. *",,,
and rvrr wilt be addcd to the
ficrional pl.tr.c. r', ii^"i"rrr, rrr
is lair in love and rvar and murder,
and what a"".-i, ,r"rrZ
(rathcr.,wlrrt is *i:lj
U, this apparcntly puzz)ing.,r,.rn.r,2,
,J..,1o

presencc

might have been living through a war. Atrocities on

'both sides.
Fair's fair. [...] And she . at least, must
have known, when it camc, that there }veren,t ary
rules. Life happens outside lhe law.26

The novel seems to be about to obsene the conventions

of detective fiction: the I-narrator, George Webb, is a former
policeman, currentlv working as a private detective. lt wili
soon turn orit that the novel is far lrom a whoclunit, though.
There is no uncertainty conceming the docr, therc might be
some haunting questions about the whys, and thcse questions
are shared by the reader, the narrator, and, very tikely, by the
murderess.

Adam Mars-Jones, while feeling sorry about the author

not playing more resolutely with the potentiai hybridity of such
a
told by a detective, acknowledges tlie book,s mixture
-story,
ofthought
and feeling:
The Light of Day is a murdcr mystery only in the
sense that murder is always a mystery. What could
drive a person to such extremity? The book's
forward momentum is moderate, and always being
slowed by the weight o[ thouglrt and leeling ir is

,r urc nl0dte ol the novel. thc statement will

il morc explicit terrns. TIrc f nr.,_r,o. ir',.ying be
i::t..1",l u hat a
,o
tmagrre
)oung femalc refugee fro, C.or,;r,, *n-o."
ln

Flermione L""...So."one tu
r,rrp:/,6ooks s,;;.il; .;

200r

'
p.

r.t.h
rh."-Gt@'diaa. Mrrch 8.
;);.1:].:t
Je\ reu ,voa'
srory 0 20E4'e0\e5 I'00'hrm r'

Anrh,rrl a'i";-'il*;;"o;;: :s;u^

6.

t".The New York Times, Ma,y 4,2003,

called upon to carry. ?'

'z6

Graham.Swift. The Light

of Dq. 12003).

London: penguin Books, 2004,

p. 144. Subsequenr relerences in parentherical

page nunricr f,_,rnr
!ndrcate this edilion of the novel.

/'Adam

will

Mars-Jones. "Wirh murder in mind. Observc., Nlarch 2. 20OJ

<http:/,6ooks.guardian.co.ukiprint/0,3858,46
I 6277_99i30,00.htmi>

182

r83

Grahanr Srvilt

Authorship antl Idcrltity in Contc Porary fiction

.lhe varrious storics will gradually cmcrge in t)'pical

Srvi

li

style, brought together on a particr-rlar day, Novcnlbe r 20,

1997, by George Webb. lrxactly two years beforc, a London

rvnaccologist was killcd by his wife. The lattcr had hired the
iiivatc detectite to tail the former, the husband did not thrvart
retttrned homc and '
"*p.ctotions.
Many things appear confusing or hard to understand for
a rvhile. and the detcctive is combining the skills required for
his tradc and those of a rvriter in order to perceive a pattern in
his and other PeoPle's lives.
"something's come over you", Ceorge's assistant's
r i'r.r'k to her boss at the vcry beginning of the novel sets the
just as
r,.ir,.r1.' fictional investigation going. The assistant is
qurck to pick r-rp a scent as George is, and the detective scems
to be under the spell of somebody. On November 20 he leaves
his office in Wnnbledon, South London, buys a bunch ofroses,
goes to a cemetery in the area, lays the flowers on the grave of
t'he murdered husband, thus observing the instructions of the
murdercss, the dead doctor's wife' He spends a few minutcs in
Putney Vale cemetery, does not get any special message from
the deceased, reports for duty (and more than that) at the prison
where Sarah Nash is scrv'ing life. The woman appears to be
still in love rvith the man she thrust a knife into, two years
before, rvhile the dutiful detective, the nanator, is obviously in

(significantly, the novel rvas published in 200J, rvhen Sarah's

situation rvas going to be reconsidered), and hc is determined
to rvait for the u'oman's carly release until as early' as ... 2005.
The situation from rvhich the narrativc develops isjust
as cxciting (or just as ar-exciting) as the one beginning
ll'aterland, rvhere an ageing school teacller, apparentiy on the
verge of a brcakdown (u'hose rvrfc, also derangcd, has just
stolen a baby from a supermarket), is trying to tcll his pupils
(and thc reader) what history is all about, before he is kicked
out

olthe school.

Horvever, this is a tremendous challcnge that Swift

assumes; the question always is, "What can the author make
out of the apparently drab substance ofsuch yams?" One quick
answer will be "texture": the u'ay the far from extraordinary
character as narrator wrll weave the loose ends of various
stories in his own, the echoes that his reflections will have on
his reminiscences. Another one is compassion: finding
meaning and human warmth in unusual places in the attempt to
discover and recover some sort of common humanity,
reminiscent of Tom Crick's father's words at the beginning of
l{aterland.

love with the murderess.

As the title of one of the book's reviews ironically

states, thts appears to be the story of "A Lovesick Gumshoe

Who'is wiliing to Wait",28 and the novel "reads not like a
hard-boiled detective tale but like a - well, like a Graham Swift
novel," Kakutani adds. The detective is willing to wait
"A Lovesick Gumshoe Who is Willing to Wait"'
's Mi.hiko Kuk,,tuni.
ofDay) The New YorkTimes, March 2' 2003' p 40'
Light
The
(rcviev of
184

185

Kazuo Ishiguro

Chapter

N'IIS-REMEIiIBRANCE OF I,HINGS PAS'f

ISHIGURO'S NOVELISTIC METAPHORS

KAZUO

from antimodcrnism to postcolon iali\m

In his brief survey of contemporary novels engaging with the

challenges of history, Del Ivan Janik lists nov-eli
b"y Graham
Swift. Ackroyd and Ishiguro, which, he says, icature ..a
IoregroundlnE of the historical consciousness, most often
through a dual or even multiple focus on thc fictional present
and onc or more crucial ..past;...1
, _ However, although acknorvledging Hutchcon,s theory
about "historiographic metafi ction,, as"a "defi ning postmodern
genre having a special relationship *ith .ep..si,.,trtions
and
constructio.ns of history, Janik does
not find Autcheon,s phrase
ol use in discussions ofsuch noveli:ts as lshiguro. Follou.ing
Lodge's definitions, he sees Ishiguro's The Reriains of the Da1,
as "essentially antimodemist, almost classical
in its iealism,,.2
I hls rs due to its realism, its insistence on meaning over

language. a very debatable statement.

Isbiguro will play subtle games with language and with
the constructedness, cultural and linguistic,
of the bitler in
Remains of the Day, Stevens obviously being
s".., us a typical

De-l

lie

Ivan Janik. "No End of History: Evidence from

the Contemporrry
rwentieth centtrry Literature vol.4t,2' 199s, p; i; i:

*t):,t |l;''t

t87

Authorship ancl ldcntity in Clontcrllporary Iriction

Kazuo Ishiguro

colonizcd subject. 'fhc drawer, if we are to nced onc lor

Ishiguro's fictron, is very likely, postcolonial litcraturc.
Kazuo lshigr.rro has bccn seen both as an "intemational"
rvriter and as a postcolonial figure. Is hc thc "eternal migrant,
thc drsplaccd, thc cxilc'' that Laurencc Chamlou finds at the
ccntrc of his novcls'or ts he diflcrcrrt fronr his major

The ishiguros were not planning to stay long in Britain,

but they postponed retuming to Japan indefinitely, until thcy
chose to stay.
Although liom an aflluent family, l9-year-old Kazuo
gets a temporary job (during his gap year, belore going to
university) as grouse beater for the eueen Morher at Balmoral
Castle in Scotland, which probably gives him an inkling of the
milieu of domestic service ol the traditional British country
houses which he will later capture in his masterpiece, Tfte
Remains of the Day. After graduating in English and
Philosophy from the Universiry of Kent, Canterbury ( l97g), he
completes an MA i4 creative writing at the University of Easl
Anglia, where he has the opportunity of working with Malcolm
Bradbury and Angela Carter (1979-1980).
What follows is the perfect success story: the Japanesebom, English-educated rvriter wins the first literary prize
(Wlnifred Holtby Prize from the Royal Society of Literature)
for his first novel (l Pale l.iev, of Hills, 1982) and then he
never looks back. The year he publishes his second novel, An
Artist of the Flocting ll/orld (1986), he wins the Whitbread
Book of the Year dward, rvhile his third and undoubtedly' niost
memorable novel is distinguished with the prestigious Booker
Prize in 1989. The chair of the judges was no other than David
Lodge, who commended the book for its '.cunningly structured
and beautifully paced performance", as it captures with
"humour and pathos a memorable character and explores the
large, vexed lheme of class, tradition and dutv',.5 There follow
an honorary PhD from his alma mater in i990, a daughter
(Naomi), a remarkable Merchant-Ivory film version of Zle
Remains of the Day, starring Emma Thomson and Anthony
Hopkins (1993). The year 1995 brings him rhe Cheltenham

charactcrs'i

One can say, considering his remarkablc achievements

so far, that he is more linglish than the English, in spite of
being bom (1954) in a very Japanese city, Nagasaki, to very
Japanese parents. The lamily n.roved to Britain in 1960, ivhen
the fatlier, a distinguished oceanographer, was offercd a
contract to u'ork on thc devclopn.rent of oil fields in thc North
Sea. That was the official story, Kazuo can say more now, cven
find a lot in common betrvecn his father's mysterious
inventions and his orvn "fictional machines", his fictional,
elusive fabrications of a mythical England:
...he spent most oi his career in secret in this facility in the
woods in Surrey. It had a lot to do with security. He rvas
inventing this big machine. I still don't know what the machine
was. All I remember was that we had a hcll of a lot of scrap
paper at home. If I ever wrote something and turned the paper
over there would be these *ave charts on the other sidc l uscd
to think when I was in my teens I was very different from my
father, but now I see that $'hat we do is probably quite
s

rml la r.

I Laurence Chamlou, "From inciPit to 'a beautiful country of yours' " in

Francois Gallix, ed. Leclures d'une oeuvre. The Rennins of the Day Paris'
Editions du TemPS, 1999, P.34.
t Tim Adams. "For me, England is a myhical place". The Obsemer' Fcb 20,
2005 <http ://books. guardian.co.uk/departments/generalfi ctiorl/story/
0,6000,1 4 I 8285,00.htm1>

188

Rpt. in Nicholas Wroe. "Living memories". The Guardien. Feb. 19, 2005
<http://books.guardiar.co.ul/departmenrs/generalfictior/story/0%2C6OOO%
2C 1418285%2C00.html>
189

Aurhorship and ldentity in

Contemporary [riction
Kirzuo Ishiguro

I'rtz.c lbr Tlrc (hu.onsoletl anti. the Orde.r

of thc l3ritish linrpire
"lbr services to literature,,. is sonreruhat
;,""i.ri' it., ,r.
:lrrhor of the subtle pofirayal.Itni pnrt
f _p".lui'".ii"rr
rr,"
lt, tains of thc I tay ,o ,"."iu" r,c Order i,,. ,ri,irf', 'lrrir",
ttrc OBE. But it aiso shorvs tair piay "f
lrnrpire, which is onc of the .t,rrn.,"ri.to
f"o,ri*
can still call Englishness.
"r"*,]ii

ii
"; ;;;;';i;;j,*- .".

cducariorr.

srandlrrd Irrgrish,
ro,..jl*,fjI:TlIrl!._*"J
ilcrsnr. t;armoral (.astlc. Royal
Sociely of Literaturc, drdcr
ol rhc British Empire. Docsn.r-all this
liok a"*ii.,, '.r""r*fr,
Thrr is.supposcd
u
n

fiftl,ycars' time, a hundrcd years, time,

ancl to people in lots

of diflercnt cultures.'

What the author thinks about hinrself is undoubtedly

important,

but the readers^ uill attempt to see lor themsehles

to what
extent traces of Ishiguro's Japancse cultural backgrouna
una
ftis Lnglish er,pericncc ,,,. ,.1.,0,,, to rh..' stylc lnd
them.itrc
conlenl ol' his nor cl., al,.j if tlr
a ceftain development in
his artistic outlook over thc
r.o,il" "

Lriii.;";;;:ffi

to sound ,t"rori.ui,
,,
more than that: what is the recipe
f", ,,r.*#""1",rri,
,
outstanding Japanese-bonr, english_ejucaiJ
",
.lshiguro started writing novels
";;il;ulout iupon,
in engtirl
a country he imagirred more than fr.
f.r.*l'V"f

yerl

h_is

LLtn,j:l

Japanese name anrt face, but

tn,'

special siruatio,

i, thr,

rr"U;;

ulr" hi.

;:.o

.u,"r,"a

"l;;;;;,
";;;;r;;;"i'r0"" ilr"*.

My vcry i.rck of rutlroritv rrr:,J

hck^oiknowletlgc abour
l,rlrirrk. forccd mc rnro a position

Jrrpan,

.;i;;;;;;;:";r,
also oIrhinking ol.ys"illrs r "lr.irt,
krncl of homcl,rss rrrire,
wasn,t a,.; E^;iiJ';;.e5;;;
;il.;."Jlllil.'-,...1,
Japanese Japanes. .itr,",.
.inj ;-i ;;; :;1.,,J,".""fl
sociery or coun:ry ro speak
lor
*rli.'"u"r,.'Nii"a"..
hrsrory secmed to be my history.o ",

Neither partrcularly Japanese nor

English, Ishiguro considered
hrmself ftom thc vcry bcginning
an inrcmariona.i

I do rlrink rhere rre them

rvrit;;,'"'-".'

;;;';;i1;:';:,;;":::',i[ I.fl,"iTt
lTt,l ;;1o;-1
address them, but ,. u nou.iiri,
l1l"n:rl in rvriting
i ,;r;; i;"
rnreresred
things that *;ff
U.

Rpt. irr Barry I-ew is. Ka=u,,

.ress,2000,

p.4.

"f

i"[..rr t"riJ"pf. i"

Ishirn
- 2. Manchester: Manchester Unive.sity

The beginnings of the Ishiguro formula: the

tricky
rvorkings of_memory and id-entity ,, ,,irniog.upt
i.rf
narrative: zl pale I iet, of Hills
A Pale Vity of fl ts ntrodLtces a preoccupation
that will
lerlure pronrincnrlv in 1r1,.rr.o.. fiction:
aL1isiic;il; ;;;,rr,rg
rhe uorkings of nrenron'of rh" p;;irg;;;;-;;;,r;",;
,.
atternpt at defi ning her/his iaentity.'
Meriof , ;;;;;;;, ir' *,
rvholly reliable, as the rtader, il not the p."t;;;,;;;r".,
will soon notice, and as Ishiguro himself
will .tui",
Things like memorl, Jrorv one uses
memory lor one,s own
purposes, one's own ends, those
things inter;st In"... a".pty.

And so, for the rime being, I,m goirig

ro,tiJ *itf, tt""n.st
person, and develop the whole
buiiness ,bouf fo'lilrring
as thev r rv," o,p,i" *,"" r,.,,0
::

Hi:r?;,,,",i:H:.i l::,J,

Jl: *o, he deals with the I-narrators of his novels shows

Ishiguro's familiarity wirh psychology
*a prv"n*""iirir,'rri,
jRpr.in Clnthra Wo

ny. K.t:uo l,\ryuro. Nonhcore

House,2u00, n g
- Rpt.
in.Kalhleen Wall...Unreli"biTity. llisrory,

and,f,"l"rr-"jl-

Subject". in Gallix, ed. op.c,r..

D 60.

190

19t

Authorship and Identity in Contcnlporary Fiction

KazLro Ishiguro

interest rn literary "expressions ol repression", repression beins

a d.'fining clement of the protagon ist-narrators:

His protagonists employ one or more psychological defense

mechanisms, in particular repression, to keep unwelcorns
memories and intolerable desires at bay. Ishiguro's novel5
center on individuals who repress knowledge about their pasts
in order to protect themselves from painful experiences and
unacceptable rvishes that they cannot face or even admit . ..e

Ishiguro's first novel has as a protagonist-narrator

Etsuko, a Japanese widow who lives in England and also
reminisces about life in Nagasaki. The coming of her younger
daughter Niki "earlier this year, in April", leads to a succession
of scenes in the present, the less remote English past,
surrounding the mysterious circumstances of Etsuko's elder
daughter's suicide in a Manchester flat, and a more remote one,
linked to life in the aftermath of the bombing ol Nagasaki at
the end of World War II (there the Japanese part ol the
narrative includes the story of Etsuko's friend Sachiko, and he1
mentally challenged daughter, Mariko).
Initially, the impression one gets is that the narratorprotagonist has no intention of reviving the past, but we expect

the author to usc a design that will get Etsuko to do it

unwittingly and unwillingly. The woman stresses that she
pleaded with her second husband, an Englishman, to give her
younger daughter an English, not a Japanese, name "perhaps of
some selfish desire not to be reminded of the past". The reader
is gradually made to realize that the more distant story about
Sachiko and Mariko is meant to shed light on what happened
later on to the protagonist herself in relation to her elder

daughter. At the time of Etsuko's friendship with Sachiko, the

protagonist was already pregnant with Keiko.

Shc norv fbars, in rctrospect, that her fiiend,s laulty

lelationship to her daughter Mariko irr Japrn sontchow
furebode thc failure of her own relationship r.vitl Keiko in
England. Shc is fully a*'are that her perception ol past cvents is
inrperfect, that hcr memory ntay be playing tricks on hcr. The
readers thcnrselves come to suspect that cenain things related
to Sachiko and Mariko as rccalled by Etsuko may be the
product of the nan'ator's inragination, rather than recollections
brought forth by thc power of her memory. Whar we get are
not nccessarily vivid mcmories, but "pale vieu,s".
One vcry noticeable thing about the compler nanative
rveb is its omissions. The catastrophic destruction of Nagasaki
by the atom bomb dropped on it is left out, but it is lurking in
the distance, together with allusions to Japan's militarism in the
recent past. The circumstances of Etsuko's leaving japan lor
Britain are also unspecified. These omissions tcll the reader
about the nanator's determination to lbrget, but also about the
author's unfamiliarity with Japan, who will thus be cncouraged
to use his imagination to engage with expressions of
"Japanescness". As a very sympathetic cntic ol Ishiguro puts
it, "the Japan in A Pale Vietv of Hills is a displaced Japan, a
rccreation of an original that probably ncver existed".r0
The language ol restraint, understatement, indirection,
allusion and simplicity used in the novel can be seen, it is true,
as essentially Japanese. Otherwisc, Ishiguro stays discreetly
hovering over cultures, rather than betwecn them, being seen
try some to be using Japan as a remote and detached metaphor
for something cven more comprehensive, although less
realistically "authentic". He allegedly is, like such writers as
Salman Rushdie and Timothy Mo, "an English writer of crosscultural allegiances, rather than a foreign writer who rcsidcs in

r0

Brian W. Shaffer, "Ceneral Introduction" in F.Gallix , ed- op-cit., p-7

192

Barry Lewis.

Ka.zr.r o

Ishigtro. Manchester: Manchester University prcss,

2000, p. 23.

193

Authorship and ldentity in

Contemporary Fiction

Britlrn. and lris hpan. aitlrough

impeccably
J lesearchcd
'-r\u'I!"1(r
Irntpidiy e\okcd. is alu,ays
part nrctapiror.,.ri

Kazuo
and
an

lsh i-!tu ro

uirrrior pasl. {lt,:r rl e

0"r.",,,)i,ii..J,,,l:X,:i_1,
urgcd viclor). In,pcnalist .y,n1,:rll,irc',ri,:li,
rr:;.'::,,

;f:j::

counrry acccpted

condcmncd u.'..rur.

'

IIowcver, the phrase,,the floating

rvorid,, literally ref.ers
to a sort of euartier Zaliir frequented -U,
."r.f*.,'i"rn".ir"
artists in Tokyo in thc intcr
spent enjoyabie
drinking rnd havin5 a pood rimc. discrrssing-an
1r..,, ,rrrr,
ono had chosen to be a dreamer, i
u"lr""rirri, ir'a'.i"i.i,i?n,,
father, who had bumt hrs paintings
*lr;;
forbidding him to become ,,an artist
o'i tfr. noru"g *".,jll'l n"
eariy years of Ono,s arlistic apprenticeship
rvere, the reader
gets. t9 assume, a time of
Lrirrrur ,n'a rg.nc""';n'';r."
.
"
r.vas the tin,. M,,;ji-,;,.,..lJii,,J",,,

Japancse targel praclice

before lhe engagement with
Aitist of thc Ftoaritts tyorii--,-....
'
llillu,r,.rtl1,:
y.
lshrguro's
..more
second bo.ok is
^pparen
Japanese.. than

',

:liJ':I':^:;!"{!k!:#":{

lb

;.;;;;;::1iTJh:H:f, xl };,fl:

i: ;;;;";':;::;J.,.

a"ugr,,"."nii,io,;::;;;:;'Ji::"1T,.,.,r"iff

r_1ffi

;.

il:';";il.j
r
d is sZ t in
r
i,p.," ., J ;;:;;; ;' ;'':;;l;: :l ::: .''' ".n
;H *i;;: tr ; im:hn l : :* ft, J i,'"::',ill ; . il,l
younger daughter, An Arti.st

nosl r\
t

apa

n,

t4'r'c'

rr,," r.i*,,

o".iir"r r,

ol World War

II_

unccrtain' hesitaring.
,its
,,,."i";;:t:-'"o
s lmmediateiy
lollowing rhc cnd

The ,'floating world,, of the

.lnterpretation
title may be a figurative
of the culfural ut
orthe postwirvears
in japan. ri,i. ;.
iil;':'1.i,':"."
Lewls
succinctly
sketches

i"*

prcture:

the

Within the space ofjust one generation,

the values ofJapanese
crtlzens underwent a volte.

.,*r*,,,".if

T:u.or.o
mrtrtary or any
economy.
d c p ress i o

,'iX.

other mear

whch had

u..llli!,lllrXiJ;,j:iiT,IJ;
was psrtly to revive its

.rrl"''t
n i,,,.',,j j,i. il,l' l;;'
# J"

John J. Richeni er alsds.

The

) ork: corumbia University

When,

Jtu

,rrrr. i;;1.:i{;'r:rrv

i;il :, :l
",1..9,,?;l

rt

in the

inter-war

*"ria:, ,i.?ir,'lil.n,

l-time propagandist, occasional

iy sicrifi cing f.i.iar',,1r, lro
endansellq other people's, inclujing
rr,. i"r-.n..r:, i,"ir" lro
careers. This is not clearlv seen
li6p1 1fig O.glr rlrg.' .r'V rrr.;
i
is both the main charactei anrl
the narrator. thus controlling
the
ful

narrative_

. ,on,t,,Jll four
distinct iecti#
:::y:."f ;Tijl]l-jnlTnrly
clrcumstances extending
ol.e
sa

,,th;,;;G,;.

olrhe British Notet. New

Barry Lewis. op.cu.,

controrred by Masuji ono,

;;;;#

"li,n"ij,lirl"X?
.:",::t ; i J ::,,^:;,: Jfl :,.."J:;
ff th"
,"rd"r'L l[;;;;,,,;:" ,
rhis is part or the
il#:;,*LiJ:.tresses

;; ilf

s - ru ne- i ql
,*
the protagonisr's diarv. anrl
changing angle as th. nrr.uti
r

11

194

";;;;;;"r,

period, militarism becomcs

Japan's
pr-riicy. Masuji.s',"""r.i"r..,:'r;;:r1:;',"
.oflicial
give up bcing ..an onisr of
the f)oaring

Japan.s

rnten! ar lniiitarist develoome

"0oaring"

ll

:::ffiii,[

.:lJli"i:rr:;il::: ll
hc morc comprchensive".,rtiXT:'fi
perspective concenrs ""fl
a

, -.ck Iy

.i1,,,i,,utr,..,.,

rr. On*.
r95

Authorshrp and ldentity in Contcnlpotirry ['iction

...each entry can be rvrittcn lrom a dillercnt cmotional

position. What [Ono] rvrites in Octotrcr 1948 is actually
rvrittcn out of a dillererrt set o[ assumptions thrn the pieccg
tltat arc \\'ritten latcr on... so we can actually watch his
progress, and so that thc language itselfchanges sliglrtly,.rl

seen as ieading a very quiet,

Japanese city devastated
in
an
anonymous
carefi'ec existence
by the war but quickly undergoing recovery. lt is 1948 and

At first, eiderly Ono is

Japan is busy rebuilding its cities after the haroc u'rought by

World War II. The Japanese are putting defeat behind them and
conte mplating the future. Masuji Ono appears to spend his time

garden, his house repairs, his two grown

cl::tighters and his grandson. He spends part ol his evenings
drinking rvith old associates in bars. His should be a tranquil
retirement, but a number of details slowly enrerge that seem to
convey a dilferent message.
The first section of the book (October 1948) begins
with Masuji Ono describing the path leading up from a wooden
bridge still called "the Bridge of Hesitation" (rvill that name be
syn:bolical'?) to his os'n house. Ono insists on the detail that
the lbrmer owner of the house had been one ol the city's most
rcspected men. He goes on to say that Akira Sugimura had not
sirnply soid him the house, he had conducted "an auction of
prcstige", in order to find who tl.re wonhiest prospective buyer
was. This detail introduces a theme that should be dear to the
narrator -protagonist: the central position of honour and
respectability in a Japanese man's life. It appears that the
distinguished house, and its lofty position on top ol a hill are
cmblems of a respectablc old man about to remember past
achievements and contemplating the near future of his

aitcnding

to his

daughthers and grandson.

The beginning is an early illustration of Ishiguro's art

of indirectness, as the narrator does not state certain things, but

Kazuo Ishiguro

allows thc readcr to glimpsc thcrr through the choice of a

nurnber of significant dctails, as well as by implication. When
flasuji Ono says that hc no longer has many connections, as hc
is retired now, he adds that, if he \\,ere to put it to the tcst, he
*,ould "again" be inrpresscd by thc crtent of his influence.
Being now impressed by his influence shows that Masuji had
never had a clcar idea of his own position. "Again" above
indicates that there was a time when Ono had a great deal of
influence.

Like the buying of his house lifteen years ago, before

war,
when Ono was an influential (respected?) person, the
the
"marriage ncgotiations" he conducts .',l.ith anothcr family on
behalf of his younger daughtcr, Noriko, appear to be based on
the idea of honour. Families rvill even hire detectives in order
to find out whether the families thcy "negotiate'' with are
honourable. Why is Masuji Ono worried, why does he speak of
influence and connections? Why did previous maniage
negotiations fall through a year before? Whose fault rvas it
when the Miyakes withdrerv at the last moment?
As Masuji Ono appears to express his worries about the
chances of success of the current marriage negotiations, his
selective memory systcmatically retums to the past - to a life
and career decply tainted by the rise ofJapanese militarism. As
a result, a dark shadow begins to grow over his assumed
serenity, and might explain his worries about respectability.
Masuji does not insist on events connected to the w.ar
propcr - as a rule, the narator will deliberately avoid the war
years in his story - , but it gradually turns out that his wile died
in one of the last bombrng raids in 1945, while his son Kenji
died as a soldier in the uar. "So it goes", would say the
narrator of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse - Fne, shrugging his
shoulders, and so would say Masuji Ono himself. His son-inlaw, his elder daughter's husbar.rd, Suichi, unlike him, is very

rr Rpt. in Cynthia Wong, op.ril.. p.38.

196

t97

Authorship a d ldentity in Contemporary

Fiction
Kazuo Ishiguro

outspokenly against the wat upset

about all the
voung Iren that
a;ea^pointtJssi-y

i;;;,;;iii'
wJtile rnilitarism tttrns into
Jap2n'q
.n,.,r,'n'ii.], "Ir;:l:,

garncd irr cL,Drint lo I(.n)ts t,ltlr

tlrc rrri"takcs one 1,,,- ,,,tlre cour.se or n,,-",. ti i.". t n,,;,;
.;J,,",,::.'lr"L:, 1,, j,1,,]"1",,
shanre in nisrakes,narre in thilest
oi

.oi,,.;ffi'"il., ;l;::l;i"I;,:r.:,.o:: .:".,::i"",.

secms. thar K
i.,,rry

por,,

rodr i s o.urury

[I,j]'ii;;l'"n'l

rr.r,.i' ;:rl,'.i"" ili],"rl.d;,ll

thc prolagonisr and nrrraror..

,.lp:..nliy
the circu.:stanccs undcr rvlrich

the nrost honourable chapters

ol hrs biocranhv
",
The first indrcarion oi rf ls niaa?n ,episodc
is shou n in
whcn Masuji mecrs.Kuroda
Il]].:
rtr,.r rurning his back on
his old friend. Th"'r..j",
*rii.lrr r,rr,
r,-it:;thing that has not
been

i, ;;';;";; iiri *,

s.ubjecfive

";;#;;;.

f;.i, T:[

iii

t',,

ro

"r

n.

hc

;,."* ;' ; ::' l.',?l",tJ lf : tj : [i:]:T :d";:

ylv ;;1",
not i3
come easily, a.d the context
ntakcs it,,r."nuir,'oa'gl.ry
his
hope was rhar his honesty lvoutd
.,.perhaps
rmpress",:*-:,
I)r Saito,
and reassure t,is pot"nrini
that ercryrhing wils oUt in tlle
open, the marriage could go
ahead,,-,,

*,, J',ffi

Tlrr

;;;il|-,

B ri

dge

;il;;;,;5;rr' ,i:",ff: l:i:JJ [', [: ;1,*

nf*rr.* districr of ..rhe fior,ing *orfa:l

]j;_,!9
Deglnnrng to hesjtate

and allor the reader to

see

r,"i,.

i;!

i;;#;;i",

m,rc orwhar
;;,;;',; il::,l
about
his
past
nristakes?
''r'J'
Not

u?"n
much late.. i.o'ni.i,,"
boldly face

,t"i.,rri'''

i."!

aPpears

to invite other people

I find ir hard ro undersrand how

]^Tr.,:u.,
values his sclf_respect would
lor.

to

any man who

Iong to avoid
responsibility for his past
d."dr, ,-*ith
It.may.not aluays be an
easy
rhing. but rhere
thlng.
lhcrc is
;. certainl
--,-i-r..

;";;;,;;;J,t.I'

la.Kazuo

Vintase,

lshiguro.
r

e8

e, p.

,4

;;:"n:ff

a.tit onipt,

su p"e; ..

Llli.:ff lilrrfflj

,,;tl

;#

""?;;

a rri ves. now

",n:']l
;i ;, ;:.
""
::Jil::,
l"j;:,'
In the beginnrne lint o
q+,,
g secr ion ( Apri r
r
r, N,r,*rl
J;ii:.. l lh"".on

aboutwi" M;;;ji

o""J. i,yirg
hrrd to conr.ince hrmsclf hlopenea
tnun ufrorilfrii':*,r,ii,r,,
occurrtd. and the aurlror i, m:rking,t,"
a.rie rloorin,",'.,,
Ma\rUi witl. n. cnheressl .t,i,,,;.i;;;;',;'ro
h"u,ng
been responsible to some oltl

i''i

i:l

..r;, ; i,' r;,,k"d ;:T.",:I,XLT:ltJ; ilf:::',"r:il1

deceprion. An Arti.rt... is more

ri,if .a
n,, :i1: ?I
i1r "1,,
: :i
r)ilnrror's
discoursc is bascd orr including
rrry nrrfrUi"lj i^,"
in'
ir"
,""]:,0.
,.,i,i''^lllir']'''
larer
in
"'ii3-,,'no
thc
book
AIso.
a riuL ratei. ;;; ,;;;;;;.:i'teveared
Matsuda
to
ask
him
to
talk lavourably about ihe
-"',tlt
1

ir_i;;;ri"i;,

On e closc look. the Dattem

of_the book becomes clear,
the author lurking bchind
the unrehable narrator. This
lormula

,.:rr l:

combinc ..urrrcliabiliry. IIisrory.

and ,h. ;.,;;il.*
by Karhrcen w.rii, i.,
ilii..rll
,-^t.:l:erptorcct
Ishiguro,s
subsequent
. of
lr "'\ ' Lt)[.^:Xi
r
a strong inrpression ol recl
"ria,-in"-il,,,r, rr';;;;.'
being
"apparently
grounded in an accurate
historicariv. ancl on rhe
,,,ru." p,.,",i. l;;;;;;,;i']'::Tenr
"r,lil:-t-n".novel
a realistrc account ofJapan
belore
and alrei the \\;rl,.i-'-'',,,,,or

J;;;;;;i,,

;;i

rJ

l; itrJ,

)j,I

"o'u'

ii,:'i;lJ,r,:,ffii
"' '',,';il;"; ', ".i,i,l',*r"
;;i;.:

Is MasLrji Ono unu.illing to

lully acknorvle.lgc his past,
wrthin.rhc conrcxr of h is coLrn tiy,s .".;";
ir;;;;) ?'X,,,,,,] J, n"
gives the impression that he has
riift.icrfir.."",1rfr..i,*,'[i"""
the imperfections of human r

ao.. ,,oi.f *rf r'i"".r,U.

tL;. lropp.rr, rr'i ;,i";:1"

::.r"

to be unabre

Barry Lewis, op_cit.. D.53

'" K. Wall. op.cA., pp.6b_70
" Barry Leu is. op.cit
p.5l.
,

198

199

ALrthorship and Identity in Contemporary Fiction

Kazuo Ishiguro

The colonial subject as unreliable narrator in Tlte Remaius

of the Day
Kathleen Wall's "magic formula" endows Ishiguro rvitfi
postmodern respectability, a far cry from the "serious
accusations of antimodernism" leveled against him by Janik at
the beginning olthis chapter. This formula will be of use in the
discussion of The Remains of the Day (1989), Ishiguro's bestknown and most critically-acclaimed book. The novel is set
about the same time (1956) as An Artist..., in and, briefly away
from, a tradrtional English country house, Darlington Hall.
Likc Masuji Ono's house io An Artist..., Darlington
Hall is an emblem of prestige, more specifically, a symbol of
Britain's imperial past. Like Masuji, Stevens, the protagonist of
The Remains..., wants to believe that he did his duty at an
important moment in his country's recent past. Like Masuji, a
prototypical image of the duty-bound Japanese being
challenged by "progressive", postwar Japancse people,
including members of his tbmily, Stevens is himsell linked to a
stereotypical image of traditional Englishness in a changing,
post-imperial world.
Is it accidental that the novel is set in 1956, at the time
of the Suez crisis, the most important tuming point in the
foreign policy of postwar, post-imperial Britain? Isn't it
significant that the protagonist is not the owner of Darlington
Hall, but its butler? In keeping with these details, the fact that
Stevens, the butler of Darlington I{all, is currently employed
by an American, Mr Fanaday, who bought the grand English
house after Lord Darlington's death, is another element that

200

Drojccts thc 1.lrotagonist's personal story ac:rinst a nrore

comfrchcn\lvc lristorictrl b,rckgrotrnd.
J\lakirrg rrsc oIthe nrrrrarirc
fcr:l)ccrivc ernployetl in his
previous ln,o novels, Thc Renuins of tlrc Day *ili cxplore,
through thc consciousness ol another I-nanator, aspccti of a
ntore or less distant past, interwoven into the story oi a six_day
joumey undertakcn by Stevcns from Darlington to Little

Compton, Cornrvall, and part way back.

Like An Artist of the Floating ll/orkl, the novel partially
assumes_ the form ol a diary, $ ith a prologuc followed by
entries that chroniclc thc six days of Steveni,s journey. The
diary form, horvever, with the narrator just talking to himself,
is gradually completed with the presencc of a nanatee. whose
status - similar to that of the narrator hinrsell _ becomes
particularly specific at the very end of thc novel:

After all. what can rve ever gain in forever lookinc back and
blaming ourselves if our lives have not tumed out
iuite as w.e
might havc wished? The hard reality is, surely, that lor the
likes of you and [, there is little choice other than to leave our
fate, ultimately, in ihe hands of thosc great gentiemer at the
hub of this world who employ our serv.ices.r3
T

ike a worthy sea captain,

Steveirs has dilficulty

abandoning his ship (i.e. Darlington Hall), even for a lew days.
His e mployer means the trip to be a sort ol rcruard, a well-

desened break for his faithful servant: ..I really th;nk you
should take a break ...You fellorvs, you,re always locked ui in
these big houses hclping out, horv do you ever get 10 see
around this beautilul country ol yours?,'(4). Eoi his part,
Stevens appcars to sec the trip as merely a busincss probiem:
he goes all thc rvay to Comwall in ordcr to get an experienced
member of his fornter staff to work again at Darlingfon,tlall. tn
r8

Kazuo- Ishigrrro. Tlrc Reuutus of tlrc D,.i,,. Ncw york: Vinr3SC ( lsSq)
p.:++. Henceforih. rcferenccs. b; means of prgr- nunrher: on11. will
JoqO.
be madc ro thi' American cdirion.

20t

ALrthorship al]d ldentity in

Conten]poritry Fiction
KazLro Ishiguro

tlris rvay. a ..larrlt.i. stir[l.nhn,..

which hc "qJ
has u'r
alrcady
!du) r.rsi
devrsc(
rird dcplored. r,r.ould bc greatly
i,,,p.ou.J.
This.is. no srmple trip,.":; Ltu.iing,on
Flall has been

",".,.;''=

;[:l: Hll r;i:ii,;l

privitege to see the besr of irngland ffi ilT'

r";,r,";,i.i.,i,t.,in
"*iti

l.

,,o,

Does then ",Stevens lr

n t y ., n,.";
;; ;
;,,11, :-, i i : T:i"J : Til],;Xll
uc\,.1,,ps his stralcp\ of obiique"ncrs.
,jf
,f-,.",.iri;;';: ,..
t.::, :h the r:nreiiable narrator,s *o.a.
"*irg
trnguage (incirJentalty. is it ,tu
. Lord Darlingron,.,), onc crnnor
fr.f p i.t".ti,,g ,!..ut
, of excitement: ,.lt
dL.ll
see[
rc

r Lr

c.r a

;Xl;,i,

g;h;j;,;;;;r;.,
I;;;;, ;;';il;._..

., .

il

".

r,*

d;k;

;;;

i,"iiilj:.

ji;X

magi nat

iorr

[ *i

,;';#;i:i*i,""1]

L,,,J.lJ.llX;
;;ri;' ::;; j;1;;?,"".,
S"r."l'.,i,, j,,n.,

11

"
some
drys..1.3ll 1. wh;,"
.tor . ..srafl
nave to do *ith the
olrn;.:, A11hough
thc idea of this ..exoedition,,
t

he rs a'.posrcof*irf f,yU.tA;'rn*iuin*ry
_,-,^,-1,jl_q:tn
mrmrcKrng hrs masters. \

r,i'

:#'l:"1",T^l ;rul'Hff:::ffi
""pr"v..,"tr,.":#::
choosing the particular itin;r;;
n.rirr"i, .,],,i0 .
::qg*:",i
parttcullr person
at its end.

,o tt. W.li Cor"n;i,'

very conscientiouslv and
durilully. St.u"n. irrt". lr..
he reads, before he leares,ihe
."t"uunt Aug,n"n1r;.il;r";"
Sym o ns's Th e w/o n d e r.s
of E n g l a n d,",;;;r.;i;r_#;#".
rn the heyday olthe British
E"mpire by r,"
,."1f"
that wcre frequenr visiiors
ol Darlingion ,, "f,i"'..i.",
;;ri ;;;. wffii.

r".g.i'ilrl'ii i,
,.yirg;u.J;;;;r.
for himself and the narraree {obviously,
ir,l.i,'r,
shown a Iitrle bjt above) whar
makes, g.'.r,Ir,i;r,
has been aiming at all his
life.
";;.j h.
yn:"I. the apparentrv
.,great
oxymoronic
il,::'.t
:"]'*,::
butler', :.:,1:o:i,c
ivith "great
wi
e ngt,rt
D
a\ s. stevens does not
will be ,rr.irr..

a butler. Throughout the novel.

he

tl", {:urey u ilt be, at the same time, in

,..^,,.,
by now
rradltron:rl Ishiguro
fashion.

Uort., un.^i.na"J
r",r"ir"ff
cxploration and a r:learlv discemible r,"r* i,
.ffon
li
concealmenl. Ir will be an erpedition,
I
will undertake alore. in the comlon S,.r"*".uyr":.*lil, r
Vf , nr"ralrri. ,;;;:
expedition which, as I foresee
rt, will"ftake me through ,:i;;i,
much ""
of
the finest counrryside ol.England

tattuscapes &nd
"-'""5'tstt trnascapes,;a;l
"Great Britain". The butler .'
h"
consulted
encyclopedias
crruycropeotas
it.hp Na
and
Nntia--t
,. ,,
The
onar r^^Geographic,4la,
in rrrr
his rtrilu{'sr
3azi.ne ur
master,s
s
library.
llDrarvHe
has seen enp^i.^,,r^_
apa"tuarr"ra arr".."i"-"'"
^^_ -rnd waterfalls, rugged
mountain
nF,tzc ;^
peaks
in ..^_:_.

various foreign

lc ^

."r"i.i"r.'ii"#.;#::;:J ;.:,Hl

tsakhtin. Thc Dru!ogic

Iuaeino
-Jec
iesr,andHomiBhab;;:i:;"::,:,i|";i,[T,,:,lil#:Ii:yr:tl:i,n,.,**.

)fi)
i
I

rvill mcntally compare it with

This, in addition to the impeccable

English Stevens
throughout
uses
the novel, is one ofihe .igr,
calls hybridi zation. subseo rrenlly d"r.l";"I'l;';"rn,
""ilb*
"i-;h;i i"kh,i,
inro. his conceprs of nr'imrcry and lrybridizarion,
of the
ambivalence of colonial discouise.re
Sr"";r. ;;;';;';.J, u. u
"colonized subject,, that bonows
aspects of his ,,colonizer,,,s
identity. He will see nature through
Mrs Symons.s eyes, srreak
Lord.Darlington,s upper_c la.s Er"er i.h:
rr,'hi;',;r,;r"..;h,,
,ormer employer's views. even when
uuerly wrong. On his
way, he witl travel in his cunenr
employJr;;;;.;;';;;1"."
classy suits, passed on to him
by ilJD;dt";;;:;;
:;".
visitors to Darlington Hall during
its d"rr;;.;i;;;;L;;,."
wonder that an this wilr atso iead
,,
which.c.ommon people will assume
Stevens is an aristocrat. and
he will be forced to pretend
"
he is, until p;";;;;;r*;"',

ii:,ii;x*;

obviorrsJy."";;li;
M, F;;;;;i
"-',
tundcrslrnd rhe rneanirrg of thcsc
siirrple ,ora].

rhese verv wails..(l

s;s a very picturcsqLre sight, he

A,lrs Jane Symorrs's impre.s ions.

203

Authorship and ldentity in Contemporary Fiction

"great",

hc says, a quality he ascribes to the

Kazuo Ishiguro

English

landscapcs:

would say that it is the very lack of obvious drama e1

spcctacle that sets the beauty of our land apart. What 15
pertinent is the calmness ofthat beauly, its sense ofrestraint. h
is as though the land knows of its own beauty, of its ou,,n
greatness, and feels no need to shout it. ln comparison, ths
sorts of sights offered in such places as Africa and America,
though undoubtedly very exciting, would, I am sure, strike the
objective viewer as inferior on account of their unseemly

denronstrativeness (28-29).

Stevens then connects the issue of the "greatness" qg

the Engtish landscape with the question that has preoccupied
him for long: what is a "great" butle(? The most importent
criterion stipulates that a great butler should be "possessed of a
dignity in keeping with his position.
Among the few professionals that come close to
Stevens's ideal is his own father. One of the anecdotes that
shows the father's "greatness" as a butler will acquire a special
significance in the definition ofthe son's identity later on in the
narrative. Stevens's elder brother, Leonard, had been killed in
the Boer war, another important episode in the history of the
British Empire. The father was fully aware ol the fact that his
elder son, Stevens's brother, had been killed in a particularly
foolish manoeuvre, for which a particular English general was
to blame.
It so happened that, some time later, the general was
hosted by the master of Stevens's father. The father was in a
position to choose between being allocated as valet to the
general, or avoiding the painful situation and taking a few
days' leave during the general's stay. What the father did now
fills the son with admiration. Although he hated the general
responsible for his elder son's death, Stevens Sr. chose to stay

204

and play the valet, aware that the Gencral was an important
busincss Partner for his master.

Ironically, the son will play a similar role when his

father, having joined the staff where the son is the butler, is
now dying in a discreet conrer of the Darlington estate- A very
inlportant conference is going on, the future of the rvorld
depends on it (at least that is rvhat l-ord Darlington and his
butler think), so Stevens chooses to do his duty as master of
ceremonies, leaving his father to die in the company of the
housekeeper, Miss Kenton. The son has followed his father's
example, deserting his personal self, fully identifoing with his
job as duty and vocation. A great and dignified butler, it tums
out, is a servant that only considers what is good for his master,
6f

Fri,.i'iE,ryiipu,1r

::iJ:T,:,?il"J,i:[['lfl:".i:

t buireishnss]i Is' F r,iii,^';","a

a mer4r1 fl t
self-justification throughout the novci,r the butler will become
more English than his own master, whom he obviously imitates
and, within the economy of the novel, largely replaces as an
image of Englishness. He is a good example of what
Baudnllard calls a simulacrum ("simulation envelops the
edifice of representation as itsell a simulacrum")20: the servant
who renounces his personal identity as an emblem of the
British Empire, very English, master.
At the end of the novel, Stevens is tinishing his.journey
across England, but he is also at the end of his reluctant
'
reconsideration of important moments of his past, associated
wrth Lord Darlington and his grand house. FIe is sitting next to
a chance acquaintance on the Weymouth pier, watching the
sunset, enjoying the remains ol the da1 . as his interlocutor
invites him to do: "You've got to enjoy yourself. The evening's

i!'?i'iHryst;iliqleg: e {

p psr

?0

Jean Baudrillard, "The Evil Demon of lmages and the Precession of

Simulacra," in Thomas Docherty. cd-, Postnodernism: A Reader. New
York: Columbia Univ. Press, 1993, pp. 194.

205

,\urhorship

an<1

Idcotity in Contcoporary Fiction

thc bcst parr of rhe day. y:r.y.

yoLrr day,s work. Now
1o.1."
you (rn put tour lecl up arrd
cnjoy t \244).
The trouble is that Stcvens cannor prt
his feet up and
enjoy the renrains of the day,
r,i, a.y.iJrii.:ri***i nu,
appearcd to haye been a succession
.nlrt"t", ,ia"l;i;*.
This realization only bccom
"f

.,

:H}Ji'#:l';:,lhliff .,Xi,lJ[:i,j
:rl,;_11'';}:.;il'"ffi
n15 rntel locutor the failurc

ol_the rnaster h" s"*ej ura ,aai.aa

for nrost of hrj mature lilc. But
ar leasr f"ra Orrfirgr"" ,ra.
his owrr misrakes. while hc. tfr"
Urit.. ;;;"r;;il"'r";

;::n, .

personal Iine of conduct:

hi il,l." xJ ; ;..ffi ",n,,?e.1, i,,,", l?l.,,i,lni ., o

ii I i?:

"i
geqrageous
man. He chose ,
be a hisgurded one. bur there,

..."i,

p"ir, ;r'

;r;';';;:;;t,;

he chose ir. he

.4,

say that ,t
.{s for myself. I cannor even .ir;;
;;"y;r,
-ir,^."-.-]
::., ,
Irltsted. I trusted in his lord:hip.s
*isrtom ef f
jJrre';",,""ii;,,il',,lllT,,lnliiii
seryed him, r trusted J *,,
l9ps1.

cqn'l even.say I madc rny oun

mrstakes. Really _ one has to
ask Qnrself _ what dignity is
rhere in tlarftZ+if.,

lefqre this p4inful

,_
.
rmportanl
eccasions

mornent, Stevens denied on

two

thit he had *.*.a

alrhough, thrq:ghout the novet.

,h.
to shou'his fqrmer enrnlover I
"

dm i ra

tio

n. il

ro.'ioJ';;J;*i"",

L;,;r;;;;.I*i,ril,"

;; i[ ;' ;;,"Jn'#' ":,X;"1:, :,:fi :::.

T:
tif.^ had become, in rhe interryarp".i"i,"""i"r".
L-.j.,*it
supporter of Nazi Germany.
He sinc"erelj ,n*ri, "ii,o
had been unjustly rreared afier
World War I and
a lot ottupfio.t (belorc wortd
cllel
war rr). He had
ll:1i-5 meetings with Nazi officials
orgaruzed
and
suppo,t of Germany belore the
";ft.;;;;",
war and had dicd
i, ;;;;;u..
atier

9.Til,

tar as a parheric Nazi symparhizer r;J;;1"";

Lord Darlingron had even f"il;;

the

ideology. Influenced

by

''*,"

; ;;"-ti; to Nazi

anti-semitic p"ri"ai."f'.' fr" '.,1^

206

Kazuo Ishiguro

reading, he had decrdcd to fire two reliable Jewish

servants,
rvho thr rs laccd expr.rlsior.r to Genrlany during the
d;;;;;"",
times of pre , World War I I Nazi p"rr".,,ti-on. I hir'i;",
,
gesture that Ster.cns had unquesliohi;_qly accepted,
ii,ot tr{i..
Kenton, the housekeeper, had strongly pi.otcstei. The
.t,,"f of
thc lentale stafl'hatl cven thrcatened to leirve thc hour._
ii th"
gi s rvere dismisscd. Failing to see that Miss Kenton,s attitude
and probiry, Srevens advises his interlocuio.,
flrows:tr:l-Cth
rn
his,typical "colonized subject,, manner, to ou...on,"
n.. i"ifrf",
and sentiments, and to avoid passing judgement
on-what
mastcrs only are supposed to undcrsland and d.-ecide:
There are many things you and I are
simply not in a position to
concenring, say, the nature
W.f*,.,", irf.
:nq.::,rng

"i:"*.y
Oiu..j'io

Iordship, I mighr venturc, is sorrerrhat

U.,,.r.
what is for rhe bcsr ( I49).

rr,fg.

ll.ygns'S position in relarion ro his former Enplish

master,^Lord Darlington, is arrbir.alent,:rs

it hrs ut*uav E".n
noted. On thc one hand, he is a hirmble
ot"yi"f
on the orher. the imagc ol'aulhoriry p..r".,.Jly",f,.
,i^,.r- i,
the world olthe servants, where Sterens.eign.
Jrf ..,rr".

r.*""i

l.j"..,
in'tfr"

good old day-s ol prewar Britain, the

.1r"iI.
,r,"
domestic stafl look up to Mr Stevens,
"-r.ili..,
"f
f,oping,lru,
on.'j"iilr.y
will too enjoy a sin:ilar, prir ileged, porl,il,
ir'ifr" ;;;;l;
As a result of his permanent preoccupation
to shed his
personal sell in the perlormance
oi his professionoi ar*i"r,
,Stevens may have tost any abiliry t" ,.rrtJ t.
are supposed to be dear to him. It
is probably safer to ttrint itrat
he has inhented this inability Lom
one
,r"a"ir'fr"'1r"rc
h: flther and, within a more comprehensive
"ftil"
j"
cultural
:lrr mework, trom the
. .,ideolooy
of the Colonizer,, that has long
defined his identiry. Does thii postcolonial
status of Stevens as
subjected s'lbject give the butler
complete absolution?
.. . Dei Ivan Janik, after a perceptive analysis oiSt"u.n ,,
a disciplined, unquestioning
.ub.1".t lu"ying?J;;'p;;.;l"g

ii.l;;r;" ;"

.,n1

Authorship and Idcntity in ( onternporary Fiction

Kazuo Ishiguro

a senrblancc of dignity and protcssionalism u,lrich is supposed

to keep him inl.ntine fronr any sensc of responsibility, appcars
to answer thc above question in the negalive:

After a lifctimc of using the notion of ..dignity', to dodgc true

responsibility, Stevens is suddenly thrust into history, forced
to recognize tltat actions and cr.en the omissions of actiols
have consequences. Steyens can hardly bc held responsible lor

Municlr, thc flolocaust,

or World War ll, bul his

blina

dcvotion to his employcr is representative of thc seductivencss

of the leader-lollo,,ver rclationship at all tin.res, but perhaps
especially during the period betwccn the wars. 'l'hrough him
lshiguro reminds us that public as rvell as private history is no
more than the summing up of such actions and omissions.2l

Aspects ol poststruc turalist and postcolonial theories of

identity might give pcople like the fictional character of the
I
I

i
l

butler in The Rennins... thc dangerous impression that they arc

r.vholly unansrverable at all times and rn all cilcumstances, the
product, constnrct of ideology which informs and actuatcs
them. Nazi offlcers in concentration camps conscientiously
following orders would thus be seen as victims, rvorthy of
humankind's pity.

timed into a well-established author,

acclaimed by reviervers
and critics, protected by copyright larvs, defined by a distinct
formula, which he can either repeat but succcss rvould thus
be cheap - or break away from, and redefine the parameters of

his literary identity.

In his

1995 novel The (Jnconsoled, he will make a

desperate attempt in the latter direction, thus earning a
substantial clainr to Lidia Vianu's label of "desperado', writer.
A desperado, as is well known, was, provisionally, a reckless
murderer in real Mexico and in Hollywood westerns until
another 1995 cultural product, the film Desperad.o, featuring
Antonio Banderas as a macho gunslinger, glamorized and
updated the term. Next came Lidia Vianu,s 1999 definition: ,.I
mean by DESPERADO LITERATURE everywhere rhat all
writers are desperate to use all the tricks ever invented, to be
different, to shock at all costs, to be ttreir own trend,,.22 It is all
but impossible, even for a postmodern writcr, to usc all the
tricks ever invented, but Ishrguro tries hard to shcd his Remains
of the Day authorial persona and meet the desperado
requirements.

Apparently the novel is a far cry fiom the previous

terms of the credibility of characterization, plot,
setting. Often accused of antimodemism or attempts at realism,
Ishiguro is taking revenge on postmodern readers, who will get
ones,

in

what they really deserve.

Ishigulp

f[e rvriter

r!efying lshiguro .,the Author,,;

IIe

Unconsplgf,
The remarkable success that Ishiguro enjoyed with the Rerlalzs
of the Day can be seen as the culmination of an authorial game
he had been playing before, his previous Japanesc (An Artist...)
and semi-Japanese (A Pale Zlew.. .) versions of Stevens's 1989
story having stood him in good stead. [shiguro the writer has

We have a very important character as narrator and

protagonist, neither a humble Japanese woman trying to forget
Japan, nor a now pathetic former artist of the floating world,
nor a narrow-minded butler in an English country residence.
Mr Ryder is a distinguished, and internationally-known,
concert pianist, the best living pianist, actually. That is what
the reader is supposed to believe, at least.
22

2rDel Ivan
Janik. "No End of History...", p.t6il.

208

Lidia Vianu. Briris h Desperadoes at the Turn of

Editura

AIl, I999, p.5209

the

Milleniam. Bucuresti:

r\uthorship and ldentity

io Contemporary Fiction

The big event

Kazuo Ishiguro

th:

:il'1,':;l"i[f*##j:i, il,S:iil',
rersion ofi:nx#J:;
rafka-lana,f
which
a".- ,"i."1t,
he

whcrc his

,i11'".^1.,'"
lamrlrar with

*,r. i"ri,""#De

uhere he

lnrriguingly, this
is
been Iiving, this
is

,".";;;;; nil '^'L,Y,"i'',n've

room His arrival

planned. , ,lgiri"rJ'.irr"''n ^t1'tottoo'l

is
been drawn up (of rvhich
conrplerely ;g^",""ii,"r"i, 'l',:
he is
ot people wi be anxious to
him and ,;" fri, ir
mcer
a mcmorable' advertised
The town's iluil""*'lji,ii
concen.
consider him ths providential
lluure that *iri
'"
*"ir"
p.,r,cfi;21 f61.,;il;#l".ffJfl1tionise anistic lire in this

l.ri,i

;l'j::

up at a.hoterwhich hasn'r
.i;:i""Ji
#"i1#:
:him'
'- the 6.,f ;i;';;",';:: -s11an8:lv' 'nobodv is waitingrorred
ror
to tno* ii..""il:';"j"'::l|nize him' which implie's he
"*a
u".v plausible

the horer

,"rr;;;:.-rb;;""-:.YJlh'

excuse frrr

tot",,,: "Mr Hoffman, the

manager, he was very
,r-1.'^lnt
Irluch
wanting
to welcome you
persoially. urt
*'{rt lortunately' he's had
rrr, ,"rJ.
to so r,-.,

;rpo.rrri ...ti,]f'"3j'i
t

.
har

The marn point

ev

cry

;, no,lt^t-'.'i

body i J ; ;; #

ati"* ii tn,u",tri]. '" 'n

;;

i,J:

:::, :TJTX;
^;;T';;l:rJ:,
bre A m on g, i. ?,"ii"l.,.
il'.., l?'#H', ir'lff
::,: tht^to,oany
liT:,fi
',rr"
'i",'.,1^"'J
gentleman. cri"r.
of an elderly
'1
Rvder
asks the porter,
who looks * lii. *"..
;'0";:',:^o-ottr.out' to put
i

j;;;:ffi#1""!ass

the extremery
heavy luggage
refuses
\rusrav rs very happy
to compry,
,o .ro-ll,.nl.oo'itely
nrs town, its neon!" ,u- -^^_1.T on a very long speech about

,flI,:ilfi j.#,,1:
i1lll,:..".T*,i;;;il;Rr;'..ff
Degtnnlngs of his
respectable
'

proressron, about other

famous

;n:u::1ru"*;m:1,:*,.:,:m.#",:; j:H,r.,.lxT,

portcrs, a lengthy tirade u,hic

scription of thc famous l,:,"^:1"!.,*, re mtnds of Stevens's

his orrn prot'essional
world, their rrigrr'r,"#.J. J-t-','':tt "t
aniu, i s make,'?tc:, ;;Tn'.":t,, l:i 51,"" :ll l. s ps th ar new
wirh scvcrar prg., ,-,r rh" ,",j....'"^-l^ll ,p^"li:'l'v putting up
r rP(E(rr ro l(ydcr' tmaqining
old custe*trnding i,, rt,.jil, '.'
rrordrng Ihe heavv 5xilq2qe'
l'..
wlrat appearsll ;"-n;;;',ili
r,ill"rl;,ll"l,?
ri,i
il,1
,1"*,'r,"
creature present, also ridins r
slowlv very >lowly
rtrus aporogizing a.,n.'ir'1,, 'olllc
she
hrs been keeping fo. a
'
iong time:
de

Ir

;, *.i)., i:i:'ill,::
#Il'^,

I hope you don.t tltink

r,,ap'o' i.r,"u.,ng. i;::

I,

eavesdropping, but I couldn't

what custav was telling
vou, and r have ro say he ,s J::ll'c l?
rlrlrer
rrn[air on thosc ofus in
thiJ tot\n t ,,"an ,uiar.t..o.rng
y
\\e dolr'l appreLidtc otlr
lrolel
porlers. ()fcorrr\c

olali

;,,:"-1

ue do an{

cttstav

herc ntosl
;;.."t1H iitr"no"..''"
porler_lovirg ladi.
Miss Hilde Slralmann,

r ve.y"one

"^--^ .In:
representative

rs rhe

of the wclc

,,a. urrr,o,gr,,iro"in^'jlliXLi,#1 jlg,1,,,lng

" " "" drro llar nlel _comnrinec.
nobody but
the porlcr ycl, slre ,;;'-'
,t,",ov ru,,iri,i ;;r, ii:i:;:rl::r^fh"" !"rinsui't ed gucsr is

:H',?,:'""'Ii"i":"t;1

jJl*.",j::$iH[i:iJl';:]I.l"j

is planned lor rh,,.56ay

nishr(it is til;;;;:#ponrnt
wili
go on rnd on, n"'rhe,.
.' rne Auest nor ,hc
.,],t'-Hijd"
"o..r-placi. the,,t *rr,'0".r.".r'.1"1'11 'nvtt.'i" definite about the
situation ,no t.ruol'rr";; ]' io going trp' and rhis kind of
*,ll.ra"rr in the 535_page
novel.
Surelv .^_^ -:..^,--,
,.ra"., *Jti'roJ.'rir,i)"',ij'"' ts at hand? ot course the
they gct is a collection
glimpses. u*p..r.
of
ionr'o? ,i:": ^:ni'
-roi;;;;;";"'iTror's
deransed and clist,rting

'o"iiou'nt"'
*'o:, associarions of a mind
beser by ,.rrrr,i.'rlni,,t
;l:
everythlng;;;-;;J'i:';ill::,'."#bu:iiJi"Ll.';,".0*.,',

210

2It

Authorship and ldentity in Contemporary Fiction

As the long l-narrative unfolds, it becomcs clcar 1ln1

Ryder does not remember what he is doing in the foreign towr,
has difficulty recognizing friends, acquaintances, even his chilcl
and wife, but wrll, surprisingly, remember or see details fro6
other people's lives only an omniscient narrator - or God

himself

rs likelY lo know about

Here he is riding - not in the hotel elevator - in young

Stephan Brodsky's car. The young musician is going to
practise tonight, and is asking Ryder to listen to his modest
musical endeavours. The great musician saw the request was "a
matter of considerable importance for the young man and fell
tempted to comply with his request"(65), yet he refuses, as hg
has to go to bed very early in the evening. The young man
remains silent for a rvhile and Ryder the narrator wonders
whether Stephan has taken otTence. Ryder will then get into the
young man's mind, just by looking at his profile:
But then I caught sight of his profile in the changing light and
realized he was turning over in his mind a particular incident
from several years ago. It was an episode he had pondered
many times before - often when lying awake at night or when
driving alone - and now his fear that I would prove unable to
help him had caused him once more to bring it to the front of
his mind (/bid.).

Kazuo Islrigrrro

gcts the impression that he

;n England, but gradually one
town with familiar places
placcs
this
anonymous
in
associates
room in the anonymous European
;16m his childhood: his hotel
his
childhood
room: "The room I was now in, I
into
town tums
realized, was the vcry room that l.rad served as my bcdroom
during thc two years my parents and I had lived at my aunt's
16).
house on the borders of England and Wales"(
Lots ofpeople Ryder does not appear to know, but who
appreciate them, will ask for unusual favours, which
and
know
will give a very erratic note to thc pilgrim's progress through
this absurd, surreal, expressionist, magic realist ficlional maze.
The porter appears to be Sophie's father, thereforc Ryder
should have recognized his father-in-law frorn the very
beginning. Ryder rvill be asked to attend a reception in honour
qf Brodsky's dead dog in a house across town. As he was
asleep when he was suddenly summoncd for the event, he
climbs down from his hotel room and appears at the distant
reception venue far from formally attired in his dressing gown.
He will climb up a chair and give another memorable speech,
although much shortcr than the other ones in the novel:
"Collapsing curtain rails! Poisoned rodents! Misprinted score
sheets!"( 145) Needless to day, such words enjoy well-deserved
success.

the
next two days, at the end of which Ryder the musician realizes
that he has not practised at all for his performance the next day,
There

Ryder will minutely capture and describe what is going on in

Stephan's mind, a scene which had taken place on the young
man's mother's birthday some time in the indefinite past. Is

Ishiguro parodically playing with the illusions of the

conventions of narrative omniscience, by getting a characternarrator who barely remembers who he is, where he is, what he
is supposed to do in the near future. to have access to hidden
recesses of other characters' consciousnesses?
Setting also becomes erratic and unreal: a broom closet
unexpectedly opens onto the kitchen of a restaurant which is
supposed to be far away. Ryder seems to have been brought up

212

will be countless outlandish incidents during

sp he sternly addresses the

hotel manager:

Mr Hoffman, you don't seem to apPreciate the urgency of the

situation. Owing to one unloreseen event alter another' I
haven't had a chance to touch a piano now for many days- I
must insist I be allowed access to one as quickly as possible
(336).

Very respectfully, the hotel manager leads the most famous

pianist in the world through interminable, mysterious corridors

2t3

Authorship and ldentity in Contenporary

Iiction

Kazuo Ishiguro

up to a narrow toilet cubicle where,

lor some unknoru

reasol,
a good piano has becn broughr. Ryder
fi"J;';;;ii;:;;,
,"
squeeze inside the cubicle, but is
highly urr.".iu,ir=. i"f.fr.
acoustics rvithit the cubicle, moreor,er,
were not nearly
claustrophobrc as one might haue.uppos.d,,1il9i'"' """, 15
rn" book. thorgh.
crarst.onhobic, atthough
..._,..^,
19gt1
wntten rn ordinary,, useful British
English lorligneri ur. UorrO
to apprcciate. Some critics awed by. a Fa"ber ,rJ
irU*
edition ol Ishiguro,s n"rr,"nou"l ;;y
;;;.^;..n
lirdboung
tmpressed. The

readers mav enj6y the incredibl'e

"rri*
arc- irobably supposed to obsen
"f
e some

absurd situations,which

logic, combined with counrless

:::r-.. ot"ofnrghrmrre,
tre inability to communicate o. ..to," -ott,.,
io
:.:5:t,$
pcopte. I hrs is lorv Barrv Lr

L"a'.",r,"^.irrr;;;,

.:,ia;ili

comments on the book's title

So, virtually every character in the

novel is lookin-s to be
e ther by loved ones, rhrough
,n. L,irf*,ii.".r,
dgland o1 in the pursuit of a valued
;;i";;r.
of the citizens of this nameless.to"n
,o .!.ui, ,#*r",",
tunsatisfied, and unceasingly chasing
,,,l
goals ,h.y *";;;;;
The readers are likelv to he un66n56lgd
to a certain extent,
although puzz.led andt or amused to
another. il;;:,.iti;;;*
knorv what Ishiguro the real nerson
was up to when he came up
with the book, althoush hc map2g66
to gei the ."oa... ,irinf.ing,
asking themselve; quistions.
consoled,

y;;i;;,';i.;,.

parody? Farce? Hoax? Another

huge
-^..^,, ^,0, ^"..1rn:O:m
novetrsrtc
metaphor th.tt misht be telling a personal
,torv
of
roottessness and exire, of fallure
t" b;i;;;
anything,.definite dbout one,s pcrsonal
and national idenrirv?
, n....3d.,rg ofl Ryder's narrative
as the extemalization
..an extended dream
ol
nray encourage one to explore Ishizuro,s
'ilr.f.
engagement with psychoanalysis
in this pu.ti.rfu.

Ii'ffi*',lrn*

2a

Whose fantasies of the unconscious

is.the reader to deal with,
Ishiguro's or Ryder,s? These fantasies, ,.r.f
i"i" ,f,"
1vritlen, conscious text of the dream as
^"a*fr"i
i*rd
.,dream-work,,.
used to call
Once on rhis"",r",i""'i.
interpr;ta;i;" ,.,in, *.
reader can explore the combined .rr.",
dispiacement as parr of rhe ..aftistic k*;;;;i;;;,-;;'.r*.
"ii""j.r*1""'ano
'ir,r*r."
traumatic experiences. Does rhis th".upy
;;.k'f;.
o. only for Ryder, and *t ut Jin ii ,."."r'r'Uiri' *
I"lll.
,rr.
identity of a very special author/
In his sympathetic revrew of The (Jnconsolecl,
Gregory
O'Dea. is attempting to track and trace
,
g."lr^l' o.i"r.,
rwelation, featuring the fusron of
",
the spatial and temporal
labyrinth of rhe unnamed. fo..ign unJ-fu"riii".
a*",' ,r5',n.

equally Iabyrinthine cast ollhe protagonrst,s

mind:
In a magical process of revelation, the
characters in irlre
Unconsoled gradually come to resemble
distorted proiections
of Ryder himseli his morher and i^,r,."
,"i'i,,i, ""l1iji'""a
fears and desires. while ihe ciry,s
l"by.i;il;; i"ri*rr.'*O
of piace suggesr irr. r,ioi.r'."r"r.Iiiio".,.
:1:lIo
own
unconscious mind. These imp_ossible
.uung.., _., JJify,
the ghosts of Ryder,s psyche,
and ihe sout .i,rrlii,r,
v'|!, ;h.,
w
'|,,! j ;rr,
hlm to save is, we come to feel. also
t,ia o*n.i;'

*^:

When this remarkable,. British

writer becomes fully
established in the 20'h (and 2l-.y
century literary

T*,,.
Ill"T.,"r,.::l:1":
in Ishiguro's work
ar '
. place
ind

c u rt u

ra

r'i,,",

canon, critics
srBnlrlcant
a,,"ii',",

t:- j,,,,fr'
rrr! rruYsr s
J-'"^r ih;";;;'",;,"'

J# ; r:T ::[:',',,x.,,}ili] ilffi 3

ii"-ii)),,i
ilr.
:

..",.
will probably remain the author
of

"fii,;

']treBory O'Dea. ..Th. Uncon.oled,,

lonJine review)

Bany Lewis. op.cit., p.123.

nttp ://www.utc.edu/Academic/En

gt

ish,/b"Jl)iJi*.1.

2t4
2t5

r,,^ornconsoted.

Petcr

r\ckroyd

ChaPter 7

(THE NIYSTICAL CITY UNIVERSALN

PARODY AND INTERTEXTU.\LITY:

I\

THE SEA OF

PETER ACKROYD

'

Biography and biographies, history, metafiction,

postmodernism
Can the catch-all ternl postmodem say anything definite about
Peter Ackoyd'? His name has bcen used in connection with
current developments in British fiction by such critics as Linda
Hutcheon, Alison Lee, Brian Finney and Susana Onega. In
1992, in what appears to be the first essay on Ackroyd (apart
from reviews and interviews), Brian Finney spoke atout the
novelist as one of the figures that can .,loosely', be called

postmodemist, although

not

in

engaged
extreme
experimentation. Finney gocs on to describe this,,nerv breed,'
of British writers that he considers Ackoyd to belong to:
They have absorbed the triumphs (and absurdities) of
poststructuralism and can utilize those aspects ofrecent theory

that suit their purposes rvithout becoming enslaved by

them.They have nevel lost touch with their readership. But

2t'l

Aurfiorship and ldentity

in Contemporary Fiction
I'eter Ackroyd

[:? il: ;Hl L: ;ilru :[ i,:i il i

":;:it :t ]|
A fine liteLaO, br.ographer wh.o

em

e,

ves)

Great Fire of London (rvhiclt has I lot

to do rvith Dickens,s
l.irtlt Dct',:r ancl notlring rvirh the fire of Ioc,oi.
The two years (aftcr Cambridge)
thar yolrng Ackroyd
spenr at \-ale (on a Mellon r.i.to"st-',pi,,r"f

hos gained r.vids

rccognrtron wirh his imprcssivery
werj-docun,.n,?J'u"Jot,
such poets as pound. Elir
on
Blake'
e'r'inces
srrong and pennanenr
a
.Ackroyd
n,."""'^1.::j
*"-lt' n"''* i; ;;"';::::::p'tron with the past in his novels
"
o his con te m porary'
i r'ri' iiu l'
?'"''
to.(or
sivrns thc illusion
or trying "
ilJ'l]1.'o''g
London's
past. His
recovery of the
-'- past inuoruX.",^1l.I.p"ci.ally.
Y u' v cs blurnng
the
boundaries
between
thc

c'"r"''

,'i;;;;;

il'liltii';"13-']

1.",, ii ",i' ii,if,f,i"iT,

.
(completed in 1973, pubtished
in llzii,
wri te s Ab res

..ilrrt

"1,

this
tuncic,'r,rklng.
Bom in 1949 into
working-class familv,
Ackrovd
t;. .,,"",],.1 'f ".11"1
'";;;;
* n n o r, i . on"r.- J',. j#"H:,Xi"l
:l jH,T ;
"
I lf,
crty" universal"He reld vo
about its

i"-orr,',;; i;;; L"I:'ou'',Londoners mysrerics and

in the British
"1mous'
Mttseunr
,r,or,

n-rJi"*'*""r,]

He followed in

Londoner who, workinr hi. .--{bo-tt'"pt. of another famous

I2 to rhc unil"M,,.".ff way.lrom the blacking lactory at
the

*", *,i,,,' i,.t:t';.1"::T Jj,i l; J"l ;:l;

,T:: 1c.d,.
Inen
becarne a very influentia

his great
misery

o;-;;:;;';'';xl.rwrter'

ani g.,na.,..

rntcrest

writirig as

in

Ackrovd has taken rrom

;.1",:"ii::'#,:l

picturesque,

cnaracters, which became

,].nr.",^

i,:ft.X#
";.il:r, :l

**";;;;,

,ppu..it f.oi_, fri, ?rr,

,#,%,

Briu Finney. ..pete;;k.ro*;.,

h,c*ierhcenturyL*,",|L"i" j,l'iTo,[fr'.,d;.,;060r0,,,,.,,",..
I

218

in

well:

postmodernist

Modemisnt.is the movenrent

in rvhich created lorm began
to
rnterrogate itself-, and to
"..,'r_,

Iff

ffji.l.Jfi *:HiJj

for the time modernist featr

".J*nr,'n.
"""""iil"..
as
self--reflexivity
and
metafiction, will become u'^::,,'"th
ery lnlportant

and the phrase

"i-iirr
,'",i"g.;pr,;.',,"i,'i:,I,".i'1
.L"'1""
" -'-"' rrutl ls ol(cn
used to describc

i.,r.r"il"?.J*_n
;;;,r."
,;"r,

introduction io postmoclern ist tfr",-,gf

rt ria-*ri;;,'
so as French deconstruction and posistructurri;;-;;.
popular rhere. Based on this
an

y1

*,,1,r''

1.;;i,,,

ff#'l-..

:?,J,

#:liil,r'

l'i,:,";Ll :l JIl",:, : :., Jlll:

::,.J1,,

i:r-,

ilr. \i::.

*' .;;;",

For yorrng Ackroyd. n

a, r,larra,mJ. x;:;i:;::r;"I"ormism inciudes such
French,

fi r,rrres

.;:l"I::iifl

rheori,rs';.il; :il-.::.,X''1,:'

loucault, but the vieu,that

",'i.".
th
is an empty entily,
subiected ro
,..*,..^,i :.l?di'idual
o, rrisr-n,,""di sco u rsc.,roi.,
i:bi::::o determinarion. " r,r, " .r1,, ;"',lj',.lH
lil.i?i J,
-'a'"',n".ii,*
irngurstrc
wil.l play ,' ,r"
,,iir,#*,
subordinarion of various
intlividuals, ri ria.lor,
r

mvs teri ous

irli;il,jii,l
-

Notes

f,:::-,:::

for

urse

d i sco

r the occur

a New Ctrltut
.;;

i*t., ; ;' ;
i

ft ];:::, r. j il
"; Universiry.

:]:l:,-* .Cambridge
poststructuralism,
was quick to

i;; ";';:; ;,,,

];t

fJL:"?""l

r,rrai,,'i"r-.i,t:J;"0

spot the imperfections

young British enthusiast
in a Sunrlay
i"",.*.

a*.,

219

of

the

,i.ii*.,

AutJrorship and Identity in Contctrporary Iiiction

rathcr than czrstigate the young Englishman, Ricks defincs 1i,

position, comparing British errpiricism and Frcnch theory.
oriented writing. concluding that "...it rvould be a gloomy da,
... if all that happens is that English disdain- for-theor) squares
up to Contitrental disdairr-for- lact"-'
Alan Massie finds Ackroyd "a dandy, self-consciorrs,

elegant and witty", *'hose work is marked by extrerns

artificiality, who never ieaves the readers in any doubt that they
are reading a novel, *hose inspiration seems to be literature
rather than lifer. This comment, probably based on Ackoyd's
early statements about languagc and self-reflexivity, invites
further comments.

Pirst, artifice arld artificiality may be viewed both

favourably and unfavourably. From a "realist" perspective, tq
give the impression of a literal transcription of a model of
reality into art rvould be the norm to heed, and artificiality
would be seen as a drauback. A modemist or a postmodernist
approach is likely to have other prioritles. Literature may
engulf, reorder or undermine reality ("reality") by questioning
rcferentiality, truth, meaning. immanent and immutable values.
It largely amounts to going back to Brian McFIale's "dominalt
mode" of postmodemist fiction, linked to the, by now,
notorious "ontological uncertainty" that such fiction promotes.
To a certain extent, Ackroyd's novels work in that direction.
As for literature, rather than life, being Ackoyd's
source of inspiration, lvlassie contradicts himself a little later,
by saying that "Ackroyd is a writcr rvho fulfils Nabokov's
requirement that the norelist should see the world as material

Peter

Ackroyd

for fiction"a. Whether it is literature or thc world at large that

constitutes the rvriter's source of inspiration is too general a
statement to be of nruch use here. To confine mysell to an
6lmost equally gcneral statement at this stage, I will say thar
6ckroyd's "material" is time and his novels are strongl1
6arked by the problematic intersection of trvo or several time
layers in their narrative sLructure.
Do past and present interrelate or is time fragmented
and fragmentary? Is the present naturally, (chrono)togically
following the past? Is the past "devouring" the present or the
other way round'? Where does the past end and the present
begin? Does history exist or is it just another fiction? How is
time to be seen? These are just a few ol the questions that are
bound to arise as one enters Ackroyd's fictional universe.
The first critical operation an informed reader is likely
to perform is to "place" the author: what genre does Ackroyd's
novels belong to? Alison Lee5, following Linda Hutcheon's
distinctions, calls books like Hawksntoor (1985)
"historiographic metafictions" that use realist conventions
while they simultaneously seek to subvert thcm. They use
apparently thorough historical documentation only to highlight
the indeterminate nature ofhistorical knowledge. The reader is
I both aware of the "artifice" and caught in the fictional histor) s
illusion, metafiction being "less a departure from the mimetic
novelistic tradition than a reworking of it".6
Susana Onega, in her book on Ackroyd, places the
author's rvork within the framework designed by Hutcheon s
'.tbid.,p 51.

Christopher Ricks. "The Craft of Criticism" . Sunda;' Tines' March 7,

1916,p.39.

I Alan Massie.

The

Novcl Toda;. London: Lo0gman, 1990, p 52.

220

'Alison Lee Realsn

and Power: Postmodent British Fiction- London and Ne\rYork: Routledge, I990, p. 16.
o
Linda Hutcheon dar.rsrJlra Narrative. Thc Metafctional Paradox- Londoo:
Methuen, 1984, p.

5.

221

ALrthorship and ldentrt)

in f.ont.nlporary lirction

I)ir;rse. rncttrt to ciipturc

Jn

prrslr;rodt.rnis( fiction.
rnrl ti irhrn
rnlernational context:

r:i[:'J:il

irn
,

l'e tcI Ar 1'ro1ri

porlant rlrmensiun

s1

rargf r. mOre comprehensi\,e

1'"o''ographic n'tctanction in the

catching up will
rvorld-wide
3
on"no.n"not-tt,P-t]tish'rovelists
*:;"'
American #,1;;;; ";;,':
i

;|t;:

,oo'.on;"''1

realism and to Gabrier

in panicular.T

i,'"
Jr"#, ;"j #,,..,"
rcl rcan i::;
c".;,
v
,magic
Marquez
and Jor-qe Luis llorges
'arcra
"_.,,l,fll-'r-'ur

Bradbury sees Ackrr

r.ilr,ue.l ;:;; ;il:ii-1:.lJ]:''f in* a prl'occ,pation

n,ovc rou arrrs,".,r,",,r,""
i,lf{;l:;;1,*1, }il_J,:iffi .l:
bctt!cen thc pait and the
uncomlortablc
,rcscnr...s,,J*',1.il.i,i"1 are probrblv and apocrllpric
m'rrc uselul
brclgror:nd
1or rr,"

t;.;;;,r"';;:'descriptions of
*,..r*i, r,"..r
"" i;T,-::,,.ttt'l'te
'- prnpornt' and they u'iil
as

.,on,..rh,ng
to :rs rve n.rove

Giien Ackrold's ittt!-nlion to Plisticlie and plirodr,,

o1'

thc

relationship to literarv cLLltutr' lncl trudrtion erpressed tlrrough

his ivriting is yet one nlotc garna, onc nlolc rLrsc iu thc
labyrinthine play ol his te\rs. ll- the heritage is therc, it is
explored as being an inrprop,:r and brokc'n inheritancc.')

This heritage being c.xpressccl as nrptulc is probrbly morc

dilflcult to pror.'e than as a lrore discernible netrvork of
nrysterious corespondcnces connccting past and pr.esent. The
prescnt trying to cat tlle p;lst or thc pitst cngulfing thc prcsent
are l.nore accurate reprcscntltions of rvhat is happe-ning in
Ackroyd's llction. The lattcr tendcncy rvill bc clcarlv sccn in
llav,ksntoor.

be refened

rlo;;.

Rlther thrn

continuity, bLtt intlicatinq li r.uptLrrctl inlreritance ir1, ntcirns

ludic and labvrinth ine texts:

oDerxtjn

0i.,., i'
:i.:jl'::il::X'i:,.:"j;."?",,::
l:::
i:9,l"
char:lclers
lhat are seen ".i':
to
mal

lhal

amorrnt lo "eirling
Th".; ;;ll';.'.,.:d(e [:estures
,na pr"r.,i. u. *.;i. ;r-i;il*,::nespondences bctween past
u

thc pasr".

le rnor! saisir

nen the past

eats lhe Drcsent,

;r;;i#t5
ri;; ;;;;" jd:;: J.l,;: ili.J i,..,?,ffi
",",

/" ,,1

1l,0.

extcnsrvc use of parody

anj o
'rcrernv Gibson and Julian
i. r .c r,ri on Jn
;' ;'
"pc.

*;,?]llill'

:iltff

iil"';:li"::,

o:"r1. ivt-e.raiction o,a tvyth

jC,ia""""lX'!J,'
in
1i;'o
i"
'u,r."r", s.nJi,,=,1,:nl";;r);:r:,o;i ,.,.r
g"rr",ui"
"a,::lll^

*hi:h' in rhe oprnion of

th

N() ve t s

"

of

l*Hl, ::;
'pe

re

A c kroy d.

secker & n,.,uu,g, ronaon,

rso:,

p.434.

212

Fictional beginnings: The Great Fire o/ Lotttlon

The I982 novel *hich begins the series ofexplorations of time,
.. accommodating intertextuaiity, pluody
and pastiche, announces
some ol the most inrportant characteristics ol Ackroyd's

fictional world. Likc in Hax,l-.r.rroor. thcre is a charactcr lyho

appears to be a reincamation ofa figrrre fl.om the past, and this
does not bode well lbr the pre,scnt. 'l'he past, this time. is linked
to Dickens's Little Dorrit.
The real dimension has to do rvith the liaunting
prescnce ol thc Marshalsea pr-ison, the Don-its, temporafy

e.lcrcmy

(iibson and Julian Wollteys.

Labtitttltt,t,-

I'c,te

I.rl l,,ndun lt:,.n,rll,r.

2)\

At:lirrtd: The Ludit.

p i

'orr0

artcl

ALrthorship r.nd Idenlily in C.oDtcnlPorary

I.iction

I,cttI Ac.kroyd

"honrc" zrnd wiih the powerlul influcnce

of.a rcal person, thg
novelisr (thar.lcs Dickens (*.hosc sibl ings- an<i
0"."",i
thcre, ivhile he rvorkcd in the blacking fa.to,l)
",r"'i,r.O
iil;l.rr'
but *,hich acquircs an all-too-rcal virian"rr,"io.rr.,
;;;:i:
l)or-rit herself, who is ..rcsurrectcd,, in the shapc
of auaray
Skelton, thc. telephone opcrator who claims
,o t"* ,t .
Dickensian cllaracter.
The r.veird, ntalevo len

past i s in i r i a r ry p,,,,o k",r r;'"i1":i,:l;::::'#,Tfl

placc, hruntrng Spcnser Spendcr, a small_rime
tfrn-r.t"r, .f
nevcr should have touchcrj you,_ but I thought yo,,.:*"a
child". When he realizes that the words cl.,e' fro*'|,,ut,o
Dorrit, hc dc-cides that he should make a film
'str"ange,
of
Dickens's novel. 'lhese u,ords.also describe "".ri*
his
childish relationship rvith his wife, Lactitia,r L"tty,
;;;;..
Does Spcnser bcconre w.rappl-tl up in his littlc
Dorir ,t;;';, u
means of atoncmcnt lcrr thr- ftrilcd relationship
*,tn n,"*ii"i
Spcnser thinks hc understands Dictens. H.
U"ior..
thcrc is somcrhing strangc about London, ,,some
kinj of-rnu*,.
or somcthing". I.lc anticipates the slrangc pattem
that a.t-yO
rvill employ in his subsequcnt tktwksntioi.,,Did you
t"r"jrfrrt
if you drcw a Iinc bctwccn all oI Hawksrnoor., .t u..t".,
,f,"y
would lorm :r pentanglci Isn t lhal wcircl?..1,
Audrey, thc woman rvho thinks shc is little
jusr onc o1' rhc host oI Drckcnsian chrracters Dorrit, is
n;p,;i;;,rg
Ackroyd's London novel, mystcrioLrsly ennleshed in'on.
.ingf.
story, culminating in the final Grcat Firc. also involvcd
in the
novel's plot and in the making of the film is Cu.U;age
lecturer Rowan Phillips, asked to rvrite thc script.
A gu;;;r,

iJ':ill:

hc assidLrouslv tries to scdrrcc TimotJiy Clolcntan. ALrdrcy,s

bo)il.icnd .'l-rantps, dribirrus pc.,rplc li(1til IltL- filr:r irrclLrsiry,
5cedl acadcn.rics. nrilrtant stu(icnls. l dr jlnq,Jd tj,rlrl rre
g6ljLtrcd up by Ackroyd s pcn. .rll of tltcrrt rrnrinrsctnt of tirc
scccntri.ities of sonrc of Dickcns,s secondary characters.
The catastrophic "shor1-circuit , hctrvecn pasl and
prcsent occurs \hen tire dxarf Arthur. ljterally short_circuits
lhe clectrical equipment of the prison ri ltcrc hc is contlncij. and
[udrcy, \ho rescnts th!, way fhc filnl lteople arc rt_crc:rting
little [)orril (that is, Audrc], hcrself, as shc llnds out during a
sdance u ith a clairvoyant) sets ablaze thc ,,r.archouses on thc
fiinr set. Spenscr Spender. the dircctor ol t,itrlc Dorrtt, rvtll die
in the cnsuinq "grcat fire . thc victim of his or.vn dabbling rvith
the pa:it. Per-haps the aLrthor hinrself shoLrld be caref'ul rviih thrs
dangcrous gantc? Brian Finney ntakcs a citnnection bctweeu
the novcl s finalc and thc- hazarcls of realist rcprcscntatio[s of
the pa:it:

Inc\itabl!, pitst and prcscnt bccomc incxtricaltlt, fused rrherr

Audrev. indiqnant at tire frescnce ui urr actrcss un the sct
impcrsonatin-e Litt[- Dorrit (hcrselt). burn:r do,,r.n the- sct. in the
process causing the director,s death. .I.hai is thc late. Ackrovd
considers, thaL Iies in wail lor any rcalist artist attrmpting to
resrrnect thc past. ll

This must be the reason rvhy Ackroyd rvill expcr.inrcnt rvith

"historiorraphic nrctafiction" as il sxle lly ,rl kclt-pin.l clrsr of
the "dangcrs" ofrcalist reprcsentation, of po:;sibic grcat fircs
of
London.

l('Peter

Ackroyd. The Great Fire ofLondon (19t2). London and Ncw

York: Penguin Books. 1993, p.16.
224

lr ^
tJn3n I lnncy.

,,r.i/..

pp. : l-i_l.l-l
225

Airthorship and Idcntity in Contemporary

l.iction

Pclcr Ackro.,.tl

I)yer is like an earlicr [)ut eyil tslake in his csoteric rloctrines,

syncretic mixlLrrc of the rvorld,s tnvthologies, refutation of

A hlack lfltkt: J lax,ks ntoor

l {av k.;noor hls be come
onc of
r:cntral :fictional te xts
.the
in literatu:",,j'i,i,..y,
:';,,,'''::1:-:1,11".,'ll'11:t.1n..1i,tation
r ' .rcscnrttron

(,
i

.csenrarion,,

ot-history,, be.ing.equated tvith .,the

hrstory

ir

ac^,,,rr4.lgdgs11,gnt

of

ur,in.J.-2"" ,')i,,I,i,
u,ith the o..,pion."'" ono"1

Linia

Llentistn. Dealing

tradition Uv portn,oa",

sr'rr"' thlrl "thc hist,,n orrcnrcscntatit,n..n,,oin- .ii," ifr,.fr.""

t"
r,u,
tt crn bc bullt exploired and
"..ui.a
commcjltr.d,rn critrcuily
tltrough
trony and parody...',rr The crrtic
will go on to assess tlte
"prredorrcal
poslnrodcm stratcgy,, w.hich
wiil use and abuse
i n s,.r, nou"r.
),
i
:"' l'l::::il1: 1",,. rornts
",' ),,1appruach
and a prrodic

ll;::., ;,T:,
;,;;" i.,.:;i,;:]l','f'n''"''""'
,,, his.excrllcrrr biography
ot.Wrllirrrr
,-_
...
lcn )'crrs
rflc:. lld\t.\nk)or.'

architectural monultcnls
menac ing u orld

Ackroy,l p,,rrlin,r"

nun(.on{uur)ist and unonhodox

n", j",, i,."
trr,'*,ar,
retipious poct in Fngirntj.
"a"',i",,
tr is a ,,;;.;;;;
argurnent, rs mtny uould hardly
consider ,i" "li,.i.,,"ti,.,
,ffi
"Mariirte of Hcarcn and
HeI,.aderou; ;lr;;.;".."..", "i,,r.
[d*rrd Ahearn exnllres the visionary
tradition that
nnrrptc rir,- tt.utEtntour
r;^ ,
appcar to fbllolv, in which
__^_',:1.1,",.
tslake,s
propnctic books fcature
nrominently. H. go", ." n,.
o;
;;"*
a per;rllcl betrveen thc
.- Sat:n.
--,urrlc protagonist of the novel and
Blake himselii

icrv.

L'

1he beginning of the book shr-rr.vs him as the :uchitect,

also
as the l-r:trrator and teacher; he is instructing his
but
assistant on the main principles of his doctrine, bascd on terror
and magnil'icence. and the observance ol'the rulcs ol'astrology.
The language, including spelling, is a recr.eation o1- l gtl, century
English:

And here, ou another sheel, cirlctrlate tltc positions

and

influences ol the Cclcstiall Bodics and thc Hcaicnli.. Orbs. so

that you are t)ot at a loss on which L)J)c\ f,, begin or t,., leave
off your Labours. rl

i,,,.

Bia(e. ,r"ar',na
publishc,J

ald ntorality. and vcncriition ol'ancicnt

ls croressions of liis lridrlcn ancl

establishcti rcligion

In this novel in which Dyer is more intytod:rnt that.t

Ha,'vksnroor, therc ale, aeain, tcmpor:il Jayers that ltrc
mysteriouslv interconncctcd. First, thert is thc irnrrcclialc past
of a series of hiileous murdcrs lookc-d into bv C.lD Dctcctivc
Nicholas Halvksmoor. The nrurder: tcre pci.pctratccl on thc
sites ofsome l8th-century churches. A more remoto past has to
do with the story, 250 years back, olthe lgth-century architect
I'licholas l)yer who "cats" an even more rcmote past.
. Niclrolas Dyer is actually.,more Flawksmoor,,than the
20'h-century detective, being modelled on thc real Nichclas
tr,Edward

Aheam. The Modenr L.nglrsh Visionary: peter Ackroyri,s

tnd AnF,JIJ Cirlcr,s lh. pa:ri..t: o/N,,r, f1,... Tu.,,tritlt
-,,r trtt|,
tur)' Litt
\',,1 {o 4. ..UL,r, f .4){.
J.

Il;w/i.tm,
l2

Lin,ir llutcheon. ftr"

Nc* \'orr,:

^;;;;r;;.

prn,^,rfotrr.srn:oJcrntrn
p,

rao;:';,]

226

rresq) London anr

(.r
"P

Acl,r.ryd. llatt /*nttt,r1l98 51 L,rndon and Nc*,\'ork: penguin, 1993,

parenthc.iTe,l
?^t;,Srl].':qr*]
l99l cJition ofthe boot

p:rpc numLrur

)27

relcren.e. u ill poinr Io rlris

Autlt(rsltip an(l ldcItil), in Contemporarl.

Iricliorr

[,ctcr Ackro),d

17.11,,.

utru sr:rrlcrr Iri\ (a,ccras rn:,cJ; ,

l': )i'l
''"i'lt't'1
t'ltri rtnlrlt(r
oi
\\rerr ;rrrd.tnt,,, ionUn,gi,. l;
;;i;,;.,"1rr,
conrrnissioned to dcsign the
sir r hLrrchcs ,n.,, i"a",fr",l ,r,i,nlii
\\'cstcnl to',l,crs of Westminstcr
Abbey. arc J"rya.."O,,,ri,
ntrstcrpiccrs. Ackroyd.s Dve
dc:rd

..'.

lh, ;;.;,,,.^:_r:i

i;:,ii#;.:i::.i;:, l,l;.;ij

(itpll,e r,d lrsc ..thc as\cmhlrng

of purr.rr.l
loc;llcd lltc,c.

il

\\'11:11 5111ut-L-.

,t

r, ;: ;;;;i:

lrc also rveavcs a \vch ..,t.h,._

,,

1il,':iJ;li :' :ff l;;:I :# : ::: :r ii r" "' n "',.i..i',11|

n

eightcenth century is Iinkctl io a drcanr in rvhich thc insl.rcctor

yells out because the skin is scrapcd olt his back l:ach clapter
u,ith onc or trvo dcaths in thc c-ightecnt\ ccntuly ls tbllowcd ty
a chapter rvith one or tuo dcatlrs in tlre trvcnliclh. In the tlrst
part (chapters l-6), the first six 20th-cr-ntur.r victinrs arc in tunr
lhe nrolagonists of the ch.rplcrs.
Thc strange connection bct\\ccn past anti prc-scnt is
scen by Miller as thc expression of a..Ronrantic dualrty,'.
*hich would includc BhLc arrd thc Li,,rhic:

deacr cau o.r to the ri,;"g,

,ili,"1ij,,i",,|!",,1i::'ilfli.,jn.
engascnienr rvirh tact
rll*:r"""
"",j1.;;;;,
ntany rvould say. Karl Milier.
rvhilc ex*plo.irg
of rornanric dLralily, couchcd in the
colr Iirsinp' sil uation I n vcr). [crv r,vortlj:

Ilovkmoor

speaks the rvords of ronrantic durlity, and is in a

number of ways a doublc book. It c onsists o f lr.r.o altentating
narratives, one ol *hich is set in Iltc eightccnth ccntupnd
the other in thc prescnt, wrth rhc c,rrlicr dclivcretl rn rnc first
person. Each of the t\vo principal actors glinrpscs his tlouble in
passing, as a reflection in a glass. and cach stands ro the other

J;:'fi#i:::::J
;;;;;;:.;;:,d
prcvarlin.ir"riffi;r;.

lr.,l,r, irlrr i.r rrn.rsrncd a. trre huilrJ<.r

of Nicholas
rr.tut\tlto^r'\ .lrrrrchc, in thc I ast
EnJ Uf London; the
cniightc.ncd etlifices of a rational
Christianiiy arc thcreby
ascribcd to
Ni.

a devil_u,orsh ipper.rj

Tl.r. iinking and subordination

of

r; rcry clcrrly crprcsscd by rhc nctuorkthc prescnt to the Dest

"rra
:rmilrrilic: herrreen llrc two narratives.luti.n
"f."lr.ia"r.",

alternate chapters. The end nf.u.t

^,, nurllli i,
.t rpt., nri';:,OJ;;;ir*
of thc ncxt one are closelv cor.rnccted;
cithcr a kcy_rvr,rd in the
r^-. ^^_.
rcrunrs. as irr lhc case ofchaptcr:
I and 2 (rhc
::l:,'.11.:1."
,1 uru r\
lo()n , or chanlcri I I and i2 (thc,
kc1.-rvn1j
i5
"shadou ".1. or a
more o, l"r. .i*itr, ,;ir"*,i'"..r.r1
case of chapters 7 and g, rvhere
^.r',"",n.
a sado_masochis,i. g"..
i, th.
t5Karl

ly{iller. Autlors. Oxford: Clarendon press,

19g9, p.85.
228

in the same rclation a rclation u,lticlt presupposes. as in marry

other Colhic texts, somc sort of ntctcrnpsvchosis or reb ifth.l6

Wren and Dyer appcar as tbc t),pical rcprcsenratives 0f

opposite creeds. Wren is inspired bv rationalisn, confidently
believing tllat reality can bc graspcd and that lile can be
intproved. Dyer expresses certain viovs that hc acquired as a
young boy from thc pricst of an occult scct_ He believes in
mystery, in a "reality" that can only be perccivecl bl,initiates
and rvhich hc associates, through the mctaphor of darkncss,
rvith cvil, for rvhich he holds God to bc responsiblc. In his very
interesting paper on Ackroyd, Luc llerrnan goes frrrlher, seeing
Dyer combining retionalism and mlrstery in his outlook,
allowing the author to create a highl.y sophisticated scheme
linking architecture to both demonoiogy and to masonry in
order to puzzle the reaCer:
'ulbid.

229
i

Authorship ancl ld.ntit).

in (.ontcnrporary Fictio,

l'clcr Ackro-r-rl

)nc rniglrt suggcsl

lh.Lt,
poinL\ to frccmrsonry
rrrL.,rlogy 1,, ,rt,;.1,
as a,
.-,,,,n,,1r1.'l\(l
rnrJ. mvstcry
r

were successlirilv
..on,biic,l Ir";;;;:.;"',il: ].]''
rll
too easil; n.'rrtr,,liz,:
lr,
'-""ttld
thc
i. p,"rin*'.,,,.,
'rr.rc
crsc of the murcler.'. rr
iiich
'-u.,l,l rror r'..: ,"rrl",r ;;;;,:t,l'..'nt
lht delailcd ' nttthitr ,t,orr
'r
'
e.i,.r'.,'
lill:'"t.ot
.,;:::l::
otrr aborrr u'chitccrrrrc
'r," rr.,, .".;.
rlerrnrsonrv
rnrl

r,,irrcrrrcnce

:i

,r,r'i;r, i),,i'i'.'li,I nl:l^-,]1"_ ,."0.r rr

i.

no

ffl;.:l,T: ;j,"
:i;; :: :t J:. ;ll;:i:l;:
:ii;:l
hrt : ck';ovd
";:'^]:."
rr,jr 6r'gq',
""""'

,n.'

nrusr ('tciirr) "r,.r,,,",

i,i.lr*'u,",|'Jl',ltn.
cL,rsrd(.rs

g"rn,",.i,o't.

n:clrrlrrtric- .o,nai.r:

tt':,,

rrrd Dvcr ii, re\cdrcd

ro Sloneherrgc. \\'rsn
ir:J i:^ l:atll'"t
tu thc rrujcstic bcrriry
,-,r'rhe
^:{

;;,i:

lhirrks rjrrr rr i. tLe

ots,,irn:, u':.:i*; "r.,
Liln!:urgr, Iik e ai_clt(ec
ibilorv thc iog;J or trr"-occt,i;:"t"t' in Dyer's opinion, should
r:rrrborjrrrrerrr

Words nrust be pluckt

\.rc.

rnrpro\.(.d

nirr,

liLr

,\,

.:ro^b^t:1rity.

and ttourishcrl *rrlr

wt,1 p,ortrrr,: un,;;';.:,':-'']^" :""ected wtth Ap1,li,.rrion.

ro n,ccr Narur,.., w.
pa,i; ir i*;;;,i;:,1:.r;;
li," ori,r,"
sylloblcs. lt is rrrcrberant
in our streers ,ro
'r^'n,
l-tt
c""r,"
scarce urrlk aero.s
thc Sronc.s t,i,r,.,,. i.,],^
-^"-f, l'1",": :"n
*tro *r,k.tr rh,rr"
bcrbrc us; ,h.;;.,

brors our rhe

, r,ir,

it' thrt Drrkncss'

;"'r:,-:";l]:i:o_"t,n:-

tik. ,rn ncfi1,s. *r,i.h

,ri *,ii,i"::::i:
o.r ou"
nrescnr Anil cerr

and
t;;;"t;;::l:'-' Jostle one
drr^ ol Irnrc l'";''';r,il;
tt
i"
ilnl
l:;':^":"
'"orr't'comc.rrrd to wi,ich

I \l

ue rrill rclurn

In thc

second part (chaplcrs 7,12), l)ctcctiru

Hawksmoor plays thc lcadine prrt, and rnrrlLLally thc links
between the two centrai charactc'r's and hctwccn past and
present becomc appa rent.

Thc 20th-ccntury dctcctivc lails to explain thc lccent

murders. Whcn he cvcntually connects thc six
murders rvith ihe scven churchcs built by Dyer. Ilarvksmoor
realizes that one impending dcath is missrng to contplete the
pattern: his own. Contelia Macsiniuc notcs the "spurious
coherence" and ^'a sense of continurty" (impossiblc'l) rvhich
brings the two "Harvksntoors" ver close tosether at the cnd of
scries

of

thc nor el:

lf

Dyer's spectre haunts twentieth-century London in this

repctitive pattern ol- thc nturders, thc twentieth-century
detective intrudes also in Dyer's world, "called up iiom the
narrative future in the marl prophecy ol tltc- ..Dcutoniack" in
Bedlam...r8

Far fronr "fixing" the past. thc detectir..e himself appears ro be

devoured by its dark presences, as hc gradually hcgins to
t:nderstand. Inside the chLrrch of Little St I Iush that closcs the
scheme and thc scarch, l-larvksmoor rcaliscs hrs place in the
cornprehensivc
occult framework. and his identification in
.

death rvith the ominous, "real Hawksmoor,,(Nicholas Dyer)

becomes apparent to him; the two appear to speak in thc same
voice, rvhich they share with nrystcrioqs other ielves:

And his orvn lmagc was sitting besic..e him, ponriering deeply
and sighing, and u,hen he put out his hancl and toucherl him hc

'' Lur Iienr:rn, .rn.i*r,.. ri

,,, ii", ''iii,',),| ern rJr] iPrr(ru slorwJ,jr, an.t perer A.tr_rJ. r,
!,',"'. ..,,,lo"r,.
.rmsrcrdrrn.
I r.i('n Jnd
p.l.tJ

U. A.n.r,

2-10

Hrrl,p,.

rBComelia

Macsiniuc. |-ot|artls a poctit.s o.f llealitry poststructltralist

Perspectives. lasi: lnstitutul European,200i, p.I
19.

A rrrhor shiyr nnd

shull(lcrcrl.

Idcntity in Curtcnlporarl I:iction

l. .l And rvhcn

vo ic c:

Pelcr Ackroyd

thcv spoli.r they spoke u,ith onc

ha\r stcIrl. lor all rhcse figures grcelcd nrc

as if
[ .l And *hcn I \\cr.t:lnrt,ng tltcrrr. thty

:il,:l
[tc) llll.l',
r\(r(. ltr it drcdr]t

llir,:criund lorur, d r circlc rrrorrnd ,,. . (ii;; "

of rtrc novet land of Detective llarvksmoor,
srill
IL:.,,r::'l""1: 20,,, csn1x.,
man seeing himself in rags, .,a
:ll;:,-:no*,,n"
(rrrru
ilg;ill'. hc;,CrnC on IhC thrC.hoJLl Oletctn,fy...
,,, ,ni:... the lyr ical torrch of th-c rational
man
,..,.Decontrng I chtldli rgtin, rr.c sec him
being engulfed in the
clarkncss of rlrc occult. The book i,
tur., nntin!-'L,,i i,
J,,).: ('arirl Orres, in her,Veiy f,r, f i.r',.,r l"ui"rrl *.
of
llfl,r,1or,.f
rls rs nor q\irL-llv what onc misht usually
call
a
:l:.::."^,
ruu. l)LJ

IIOVL-I:

It is lcss lr novcl in thc con\cntional sense of

the uord (in
rvlticlt, {irr irrstancc, hunran rclationships--ona'-'ll,"i.
"r"
devcloprncnt are of central irnpo,_trn.";lh"n
,ri*i,,,
idiosyncr.atic trcatisc, or tcstarneni, on the.ril..t
nf"uil.i;.'

I,lating the past? i Chotterto

If J.C. Oates fintls [Iuytksntoor less a novel than a special
e vil, ('hatrcrlon appears
to be seen in a difi.ercnt
f lcltise ,on
rrgr)r arroqc tcr. l)cnis Donoghue finds
the lvord

rnsulficient lor the new novel, this tirrc: ,,petcr Ackroyd hirs
rvrittcn a strperb novcl - lcall it a novci tbr rvant ofa bcttcr
rvord. . . ":0 Del ivan .lanik considcr-s it a rnore convincing
iilustration of Ackroyd's fictional recipe than [/atksntoor,
a)though he appdars to deplore irs "fantastic prcrnise,,and its
"arrra oldoom":
Despite the novel's fantastic prentise and its aura of doonr.
Ackrol,d prcsents connections, parallels, and recurrenccs rnore
convincingly here than in Hawksnoor. rvhcre thc coincidence
of the historical and contemporary nttrrrlcrs is simply a given.
ln Chatterton events havc conscquenccs, evcn if they vioiate
our usual assuntptions about cause and efl-cct.
Xs the Ackroyd who crcated the alnrost ange[c
Chattcrton the same author who breathr:d nralevolcnt llrc into
Nicholas Dyer? The author is the sanre. but the central
characters display no lascination w.ith evil. although being
highly imaginativc ligurcs as well. Thc 2Orh cenluqr central
character, Charlcs Wychrvood, will become absorbed in the
past, particularly attractcd by the literary figurc th:rt gives his
narne to the book.
Charles is a presenlday poete nanqui who comcs to
think that the painting he has come acroi;s in an antique shop is
very valuable. The novel seems to tum into a detective story,
the aim being to discover the identity of the man in the portrait:
"This is thc mystery, I-Iolmes. Once I've solved it, I'm a rich
man!", Charles exuberantly exclaims.

novel

p
<-h

Joycc Carol Oates. .,l'he Highest passion

is Terrour,.

ttp://partncrs. n).ti mcs.cont {rooks/ 00/02/05/spcc

ials,rac kroyd_

hawksmoor.htnrl:.

232

r0

Denis Donoghue. "Onc Life Was Not llnough" Ne*,yorA Tines Jlln 17,
8<http:,'/partners.nytimes.corutrooks/00/02.i06lspec i als/ac kroyd -

I 98

chatterton.html>

Authorship and

]li.

i.lc tiry

in Clontc,ntl)orary Iriction

I)cter,{ckroyd

tlrcrrd. l,ltilrp SIlck. con:irl(.rs

thrrt rh,. rrri.
ro. i. ,,,ia.r" ,,s". iT:';.;l'J'J::.
',,,'.li:ll,lli:
\..rrrrry fi,rs,:r. trked r,,
.-t ,..,,
;;,,,i,

reprcsenrs c-hatrcr

lr
i:ll,l;, I

"";

ttl. r r r, cn t."unticrrr oLrnd,,, probably

cam inS his li;;i]'hood
lf.o.
Dy rnrl.rrrnr .ther ruthors,
cherishing ,ir. fr"p"ifo, ,,,"i"1,
' "' ' " ,r.
lvouici bccornc succcsslul in
his orvn Trrristic l"i;;.'
Ilelore he finds out.about
Chatrerton, alone u.ith the
portrart, Ctharlcs runs his indcx
'i;:;l..
t,rg".
ur';;;y
tle thLr; unrvirtingry unveits ,h"
".r".r"
,,,"
mysteriorrs p:rinted figLrre
hrLs belore hi,r-r
,r.
,,,,
trter nr.rke oLrt rhe rirrcs. ruhich
beionf
c;;i;;;,ll.."r,"
cullcutions. n \ tjtc ntitn looks
like a ntiddie_aged version of.the
, riieJ rrt crshtr.rn. rnd as rhc
collccrions ot pu,..nr. irr
l]::,_,h,
trrc nirr.rirq rrre rrrrnri.rl;rLrhly
Chrrrtenorr:s.-ii"foi,.r,r I ,ir,
,n.
nrysterious nran is Chrtte.ron.himselL
Atte;
;;;;r;
;,r"ils.,.
,.i,,,,
over thc, paintin.q. Charlcs IicLs
i, .f.,rr.'"fii"e';i: iJ;,
cltlirru llt,: p:tsl. I'lrr cn3;rlcri
" "
rn rn r.f .,f.r"r"",a;. .

;l;, ;il;';;i,j';j:lJ
";i;"";;i,,
;

l.arcr on, whilc rravelling

Uy i.ri, to Bristol,
narivc town, in order
r-lj,, iir""o ii,.,r*
Lll11,:ii",,'
pops
rntu his ntouth ,ntrll t
"i,
ol
p:tlci
tom ofr' I)r..ken:.s
(ir...tr r..,- ., .,:-..

b;i;:;
,,i u

l :::;i:;:ll

.:':ll

ii,,i*,,'r''il:l JL';:ii

1''

eats the past (Dickens's book),

fl;ffi J: T,II:'1,5,],'l:,'l:

('hilucrl.,rt rrrd rrhrr.h

bcrn..otrr the
pronrpr.il: 'rlrt.n::r.vellous

rheoqt,"

., ,,
1.,i,,,1,ng

b,,y..did r"i
I (. ov(,1 nt.orres\c\ wilh t]trcra _,,.i.'Lrr,."r,
inter*Ioucn rtJrrilrr\(.
chrr-lcs's 2ittl1 ..r1r., investigation
llt'"ut^.,9
are adricd the
story trf lvleredrth posrnq rs
C.l
,r na th.,,"..,
t i, ; ;;
;11
fi l,:11
thr perspecLivc ofti:c pocr
hirnselL

ilil. ;r,.j:::i

l.iii;:1l,

Thc reader eventuaLly finrls out that the young lSthcentury poet did die at eighteen, being also givcn an altcrnative
version of Chatte(on's death: not sLricide, but :rn accident
u,hose circumstances mix thc rrdiculous u'ith the sublime. lt
also turns out that the manuscript L'harlcs ljnds, as rvcll as the

painting of middle-aged Clhatterlon, arc fakes. An explanatiott

is also provided for this apparently implausiblc conspiracy
against the past that someonc close to Chattcrton hatched to
take rcvenge on the poet (by disparaging his mcn.rory).
Charles never Iearns this. tle himself dies young
strongly believir.rg in his theory about Chattefion. The two
poets turn the deliberate or unrvittinr lorging of the past into
something more real than reality itscll. In between tliem, a
century away from both, Meredith conlments on the process:
"[Chatterton] invented an elttire period and made its
imagination his own: no one had propcrly understood thc
mediaeval world until Chatterton suntmoned it into
existence"2l.
The poet and the painter as "historians" do not recreale
or describe the world or the pilst. Thcy actually create it.
llcwever, creatir.rn has a problenratic relationship with tbrger)'
and intertextuality. Chatterton and Charles create, devour. and
are devoured by the past. They die as a rcsult of their inability
to cope with very doun-to-earth aspects of reality. However,
they defeat time by creating their own cternity ol the
imagination, in which thcy eventually mect.
The novel does not show "strange contrasts betwecn the
past and the present". On tho contrary, the apparent feeling of

2r Peter Ackroyd.
Chatterton

1987) London: Abacus 1988, P.157.

SubsequeDt parenthesized page number references

234

edition.
235

will indicate the 1988

Arrtlrorship and I(lcniity in Contcnlporary I;iction

liagnrcntation projected at the beginning of the novel as a

rcsult ol thc multiple time settings and nanative levels gives
way to a unified perspectivc towards the end. It is as if the
picccs ol a jigsarv puzzle eventually are broLrght together and
fit. As Finney notes,
It bccornes obvious that Ackroyd has specifically chosen this
Ronrantic hero in ordcr to dcmonstrate how the poct
disappears into his own texls which survive him. Within the
novcl textuality rules.::

Most of Ackroyd's novels can be read as novels of

detection. or rather as novels
playing rvith the conventions of the detectivc story, a highly
"logocentric' genre in which the dctective's job is to heal the
r r.rpturc [cflcctcd by the crime] by tracing back through history
lor its origins which, rvhen discovered, rvill aid in recstablishing tlrc harmonious conditions of causality and
Iegality which existed prior to the crime.2l

Thc cletective, thercfore, is a sort of historian-physic ian

that goes back and tries to "heal" a fault of the pas1. This
undcrtaking is doomed to failure in Ackroyd's novels. in
Huv,kstutor, the detective falls a prey to the past, or rathcr, to a
nysterious cternal prescnt, haunting all time dirnensions alike.

Chcltlcrlon, the past and the present merge in a

comprehensive intertextual web, and the brilliant Romantic
icon figure is hirnself swallowed by it. What remains are his
brilliant lrtcrary forgerics. And Ackoyd's.

ln

I'ctcr Ackro\ (l

A ccrtain "uncertaintv principlc": liirsl l-igltl

ln lit.sr Light (1989). the gaileri' o1'dctcctivcs thal probe thc
l'aults ol time is cnrichcd rvith an archaeclogist and an
their
astror.]omer, apparentl) looking in ttpposite directions in
systematic investigations. Tirc noverl dcals with past and
present in a story tirat combincs archacology with astronomy,
rJigging tlorvn and looking trp Brian Finney notcs lhc novcl's
gcnre hybridity, the book blending "gothic horror, science
Iantasl . and camp saiire": "its dcfiant tttixturc of gcnrcs and its
range of rvildly drvcrgcr.rt \olccs tcsti[y to Ackroyd's2r
.oniinuing postniodern beliel in thc ,upr"n,u.y of irnguagc''
(This "dehant" mixtutc of genres, this prcvailing hybiidity is
it"t Lidiu Vianu cousiclers thc defining characterlstic of
"desperado" rvriters. a category that is likely to include almost
every rlriter, living or dead.)
An ancient tunlulus is lburld in the Pilgrin Vallcy' An
at
aeriai photograph of it sho',r s it as'r single cye staring up
Clare:
thc hearens".2j lts secrcts attract the archrcologist Mark
The tumulus lvas sacrcd still, bccirusc it hadrl't changed' And
it secmed to grorv brightcr as ltc watched it, with all the
centurics glowing u'ithin it A t'lace of porver' A placc of
rinral. They'rc around us...'( I 6)
Close by, the astrollomcr Danrian Fall receives strange
signals lrom a remote star that apircars to bc connectcd 10 the
pr;historic tumulus. Both thc alchaeologlst and thc astronomer
upp"u. ,o unrvittingl,r assume the position of the crouching
'o B. Finney. op.cit., p.260
Subsequent
25
Peter Ackroyd. First LEht. London: Abactts, 1990, p'l5
cdition'
parenthetical page number ,s1g19n695 * ill indicate this

tt

B.F inn"y. op.cit., p.249.

2rAlison Lec, op.cll.,p. 67.

236

131

Authorsh4r encl ldcntity (.onrcatpota11,

in
l..ictiorr
J'ctr-r

:::[i:l :l'l[.

Il'J'::l];-.d*'arred
tl;";i.:i
,,,,r,,,,.o, i,,s' u, :ll: ;;,
I

bv rhe i,r,un,crrbrc

l: J:ll;:,:.

r;;
::1,

pasr

ll

l:

;XlI l:,::,IJilll;.1: i"''.,'i'g.,ir,,,,;i,',..,.1'1,"i,,,",n

n'",1 t.rt:'ttrc is ;ignificrrrrrl
r5 rr)r ir

h.rrr ro o\(,r..on.l]h":
a scnse ollailure,
"
to tlrm his fali
into :ui ascent r" ,rr. .i. "'t
The book c:,n also
rLld iis itnoLilcr \.:lr.tnt .l
r..lt,r.tivc storv.rt,-,. ,. .. l.
tltc
stceol rectttnul:t{ion of rl(trrls

fiurily link, r'hc';;;,.,',1 i,

i:1,,l.,",i"'*,, j),,i..
1",'l
prrt oI thc

-,.1,1.;lill:.;r:::

th;r1

;I

I :l:i ;JX;
u\crir]l lirtt\.m. :ltlro.r5h.
clrr,il pcr.ccir,:,1. Unlike
in pr,,pt.r dcrcerrrr.srori(.5. jr
i.; n,,r i1g1,1 ,..1,1.5 ;,
.Y.']:,J 1l:o*,1:
soe(l
Llpon thc,,clsc.., bur
tvltelc
ttothirrp ,.:rrr bc
Kno\\ n lor sure Fven ,,,,.
^-, llift"t:' slrrrrcs oithc
brillrr srrrs
rrith rlcir
i*,,11'i' "'rno
Ilrc ci(ilr sly :rrc
"pp"*,,
lL'T.crv(rl rt cliflert.rr ,i,,,., ll
n"t'" tt-it t cttll urcs r'lrltercntll
cllcct iuni
oi lrrrrr';rrr rrui".ti,l,r',,.,,1;
il\lrull('nt(r hirrr*"11^x,lr''1''
\ve s(c \!hrr \ve \.irrr
1,,

r,r,eonre

r i,;,,0.,r ..r..,i,,t','n.,1 i,,,;l;,":,.i ll':rr rrre IrcJr cn,

.,'","
IL'''
i'l l:.;::
' 'i'' ul godi ,;o "1 ';],.n

l.l';';]l;:iJ;::'
tlteorjc"

lh'sh'ipe

superstition. and ritual that prt:scflts anothcr altemative history

o1'the Pilgrrn Valley"z(' John Clrowlcy, in his Nerv York 'l imcs
rei'icw of thc nolel, notcs its hvbrid fornr of as an Ackroyd
hallmark:
'fherc's a horror-novcl vclsion in rvhich ancicnt evil is
unleash.'d to do tcnible tlllgs to thosc rvho hare uaked it,
there's ! nretaphysictrl relsion, a ntcditiition on tinre and
histon: thcrc's a comic vcrsion too. N,lr. Ackrol,d's version has
maw' oi tlrc genre's stlndard lcatures and yet is enlire)y his
own._

"The Unccnainty Principlc" (thc titlc

ol the first

and last

chapters, scnins as prologuc alt(l eptluguc)rcigns sLrpreme in

book rvhich seenls to ackno*'lcdge "the end

unidirectional linc, sc'r1uence. pr()gress.

of hislory"

as

::l
jll;:J..::,f

".,,.".',,,,,,,,I01:l

ur rnirrirls uur

-],l lrc rtrr'; t.tlc on rhc

:l];i"H"",;,,1,:,,;1,.*

Line:ir-tintr. turls into

.
ir:rr jpg n6
bL.gi,rni,g
.,0,'
(rrE po\\cr
:,r:1,:,11,.:
ol rituirl lu c\r)r'c\s
cun-linuJr.ion ,rrro,
-qr, ..ln.,i',;,
contirrneJ bv vrlrar
initirlly appcar al-;;.'i';;;1.""
,r'-caurli)
f'rrnrel
Mint rrrd Iris rustic
uompsny. The villl.qers
o...,.11
arrd rittral ; wlrich
mav srretch o..u ,"-n,",,il,lill]l
rc lIncs. A conneetio|l
i\ mJde

.,, ""

ol'thc :inccslor thcy u,orship . Old []arren

One and the narnc of'th!- star *hich (llare and Irall arc
scrutinizin.s: .\ldcbaran. 'l licst pt-('hristian beliefi nrrkc up,
Dei Ivan Iani\ rerrarks, "tlrc ccntrcpiccc ol a sun il'al of beliel,
betrveen the nanre

'-rrrn
"r. ,,;'1."i: ;.ll
.l,r*,
*..i,oo.. ;"i';'.::'i'"' [

or our o!\ n

Ackrolrl

:"'o''t

2-t E

Flying from one's self and the prescnt: The House ol Doctor
Dee

?6

Del lvan Jantk. "No Iind ofllistoryt Eridcncc from the Contemporary
Engiish Norel Tventicth Centtt.1. Litt ritture. y ol.4l:?.1995, p.l 75.
17
Jolrn Cror,r ley "somcthing Vengei'ul and Ancient" 77re l,Jew l'ork Tintes
September 1.7. 1989 http:/,/partners.nylirnes.con/books/ 00,/02l06./specials/

ackroyd-fint hrnl
2-tI

ALrthorship and I,.lcntirv ln Conlcrnporary

Ificlion

Pcter Ackroyd

In'lltc llou.;t, of D()ctor,/-rec (1993) Matthcw palmcr,

the 2grh
ccntury l-llan.ator and protagonjst, jnhcrits un
ola irous" in
Lorrtlon liom hrs fathcr, fi.onr l,horn hc had becn
estrangJtor
\on1. lrr- bclor,. lrr dic,l On M.rttheir..s I.lst \ rsil
to i.'ll ,,,g
lathcr in hospital. the latter had sr:rr1cd fulki,rg
to ,'onre
invisiblc prcscnce: ,,I_ct ntc bmsh yotrr coat, good"aocto.."Oo
you knoiv this ntLrsic'? It is the music of the
lpheres ,;is- i6.
rcadcr uill gradually rcaiize that thc..gootl doctor,,has
nothing
to do with thc hospital, and evcrything to do with,n"
hour.
Matttlew rvill inherit.
Thb I_nan.ator is inrprcsscrl by, and bccornes
absorbed
in, thc hcusc's nrysteriorrs past. It is sct in an nr"o
I on(lnn trlilth('\r ts rrol I.rmilrrrr rr itlr. Clcrkcrrwctt
"i."noui
.
i,t.i,.,,u,+
and one ot hrs iatcst uoorr, ri,.l'cr.;;;;;"ii ili,:1",1"J1;
tlrerc, a ncrv vcrsion of lhe Conterbury nrt":.1. ffo*euer,
lust
like Ackroyd himsclt-, the narrator appears to knor.v alJ
partl ol
l,ondon r.r,ell, and even be ablc to tcll thc various i.ina,
oftLnt
associatctl rvith thesc special areas. [n ]rarrington N{atthclv
h'ad
noticed the pelc skl. rerninisccnt of
f-1

...thc rrilrl, ticpressin-g [:alinr Iight, bLrt as soon as

I stcDpetl
out ol tlrc underground stJtion intu Corvc5e55 Str..t'iirur
illu,rorr rr.rs rli,pcl,..,l l,,r tlrc li3ltt ol thc city .t,,,no"" .
pi:arly in tltc \\,cst, sombrc in the suuth,,,irty in
ti,. io.tt,
sharyr in thc east and hcrc, close to thc .Lntr",
it nra- ,
particular.ly snroky qLrality. I could almost taste
the sceniot.
bunring

( i ).

In Clerkenrvell. Matthcw makes his rvily to Cloak Lane dorvn

Tummill Strcci tcwards Clcrkenwell Green and gradually gets
into the spirit of things. He notices the strangeness ol the
house, secing it as a sort ofLondon pal.impsest, where each age
has added another layer, from thc mediaeval basement to the
higher floors and storcys, all tlie way to the 20'h century.
He finds out that the l6th-century ownerof the building
is thought to have engaged in occult dealings. This figure is no
other than Doctor Dee, the famous black magician, astrologer
and alchemist who exefied considerablc influence at Queen
Elizabeth's court until he was accused of using sorcery in the
wrong direction - allegedly to kill the queen.
Ackroyd's protagonist (and, very Iikely. thc rcal Doctor
Dee) did not only believe in the power ofblack rnagic, he also
valued thc book as the repository of past ages. Mattl.rew
himself is preoccupied with dre past:

I had grown up in a world without l,lve - a world of magic, of

money, of possession [...]That rvas rvhy I was hauntcd by
voices from the past and not from my own time. That was rvhy
I had dreamed of bcing imprisoned in glass, cold and apart
(178).

Like Chatterton and Charles Wychwood, Doctor Dee

and Matthew Pahner are imaginatively reunited in the final
section of the book, where Dee addre sses Matthew, the rcader
and the author himself:
Why not write of your own time? Why do you fly frorn it? Is it
fly from your own selflf [...] Oh you, rvho tried to

because you
28

Petcr Ackroyd- The l.louse of Doctor Dee. Lon<lon and New. york:
Perguin 13ooks, 1993. p.6. Subscquent parenthesized page number
rclcrcnrc. w ill f(,int lo Llis cdrrio.r ol rlle no! cl
''' lr-tcr Aclrold. thc ClLrktnttlllale.r London: Chatto& V/indus.200l.

240
I

find the light within all things, help me to crcate another

bridge across trvo shores. And so join with me. in celebration.
Come closer, come towards me so that *'e may become one.
'Ihen will London be redeemed, now and for ever, and all
241

Y
I
I
I
I

Autlrorship anci Idcntity

in Contcftlporary
Fiction

I
I

rvitlt whom we d\r.

Iiving or dead - wiil
m) strcal ciry ,riu..rot
bccome
1ziN.
IronicaJly, Doctor
Dc
,
magician is. lor a wrrirc
sno\\ n ro bc givir:,r
u"., ,^,,1-tll
tho\c_

ffi

"';;,l,ll,ii,,.f
the pirsr
rhe

,,iillll.l

:i jji::li'i1;:"iil,illlfi

l)eter Ackroycl

rhe

the ioggy air beyond, bcggcd loucll,,, for the safity oI her oirn
soui. The custcltrary incantation cante to ail cncl, lnd $e
hangnran stood bchincl hcr as she clinrbccl tlrc ,,vooclcrr Lrlotr..
he was about to place thc coarscly rvovcn cloth over hcr. iLrt
she brushed it au.ay r,r,itlr thc ruotion oftrer hcad. Flel lrand i.ad
already been bound bchincl her back 1,ith leat[ern thongs, but
there was no difticulty in interpreting lhc qcsturc. While :he
stared dorvn at the olficial u,itnesses, the rope *.as placed
around her neck (the executioncr, knou.ing her precise.lze
and weight, had measured the herlp exactly). Shc spokc oil;'
once beforc hc pulled the lever anil the rvooden trapdoor
opened beneath her. She said. ..Hcre wc are sainl" Her e,,:s
rvere still upon them as she l'c.ll. []t,r ulnrc
'.*,i.-Eliz.rhcth ri:c.
She rvas thirty-one years olt1.r,,

I
I
I
I

his rascination u irh

;,,i;;,;;.;ll,:':'i::'0,..
wrth
Matthewdr.rev3.6,r, il;;;
al'parentrf
;.:1iffrdt

fiowever, pcter Ackro

s(, mlrcir in uririlrg
i. tr.;.r11

sr

intcresl seems t..r bc

nol

io' as in wr irir:g
p".rrn"nce.
playin!
'1-ttlt]1lntt
,,r. r,.il,,r"'",11
',!
ress i.,,r,,, .y.
a i ;,es i L
i.u r n,,l n.=,

;ibout tltc
"tu"
aroun(l wirh

t.,l

i"'i"'"n

^t-

il

i'li"",iiili;.i;

o;;;

Apparently. the rest ofthe novcl is a horror story tellrng

Dan,

L.

u.and tlre Limehot.se

Golen:
reri a brc n arra
to rs !
;::T;,,"",
:rcnrry
(.ree4) bcsins
or Apri .
on rhc o,h
of Flizaberh lor rhe
murder of her r1rruu".
c-Il-IranSrng
apparent dry. .gjc,q1jyg,
lactuat ,;ryrc ,hri";;';#;:,:;:e^e
_rhe
e
narralot
uses in the open.
section oi ,,r"
.i",illJrr

:::
,iii,'*i,i',]i"'!!'j,i?:':^
lJ.
"""",

);il;,,*,:;;',:;',1,::#,,"
The Burial Office
paflicipared in
rhis

:il

n#l*

.::"_4. and

it

"[J.

The diary shows its author as a nrentallv deranged serial killer.

minutely describing detarls of his obsessive th'oughts, as *ell

as his gruesome dc'cds:

(the diary of John Cree of Nerv Cross !illas. South l,ondon.

now preserv'e<l in the Nlanuscript Department ol-the Brirish
Museum, rvith the call-mark Add. lvls.l62.l,, 566) Scptenr'oe r
6, 1880: It rvas a fine bright rnonrint. and I could leel a
murder coming on. ...1 was cager to "hegin . a novelty, .. to

"]d;

was noriced rhar

she

supposed to remain : ill.1,,:r, rervour. The condernned are

Iifted her head and. ::::::^rii.r' ar rhis sotemn rimc Lur she
sranng through the
littlc roof ol.glass
at

242

what had happened in the year prcceding thc inrrocent

heroine's terrible encl. Part of thc storv is tolcl ir tl.re firsr
person rvith Elizabeth hersclf as the narrator. part ol it are
extracts from "thc diar1, of .lohrr Cree of Nc-w flross Vilias,
South London, now presencd in thc Manuscript Depanmeni of
the British Museum. with the call-mark Adil.Ms. 16241566".

rt'

Peter Ackroyd. D an Lerc and th( l,intehonse (iolanr.

London: Mincn,a_
1994. Subsequcnt parenthesrsed prge nunrber
this

relcrences

edttion of the novel

241

*,ill

indicate

Authorship and Idcntity in Contcmporary

[;iction

sLrck

peter Ackro).d

our thc breath of a

.dying child...[p.2-5] i knc]v wcll
a lirtic rvay d.own
rowards ij," ,ir.,, ,aoa

cnough that,

lurr.r

r,vlrrelr Irrr,l rrirrrc,scr|

the ilttnt,trt..rl
r,Lrrclcrs of 1g12. On o rpo^t rr-ro.r..l
to

nr,.i,ii" i'i"i

,r,"

;";;il;.:

'nn,t
or Golgotha, an entire family hrd tr"",, .vri"lio,^ ;rffl
ii
..r1,'ntly tl'sgrrtclrcd rnto ctcmiil. fry
rrill b,.prc,crvcJ lor rrer in rhc pagcs",,nir,'r,.i,"r.i''.'in,o,,,

O;,1".",
....-r gloriorrs crinrc lp 29:l Her eyes had
"fTh;rr.;;
opened.;r;l;;,;
takc thern out,,vith my knilc f,or iear,fr"
rry i,r,,S;l,rO 1r"",
scarcd.. upon rhe nr. May I quote Thomas
O" q,i*."y?' Hi,
.
essay "On MLrrder Clonsid.ercd
as Onc of thc Fini onr:1 i ,lrr,
I!-arncd of the Ratclrffe Ilighway deaths,
anJ
Ur,
tinre his rvork has bcen a source of pcrpctual
""1r'.1r."
a.i,gii
,no
ir.r,,rti\hnlL l lu nrC (25. 29r.
Thc accuntulation ol' ..lhcts,,, however grucsotre,
and the
"soiidity of specilication,'. typicat of
realis-m, .rgg"., i't-o..o.
story suppo(cd lry reliable, realist convcntion.
lla u r"i*Ut.
llalTator.
l_ittlc dc,cs thc rcadcr suspect that thc document
is a
fakc donc by Elizabcrh hcrself to conceaf tfr"
fu.itf-r.t'ri. jriir"
sadist killer. Wc only realise this at the end of
tn"
l.r'rro thlrs turninq intc a novel ol detection
"*"1,'l*a
that prnnrrir'r,
rcconstitrct the past of thc Crees, with whictL
,ue'h"r," to
intcruclre thc pa.t ol othcr pcople (inciuding Xrrl
fVrof in
ordcr to il*d the rcal partcm of rhc nrurders uni
,t. ,noiiuoiiun
of their "arLthor"
Thcrcf,orc, .,history"(John Crec,s diary from
thc British
MuscLrm) has just tumed into purc fiction.
On tn" otft",Iiana,
thc thcatrical pcrformance that is meant to contain
u
"in,,,io,ion
of Elizabcth's cxecution turns into ..the real thing,l
tsy
accide.nt, the actrcss impersonating the cxecuted
,nu?d"."r,
actually gets hanged on the stage, although the audience
is

of that. Dan Leno, trying to hiric tirc acciclent, rises

through the trapdoor through rvhich thc actrcss tell
ro icr
death, addressing the audiencc rvith hrs contic
catchphrase,
"here wc arc again!" . Again, /c ntort soi.\it
l. ,,,1 f fr. I;rriri",
significance of Elizabeth,s mysterious last ,u,x,ls (,,1J*;;"
a,re again";. uttcred at thc beginning of the
novel (but towards
thd cnd ol thc story) is nou hrought itomc.
The rcality ol the present moment is thus seen
as thc
_
actualization of a wcll-prcpared ar.rd cyclical script.
And;hat
is the role of the Britisli Museum: a nterc rcpository
of all these
scripts or pcrhaps an ominous presence that
irompts and
incites peoplc Iike Elizabeth Crce, whorn rve llnd io
Ir.u. U""n
an assiduous reader on thc premiscs? This question
,nrv inut.
anolher reading of the novel, anothcr trrrj to follovrl
in rhe
attenrpt to tease out more possible mealtings inhcrenr
in this
unawarr--

puzzling story.

Uhat initially appears as a possiblc parody of rcalist,

Victorian fiction turns into a harder, postmodern nuf to
crack
It is more than thc narrator that is to distrust, apparcntly, and

evcrything appears

to witness, again,' u

,i.ong.

inierconnectedncss. peter Keating notes- this, and

draws
attention to the ntystcrious function that rlontrasting
narratives
are likely to perform. He drau,s attention to another case
of

"ontological uncertainty", the decd

crf a tricky author.
Wondering about the lunction of these narratives, thc critic

conjectures and r.r.ams

Pcrhaps they are just further c\anrplcs

of fact and fiction beirig

playfully intcrtwined, though they operatc more Ijke a

confused and confusing double stanclaid. Bc carelul herel

211
24-5

T
ALrthorship itnrl Idc,ttity in Conii
ntporar), l..icti(.,,1

l)r1cr n ckroyd

I)o1r'l botller thcrel Dnrr Loto

rtr,l tlte, [,irnehcttce (iolt,nt
ccrtrinly e norcl to bc crjoyed, bur
it is not to be trustej.rl

is

search ol the ,,rcal Ackroyct,,

Is I)ctcr..Ackroycl a postmodc,nist author
of m:tahistorical
n cl:'.' lllirn I inrrcy. rrhilc quulinc .{ckruy,l.
,lra*.
ttr rhc writer's lascinatior.r o,,ih
i.o.i..:,ro
"r,.nt,,r,,
lon]nu"g._
hrt.;. s:rid ol'all his lristorrcally
"irJ',1,rlt,,
.,M1,,
situared novcls,
",; intcrest
is'r'L srr nrrrclr rn \''.tin., I i,,;,";4,,.;,;,,
,i
,,
illl.i,,"*
Irhr-rrrt tlrc rr:rlurc of ni.tut-1
a, \ltch. _
errc-nt..Ackroyd is a larc_ Rornantic
I lr

,.

livins in an
lar.". Ilc h:rs rq11jn.,6 thc llrscinltion
,
;,i,',t,. nra,
:rnd. lrrc b,'lrcf rn .rrc poucr.l
rl,.
i;;,;;,i;,,1"i;;.;r,";,1
,,
roplii:.licrtcJ c,,o,,_ l, t, drseirrci
rrru
;;
n]n,.1,,,.
originality. IJc knorvs, Iike Barthcs,
,frrt",.",;
,,i,tiro.r'or" 1o,",f,.
ultimate.origins.f their texts.
lJe is sophisticated cnoush to
p:r ody. p.rsr ichc.,n, t,;pt
i. i,.: r,,, ;;,1:;;,;::l :;
l]1r..
nrcillr:1,,,,
rE. but rs rlrtr rble to bring
.

I:.:-]..ll:,
un.rr.noTrirl

tlisplrr. rte anri frtgnrcntarv wor.ld

and ro "*"ifr.l
lusc tlrem"f",r"r,,'J,
ro,;crher urrlr
rr,,,
r

^c llrs rnnurntlron. 'fhe

^.,..,._- ur
inr.itation thrt Ackrord.s
.Milton cxtentls rt the bicgirrnrng
ot uit,rr,l, i,," in'r'o)irr';;"i,;.
address to the readcr to share
::"^1,::.."" rvorld: ,.Comc
ima-qtnatlve
",;,lr;;;;';rr,
on board. f.i.ra nt."lpp,,,
,*a
,n: Terta1c11 air... Thc unmeasured
ocean
1".1,
lr.
olnrr.mind
rs lurc\ (r beat rnq '. 'l

;;

*. *"1n,r,.,
,,1:,.:
l:"i'l*^
_r"."
4//1, Sep.9.
lq94.f
2l
" B. F,,rn.y..,p cil 'p. isi

The Tin:tt Lirerary Supptenretu

NLt

l'uter A.Lroyd, ,trlru, in ,4 tpr

icu Snjclair Stcven..,n, LondoD.
I996 p.

The rnvrtation, also extcndcrl to thc r.cader, is fi.aught

dangcr
and surprise, thouqh. Ackroycl's Milton runs away
rvith
from England irnd does not (jontpo\( Ercat eptL poetry for
posterity. Piaying u.ith countcrf'actual "rvhat i1.s", thc author
casts the poct id a rnore horrible lolc than the poor architect
Nicholas Hawksmoor. turned demonic crcature. Miltorr sails to
America, scttles ancl rulcs Ncrv Milton *,ith an iron hand,
tyrannical and sadistic, lechcroLrs and hypocritical. Ackroyd is
dramatizing the paradorical situation in rvhich European
refrrgees in search of ftcedonr reach thc Nerv World, rvhere
they set up an even more tyrannical and intolerant community.
l{e is probabll' engaging wilh othcr tcxts dealing with the
I'uritan burden, such as Ila$thorne's The Scurlct Letter.
Playing with the "marvellous boy" Chatterton was one thing,
but Milton...?
Tony Tanncr does not sccm to appreciate mLrch what he
calls Ackrol,d's "poinrless pastiche", or rather "pastiche with
one point: to ntake Purilans rnd Purilrnisnt appcar as mad,
cruel and all-around hatcfll as possible".rr
Ackroyd ntay be very provocatil c and nasty at tinlesi at
other times he chooses intplausible characters and el,ents and
makes them plausible, :rlsci imbuing them with ths strange
poetry ol lifb, handing thc skrries over to the reader as .,the
mystical city universal" of words, reigning supremc over any
human undertaking.
Although he appcars to sharc the poststructuralist idea
that thc author is a r,,eb ol intersecting quotations, the result,

Tony Tanner. "Milron Agonistus." Thtt New lbr* Times, April 6, 1997
trttp://query.n)4imes.corn/gst,ltrIlpage.hrml?res=gco2EFDSI5jAF935Al
5757C0A961958260

i.
?41

l.rn \lcirr',an

Arrthorship and I.lentity in Contcmporary

fiction

1nd not the origin, of sisnifiers circulating

in the syrnbolic
,rtterr that plagiarism has" to be ..."r;;;;;"j';;;."i"i-l'"a,
rvithin thc lrame work oi- intensivc
lntc,fe*trality, p".Jr'rrd
p.)trchd. lrr. rcmain> an Ackroyd
*h" ;-;,;;;.l;i;;i""
himself, in spitc of the ,r.""rriu" fi.tior"f
l"*_"qrir"#Jl, .
world of differcnces, rather than clear_cut

cssences.

";;;i;;;r"",

Chaptcr 8
A REI.'IJS.\L 1'O NIOURN THU DITA'I'II. BY
POS'I'STRUC]TURALIST TtII'OR\" OF't[I E AUI'IIOR, OR.
1'llE EMEIIGENCI OF A i\lASl'ER (OIr) NAltttA'I'lvt]: IAN
l\'1cE\YAN

The yoqrg authpr starring as

Iln

Nlacabre

Likc Kazuo Ishiguro. Ian McErvan is orc of thc l;rilliant

crcativc rv|iters har.ing graduated from thc by norv thmous
M.A. run by Malcolm BradbLrry and Angcle ('adcr at thc
University of f,as1 Anglia, Norv,ich. McErvan _itraduated.
published his first collcction of storics, nrade a big litcrary
splash, never. lopked back.
In The Navel Today,, Ala::l Massic dcplorcs thc lact that
L-irst Love, Lasl Ritt:s, Ian lvlcEuan's llrst collcction of sho(
stories, was so mllch acclainred at thc tirr.re of its publication in

thc mid-seventles that this retprdcd the rvriter's arlistic

development.l
It is hard to say \\hcthcr eatly, sudden succcss delayed
young
the
rvriter's devclo'pn.rent. What c{ri l bc s2lid, lookn.rg in
re trospect now, is that lvlcEri an, unlikr3 somc ol his brilliant
contcnrporaries, has managcd to avoid boring rcpctitions of a
successful fomula, has avoided taking rcckless risks rviti.r
sudden, new directions in a desperate qucst for originality.
lMass

ie

A. Thc Notel

lr.,r1a-r

. l.ondon: L ongman

2,19

990, p

5I

.,\ rlr.,r\Ilip irId Idcntity

in C()nterDPorary I:ictioll

It is a llrcr that
dcbLtt r-r'rllLc1l'"
scartdrtlous tales' rr hrc6
t'
t':Ytl-'::'l't
r)r,
trrc
sorner .cr A,[;ruxharn
A*,..rti i, ,rri,,
'1,,u,,

".,,,r[l.1,"n\ror
urrr'.ol ll11
.Ur,rr,'v(r.i;ri rrrirtrr
o,. ,]]."".:lll',.:,'
ltrir',
tl
soon
dtrlrbt'd lrr)
'rrr'rrrulr'
V.rc:rbr( br tlrr llriti.l.
,,,"'
t"tt'-,,
('l
l)i..r,r\'ar.
K,.,,,,,, .r,,,,,,.. i,^l , ri,r'.l ,.:1':
r(yrn
i(lil-v'^ ir llrr cl,.tarrl
tlr. rrrr Irnrr'.r rr rrtr
ri I i, lr , ,:J].'.:]:, ]',"b
of 'crriri ab
sJ(rr\lic r,,rnrcnr , n.r',.,
' fhcir.r'
:]]]1"]]:':"1
nryth
r, l,;.'';.;;;::
ro (rclrr,r\itv lrm(.J int,,,,rr.*1"1'1"
"',;,
lo Mil rr atl 1q
e.'rr".rri. rrr'l;rh.i r.,'.r,,,,"
.tit'tt,slt'cl
1
,1|i]"L1't
ot"
t
did
nol
lrorrr nror ing ,,t,..a
Prc\ crl' rhc u'riter
,,,i,1'u.n"']t'
firc book iirc, ,ltv -d.:: l:* iris ti' tiunal s, opc.
killcl': rrnd n.,r"nr, ,r.;,r{.s\Y'rln' \illr rnentc l; tJcrangecl
f

rrr'csttr(rus tccr rpcrs.

in rh.,r s.,. l,,,Jc,t ,:;r;i.
lir:'
,l;:::]'t'
rrrc st,rJr,r rrirrur(,,r,1,,,;',:]:il'.n.lll.r,.'. ri',.i)"'-rii'lst
entrscs. a brirrrant i,.oui'n"irt""l,rru unr\crse lith rvrrich [g
';
icor,,.
rh,i rinrired

i,lro\\cii i,;,;

,"':,,i:ii,,.;,1.:,,1..*-l"l'i'",

rrr(' rttncr set\c\

prorrlurrisr.. uirh rr,,r.l
^r' his
.r;;'"""
tirrl pn'oc, uparions
rpnc:rr ro n rirror L:,.
an. i, i.J:'::"-lllt,
tl"'"rig tbr a'.r hr lc. ir
lorm;rr i vc ..',rr.r,,.-,:
lhc
r o,,,. *' i,ta*].,
ot lh(.(onrnrrlnrrr I .^ ^ .- .,llvldulls' lhc cxlcrnrrl (xl)cricnee
hcsr_[:noir, ,;r;' i,; ',),.".,]:l",f e,essa].*hich rr uuid becornc his
' ":'lsn-spcilking uo|ld ,n rhc midsirrir,. clrin,s tlnr

l'tl'

The sperkrrrg subjeel,

rf
r.o^
i.rrruJsp. i. rll rlr< n,o." .T
I sll< ol
!1 rhus
wr
(
d
r\couTSe
^l::"ll
In tlrc urriversal
rrorrrenr of *lrrclr
f,. iir,i,., f:"
r: binh, cven itc'n11 by
,,r hrs pr,,per ,,.;;.,"i;;::i'""
dinr
,,on,n.,rrityj'".,i..,1,.',)#Tl.to,.the "experi'rn.. or tl"
e ol llrrr discorrrsc
scttles
nothing.i

2KJemrr,
rR

..,u:::

j i1n.

,riiu"rr.-r**,

j.i,.,",,,in
[:'[x.*,i11,.;unconsciou,.
l;ll ;j;;i,,;;,';i:";."J
::,";,:.:,
l"l,:'.i"
tltettn.'A
Rralcr. Herlnw.p,:a,s.),-

Lodge, r.,r ,r/c,,1, rz

20tr0, I r,,l

,h..

,:,:,'

Dar id

lan hlcl;n,an

However, the tcxts *,ili gratlu;rlly lte

sltou.ing some
intirnations ol a larger rvorld. in which squalor_ untt
Lr!t,r,tion
",r,r.a
outragcoLrsly cocxist with alflLrcnce, a rcaint
,n,r.tr
responsible lbr some of thc itorrors than those
a,,"'fo tn.
"bondage of language,, oj' poststructLrra jist
.Ihis
theor1,.
rnixecl
panorarra contains tlle strpcrflcial recipc
Ibr succcss lrf.earll,
',,1
Mc,I wan, ln rvlrtch Io r(,tlt jc holror arrrl
t1,,. ,,rr..qra
u
nightmarish rvorld are aclded nascent .f .1.",,ir'
,r'i'.o.ior
criticism.
il'r hard to say which is the lnosr shockjng talc in this
.. .
.bewildering
mixture of nerverse irrner fanrasie.,
t1l.,r'or,".
pro1ecrrons tn thc imntetlrate vicinity
of the fantasisers and a
grolesque oulrvard rcalir;. Whar
is niorc. rlre c {-l-ccr ot rl,.-lacr,
being revea)ed is heightenerl b1
the nanatrve perspective used,
rhe perpctralor hlmself being
lhc srorv_teller
In "[Iomemade,', thc I4_year_old nanator
tccounrs the
story of his scxual initiation, which
contains ,fr"'jrmif,r"
experiment5 underraken in the
compan, .i i,r- ir,";E
Whrlc Connic. rhr.narralor.\ lO_yr.er_old
srsrcr srrs
I:ll":9:
on
the edge o, thc bathtub wr-eping,
her elriei U.otfr.r- *i,oiling
with elation, rve are intriruingfyiola
tfrai tfri;;;;',;';il,,,
Raynrond an. not about r iginrty,
coitus, inccst anti sclf-abusc.
What follows will make reeiers
check this statcnrcni and tirzrw
their orvn
conc lusions

is his Mephisrophcles, a
l;:jL: :^T,r,:'says, Raymond
oi,,.,
i,s il; ;.:X;i:; :
::1;Y"',:'g j?.ll: S*'; or,i",. ;o;.'i""
;.";:
;.;.i:J'";
lT:ili:::: ITl,!", *;R-aynrond, ii, ;"i.ra".*
'; nri';:i";"a ,.
:::"_,3:
1:
lcgasion
a number of forbrdtlen and
iul
each time failing to
derive ,.- h^';^-^Lr^ satisractior,
^-.. " .liou'^tl"eds'
;;;
;il.'.:;*j;:Ji';:i::
L::l::-:,#"j,.eable
rty:, u'lren RaymonJ p;;;;;;; -.;l;#:::,;'il:;
::*::1 is his younier ft i"".J ;;;;;;ff.
"j;: learns
-".- lrrv rrurrdtur wrro ;::1,,
J::to
:1.",1,i11
l, deeplv.-to r-,Iow.
inhale the smoke
and
to
cup
his
hanrtc round
.^,,-,r ,L^
., .
,smoke_rings
hands
*,e -aicrrstior
;k;^;"?i'J"l,il, "rlnTii

250

251

Authorship and Idcntil_y in C.ofltcnrporary

F.iciion

Vcprrrslrrpht.le, (.ouEIrs rrrd chokcsWltcrr llrc

:;rrnc
'rrv r'rtrrs,
Lrp with thc first bottle ol$,hiskv
sr"r",. r.^,.-'..

i;il;;
:Yonltlnq.
l::,., l,il:.

Ian Mcliwan

comes
."i;:,iliI:.Ul|:i,l,:
c,

;il J;;
rj""ll;il,I"j:,i::[{ron,

"i
Whcn the t,,r.,o teet
a shop in
order to rcser ,n"., iii,
fhe ultimate tcst is s
to asse'rt the s''lolcscents'
rrtanhood. The two uo* a."JTld
oI wt nn i ng dre fav sul5 61
1-x1,

s.ith,

;l;;;;;ffi

i"",,'l'

;,rxr thar .hc r,"" a"n.

the tormidabte Luru, he i""i,111"iqr.r9r"
,.n
practice . He suddenly discovers
rhat his kid slster"ri."i,rr,1,".,

"".rynl,ir"it:tlll',t"#:11: irll}:rji

ii;**;

.",
,no, as annoying
1]..lgty and slrrclrdness. as h. had.thoug;,,"r*'inri,,t*,,0
Piltrcnce
hc can gct hcr to play o, ,r*r,.,
and Daddrcr riirh him. fhe game
"'i'iit
ca-L,,;;.'.,1^-i.:'
tums into the real
thing.
\! rthout tccling the sllchtesr
,', p,.r,ri,.iri a' fi,, ;i; i"
I
cntcrcd thc adults. woricl.

t;]:.'::';f',;:

;Trl'$l::,ii:,

l[

While the accollnts of Bernard,s

innumerable
rrls;rdve llrrrcs r rcrlc hrrmororrs.eflccts
and a"rr,"fa'r"0r.,,*
botlr absurd and pathetic, the
story u.r,,r", Ii",r,..
:::.L" ]::f'
a
partialry .r",.r,"a"s".i,r
;::l:j::::1,,.:l:n':,,,gninsr
o r(Kllround lhc hov is cnrbittcrcJ
[,y lhc grot(sqLtc *rrtd of
thc adults around hirn, in rihich IrL
ri,f,". ,"1' ,,".i"r" o"
hurriliatinc and
extremclv h:rrd rvork f",:

i..,

gets by stcaling books. IIe

does,not seent to
Hc laughs at the r.vay these adults

fr.

pity"r.""r'iilt"
tfr"., ifrorgf,

't
*f"*rf,
ir"lilrf
i;r"
nroncy, advising him on tife,
n"i;;
;;d"';o
"- '
rttlporlrnt Ilrl r fcw

yums of

m,,menls of their miserablc

Iiuf..'

Kicked in the arse round ihe factory

fifty a week they
necded thcsc parlour mira.l"_plnys,-hours
th.i"'nlr,i,.

'
!oniiontltluns bctrlcert [_atlrer anrl
Sorr.'_, , "il;
appreciative and sens ibte ot, t. th;
;;rn;;;'"r,i. l;,rLiJrl
rhc r moncy. Jr the risk oI
boredom ot;r.j';;;;; ,
L::epl:q
!,,,r8 irrru supl)r(.)s(d m\ Jnusmcnl
till aftcrwards when i u"as

rttadc rrcrk rvith tr.rrlrr,, hootinl l:rrglrt,.r. Lorr;1

l_clorc
rl I \\,)5 il sludcnt. I prortri.rng sirrclcrrt, ol

I kncrr

u,,ny.l

In "Butterflics", the narra.tor is a solitary man w,ho

wants to scxually molest and u4ro eventually kills a vcry young

girl who follows him out of town in an iiluso.y qr.., tt,

coloured butterflies. The most outragec,us .""n" h"r" o."uru
rvhen the little girl trics to run arvay fionr thc crazy
adult.

Running along the canal, she trips and lalls,

-his

Iosing
consciousncss. The man considers that
shamefiLl behaviour
shc,uld have no witnesses. This is horv hc pictures thc
moment:

fler cyes rvcre closed tighl and the la:;hes r.vere still wet from

crying. [...] I brushed away some dirt lrorn her face and
some
more lrom the back of her rcd drcss. .,Silly girl,,, I saicl, .,no
butterflies." Then I lifted her up gcntly, o,
u,

as not to wake hcr, and eased hcr

["utly

I co,rid

so

quietly into thc canal (73).

The canal area is a marginal world of violcnce and

frustration, defiled and defiling, whcre cnrcl boys roast

aliv-e, an act foreshadorving the subsequcnt pcrv.crsitics

cats

of their

underprivileged and bitter adulthood. irueliy brecds cruelty

ad
infinitum, although there are glimpscs ol innoccncc. kindness
and lriendliness that do appear, but whieh thc nan.rtor, like
other nrisfits in this pitiJess w.orld, unfortunatcly nrisses,
orving
to his inabiiity to relatc to othcrs properly, to ieach out to the
surrounding world.
The least nihilistic and cynical story is undoubtedly the
'one grving its
name to the collection. tn,,Firsr Love, Last
Rites" there is life, scx, death anrl fanra,;y in a less shockine
sort ofrealization ofour human and animai condition.
The narrator is a teenagc boy who spends the summer
making love to his girlfriend Sissel. They ltve in a room
on the

aFirst

Love, Last Rites. London and New york: King penguin, 19g9, pl5.
Subsequent references to this edition will be indicar;d
by!r."n,t .ri"Jt pu*.
numbers ooly.

252

253

Authorship arrd ldentity

in Co0tertlorary l..iction
fi

Ilrr ,\'lcl:rr

rurth lltror o1-a hLriidrnp

Jr. i, c;, r r
i,.,,.,"",
".,
;rs ,r rnrkeslrift
bcti.

r"'ni",l'rii;,:::; ;:, :;:J 1i,,,1:f

,rsinq
:rtrr,.,ir
Ar first ,r..;"-._,,i,^"]i'''l,rv,'r(tow.
rlso n
,"ti.,gc
uf si.r.r.:l :1:t -t:t]ir:-e
dis.intcgrating"rl.

rro rr rhc nriscry

tin,es ao.ion, di'r",a'il]

home. Ar
:-l::::t'
Drolllcr I)on\ i - al othcr
rin,,
lr.fi
tct.,:'i lathel
t;;;.'r;;
It,rrrliy ary srrccess.
J:l]lli;
'cr
Whilc making love
,
Sisscl'. the lcenarlc rxrralor
drr\vn rnto Lrnlrijcs
is
oio .."^1.? rhat he hclps
cr':rtc irrsi,le the
pirl s body. ; ;;;r
;;; il::ture
:: :'t'lt. i:l I fli:,::i'iii.lr[i#': "':;' :;r*; +it
t:: bov's^ct.'nicious intenrion
bt'c.n1i11o
,r,,,..,"i,
of
;:::
':.ir::
"
figmenr ol hi' lanrasv.
going bcyonJ
;;;
,:i'curc

rrr-rtor rnd si.s.t .

wtedged con,lncs oI
(oorLlrnat(.\.
immedjatc
.,:]r,i;..:r."
the s
. l_iftle by l,ttle
arorrnd lhe rabt,._bgd
u in,turv becorie;
[y th.
t"o,
iittcred with ,ruui.l,.
qrirgrnire ol rur..,;*,'ina:jl.
u
thc n trivcry ,;l;;;i;,"',,i"'';:ll"t the subsritution or chr.s ror
thc beginning

Also grrduaily, ,t,.

of th. srory.
n."r.",..ltltI 1t
a corrcre'e crcatt:rc bccornes
,, in"'r""lr,)"''rli.l"o
the c{lL'rnalirario;;;:'i;.t';::tite onc uo!ld tcn(l lo tirke lor
claus scrarclring o,,ro,r'l#I l_lantasy. The norsc of sn:rrlI
dE'rln\l
norie,.'nblc

a wall seents to gro\\

lhccouple's
orrr of
Ir dawns on the'boy
r
rdrrrc-strrck(n''ht
inl' tirs creal rre is a rar'
t*o,
by
Adrian.
organiz.'a mrssrve
rat hunr. Killins rt,. ii.:^::.d
"'ii.,lldf:tl
trr(
numrns
realiz: thrr rr
htrs_l'sgir

r"".rriirj

rL^m:rre

fighIng a ;;. '

rar.s trcilv revo,l. ::.:1,

rh.,";;il;';:ri'';r'l;:

( mDl) os.
holvcvcr repellcnt
T,rc comsc.
u, ti.rt- ai:..,'.' I'rdr
secret biological kinihip
with irs killers. Tn"',rr-;"ii
r-"jii.rls
brure phy::icaritl is
revetarion rb. rh"
a

r;;';o?"'JJlii'r."a

litiili,;,

lg.;u

Ty;

tr
jfi..!.,i
t. The boy

T"l;'',

to trap, attd wlticlt he- hls I'.cpl in a buckct. 'l hc

llvo lccnagcrs ilre no\\' Icady to tacc tbc clllillcngcs ttf tllcir
cnrerging adulthood witli r Irc*, Irorc rcsponsiblc ii\vaierlcss.
'lhe rat's last rites nrark in thcir livcs botir att ertding lnd a
he has nranagcd

be g

inn irtu.

A step tow,rrds a broader social scope: T'hc Ctnrcnt Garden

McLrrln lurns ro\r'lirl \\l(11 ,1/lL ('LDtt l t,.r,i/' rr 11078t. a
book that resumes and probes; firnlrcr sonrc of the obsessivc
themes of F irst l-ovc, ,l-asl lllt.,r, this tinrc' ucaving then.t
togcthcr in onc grotesqLr!-. alnrosl hypnotic. narrative. Jago
Morrison notes the book s limitcd social ditncnsion. I/re
Ccnrcnt Gurden, in his opinion, is nrorc conccnred \\,ith the
stagnation than with thc progrc-ss o1' social tinrc".t If one
compares the book r.," ith N'lcErvan s tlction. thouch, the trend is
towards a more comprehensive social scope.
1'hrough the pcrspc'ctive ol Jack, one ol the cltildren,
the book tells the tale of a limill living in all but complete
isolation in a house stantling in an c'mpty street and sLrrrounded
by the desolation of heaps of mbblc and nrins. The fathcr buys
cement to spread it ovcr his gartlen, an idca that his elder son
Jack llnds "a fascinating r iolation". The man does not get to
see his bizarrc project completed. He falls lace-down in the
cement and dics, and Jack, his l4-ycar-old boy, casually
smoothes away the impression of the fathcr in the soft, fiesh
concrcte.
The mother is the nuclcus of thc family, caring and
compassionate, trying to look alter her lcrur children as best she
can. She soon falls ill and dics, leaving the children to their

r.t:;xtj

sels lrec rl,c o'nf1.ccl

rrr

Jago Morrison. op.cir., p. 63.

2s4
2 5-s

,.\ulltorsh ilr artri Iclcrrtit),

in (.ontclll]lora[\

I.ict,on

,'r\ ,i, \ t.. .\..t lrtjill(.t.(,1

i
sht'rc.li1'r.,,r" ,,",-.i,,iI,,,"(" Iact' the qLrestiotl r'ill arise,

Ian Mclr\\,an

riocs

Jack pcrsrriidcs his

tlrcnl' Il it"r rlt;rrl, i',lisLr"l11 ls' to kccJr 1l1gi1 nrulllcr \\ith
cLl lltcr rrill l'\('5cnJr',lrcd
ro,lrtli.r.r.rrr.l,i .r
xnd serrt
.'r,",,]

",

;l;';If:,i:
,'l:,; il. :ljlJll,:i*::il'iurcril'ii:
il' Thrr' rlrcl

;,;tr.

{,r,( \\a\. 1lir1ro.1 nl ,n,.n, f'o"]''"''

'",",,,,,r1''".,
t1,sp
l,:' L

;r1

,,

ll],;'""'

c- or rlrcit'i;,;

",,.,,

Jt has bcctr r ertrar

hrtnrl1l 111111t1 i.,to

rrrll

l,]: f:1..

rn

rirrre rircy will

*; ;.',;'::":::':;",S';1''i'l:Il;

intage of the rnol.i.rcr anil of the iovcr/*,ilc. Iic

is.lcalorrs ofDerck, Juiic's fi.icnd, in whont hc sccs both,fr"
f,r,"j ,i.rri'r.,f
the intnrsion of thc rcal rvorld in thcir lntil
nuru orton._ruu,
universc. His incestuous ciesires arc uitilnately gratilicd
in thc
last sccne of the novei. Lying next to thcir yoirri
.I.onr
brother
in a baby's cot, Julic and Jack nrakc loric toilr" .or,la
ot
Dercl:'s sledgchamrner in thc basemcnt.:L,iia,s
frienct reaiiz.,
that something is u,rong in the basentent. H.
frr.rt, op._n'ifr"
concrete cube, thus disclosing thc children,s
ten.iblc secrct.
Soon the police an-ive and put an end to thc
ctita.cn,s guitty
gamc:

keci

IicLrd's *crtical tli'ision

of
'..'n"illl cg''' ,rtnd iJ bc't'' ntt rrrrc
,'-..,,,r,r,,,,.',. ,"'",r11"".':'.8"9:

Through a chink in the cunain a rcrolrrng

blue liulrt ntrde a
spinning pattcrn on thc u,all. Torn sat u-p
ora ,i"r.J ni i,,
blinking. We crorvded round the col and .,,,f i"
U.", jo".,,'rna
"
kissed him. ,There!, she srid, .u,asn,t tLn,
o tou.lf ,1...p.:;

the

jlilli',:|" l^'' " .,, *" "i'',,i1''illl

rrJrtclt rrnl tnr1.
\!.r\.r.d ,,.. ,,, ,,,,;r;r,..,i
,,.:.i",,.::l':
,,,i,rt ,r tt
,..lrrl,lr..rr cr..r.r
,

crccn rh-ccn

rLr

ry.,,,

,, ,r,. l,lr,,,.I'un,lr.])

j:'

"r,

:,i,','J;l,,.: I i,; .,iil;l',':i

r,
;t I ;ii,ri'?ll. ;,
*;l,l.
:
r()lpse do\tn Ionr tite
''"""''
upstlirs bedttxrrn
tt,in
thc
r'rs"nrcnr, thc childrcn
"na'ir'r-pirvsicallv
il';,;;:Illg
irtcflrclt
"'LL'{rl)hofrcJl
"r;.;
of lhr-' Io,r nrother
i,, it," ,niorr.ln,,..';
;i

;l,ll

l'hc chilcircn nor.v isc

lronr Ile r(\r of
uurld rvrrlr
n.,.,.r'31:^.lli.."rsclrcson
",cn
trre orrc rran,i
rrrcl ,-.rrrcr ,, ,";;;';;;;;' jll;"""'rinn
hrbc'nrtion' itt u Iriclr nothrng
lr;rppcn-. in ,i rricri

.
rl(

--rrdurll) as\rrnlc

Bj:,:"

i,,,1.'r"i*J'

roJcs

,hr, h.{ro,ts:ot'

I:.; i: ;i,,: :' ;lf,

;

centent tn Dlddy.s tjn

ttunk
i

i,'T,

on..tht'other hrnd. rhcl

ffi

i"J"::, i:l:X01,:,r;:

r".,rji,r';.;; ;;"i:r, ;: ;::::: and rrrc .nreri rr,rn

tsohtcd lrom rhe rvitic
yltd l,l a dcc:rrrcnr rntr srur[1
crrnrrrr.. Jre k ,;;;":',;
.,.;:;.'rlc hrs elder
sistcr
n,o,,,

Juiie rvitir thc

K. Ryn,l.

,rr rr,,U,,rr. *ior.I

n,orrhcote lIous.,, tt)94,p

20.

of

The Cencnt Gardcn codd be lil<ened to

Golding.s lorrl
t,lt,e Flics in.its unserrling account of
apparentiy i-nnocent

clllrdrcn regresslng into a wildly primrtive state. Michacl

Wood
sees their stories as ',reftrtations of the Iegend
oI originai
innocence".S Their state can bc seen as alo,t
,f,iirr,"
attempt into the exploration of thc troubled psycholo-s)
"f of the
uorld. 1\,tcEuan probably ."n.h", ,, poini'treyona
11ll:..."r.t
whrch tt rs ditficult to sce how muclr further
he can go into
grotesque horror and bleak, black comedy
that weaves tigether
pervcrse.teles, u,ithour jcopardizing hrs
lrterary standin"g. Ue
wlll \.!yant nexl to try a vJslcr. more cornl)rcllcnsi\(. lornrrrla.

t^Th,e

Cemcu Carlcn.Londorr: prcador. lqE(,. Ij7.

I
*.o9, "-l he conrcmporary norcl.. in John J. Rrchcrri (,/.r/. cds
_Yi.j"."l
tne tolumbto Histon ofthr Bntish Not _ Ncu y,.rk.Columbra
University press, tSd+ p.CAa.

256
?

i-7

.,\lrtllL)ishii) and lrJeIli:i

in (.orrlcutpr)rar! ljicti(

'l'irrrc arrcl (hc

DouI)lc \.ision: Iite Cttittl

cndure

I];; l;ll'lil'llll,ll';,"11 , ,.,,, lrl,,',,,,

\l'l

lan Mc I:rvln

rr

irt

Tinta
",ii',1,i,

,r,, r r,l,ri,,

""r' ".,''..i' '" : l: .llr' ]]]' 'ly''

i,rrr..r
rr,,,,,.,,,r,,11.,',,,;;; .''rrrrl'elrnr' Ii,r rlris rrr11.
",,l;,1],;,, ril]111..)].,l,rrh

''|rrrrl)''|s'j.,iir( or
11

111,

,1,.

ar r rre ttvet 6;
pcr.s,nar ..r.rin,,,r,ii.
rrrcrsr'c
sillrrc
'rrr
'
olr ll bl'oa6er,
sociti-political pi",,l.
rr'i
ilut]l('r's ilr'l :ifliL-ul,rtc
consr!ilcnI attcnrpt
and
to n,.,,. lll''"social' rathcr lllan
ps.".'.t,rlogical ,r,r'"ar. " ""'t
a llersonal,
'fhe novci
has bet.n
..
..nrcta;,o,phosis.,
, cr cn n5 n
l);
'I

il;:.;,ll lii:::l.klI]in1

Irc. rrret,trrrurl,lro.i,

r,,r,

pr*ious ,,","i.'l:';:.:t. l'lcl-n'rtt irt Ilre srr .r,ears

" ""'"'l se(-nr rllore tr'nrplcte.
t'hL (hitl itt lirtrt
ittr..-i.".
'i-r rr.rr,.[t,,e.i ir1 rrir
. \rlu\uk. ru r..r|1irrr.rrr
i,t'' r'vrrtrLdr
11r.;
',:
t
l .,1.1trirr i r.Jf r,to J L!
(L i.r'rrrt of It'r tn-r:tl-';t""tne'lt ;rr',1 l-,)
,,,,,,u"t ut-r,,,,.r,,ii" 'ii
IrIcrrth, ,,i 11n6 111g
s,rnec' rris

. It r. it fi,.rioni I \\r)rk ju1l

a rltrubl,-- r i.i,i
ll'*-,t'. sec'n to :rcc{rnrnrod.tre
t,,^,,,,ror,|,
Pclsonal and niicros,,,.i.r,t,.:Lll'p"tby.atrd undersranding ar
cririci5r,,,,,,,;,.;":":,";"i.,1.,''fii':]]:l .ro.'r,rnd :crrhin"
\ r' r rlc It\ (, '\ i\ions '
roB, jr(. hyr,.. g.,,.1r"r
:r.t. l;rscd
,r',a,,,1
tr'lrrtivt ;rrrrl ;rhsol,,r,, n,' '.' . l-llnrc' objc'lir. an(i :.lbJcct.\e,
,t,. .is,,iri..l,,,'i.,;,i1.; l"]l,.f"i:''bLtti18 ru thc orcr';ril e ,ii,r is
.,,rv i.,iu,, iolt;:,:;'l1l ] '1tt r'' p-cr'ort nrrtrti,rlr ,1r 1l1g
r

,i;,;:;;.,;,],.1i::
(ttilJ itt t-i,t111 x,,6
i,". ],i,
'ol'l;;''l;
t
allo\15
tirc trrttrrrlu:'i rttice
lo rtllir tl , t d,.',ir,.c
'l
ti urt r rr lrich
" "''' ", 1:l' :.11:l; ;.''"., ;l :lj', [] itl,',,':il I :1,
r{le nt;r:rt str:rnd of
thr
a clriItl'; .rrdccrr
lttd. nry:rcrrors o,r,,nn*,.r,,1.'
3s.
strb.cqu,.rrr

,",.i.

1nd
'-'l;r.;once
the ordcrl

" K. Ryru

.lr7r..i1.,

p:o

in ordcr to

accept thcir childle'ss, ancl sccnringly

Sopcless, lives.

thrt th(. nrtcnts

Iiirstly, the intricatc inagcs of childlcn ancl thc

cornplexities of trme that lecur, Mclirvan po rays the search

fbr the child that exists in cvcrl, inclividual. 'l hc scrrch lbr thc
child in time - both Stephen and Julic's claughter, Katc, as x'cll
as each individLral's vouthfirl essence is un olicn rvarin and
poignant, a sonretinres u'ild and hunrorous journey thr-ough
tirne itselL
Secondly, I'he Cltiltl it 1iat is a po)itical firble, sct iu
the near frrture of an England controllcd by a post-Thatchcr
conservative Covernment. Though set scvcral ycars in the
iuture, stafting, quite intriguingly and nrystcrioLrsly, during
"rvhat was to tunr out to bc thc- Iast decc'nt sunrmer of the
twentieth cr:ntur1" 10, tire nolel nonethcless scfves as a salire ol
prcsent-day England.
In McErvan's novel there arc nunlerous references to
societv ravaged by both tinre and polrtics. For example, the
novel takes placc in a tinre olmiscrable weiither: it opens in a
surrmer of drought and heat wavcs. Latcr thc cycle of scasons
skips autunrn, plLrnging straight into tvinter rvith a 50-day rain,
Although IvIcLwan has never heen associiitcd with nragical
realism, isn't this renriniscent o1'the fi\,e years ofcatastrophic
rain, follorving the massacrc ol plantation workers, linally
destroying Macondo in One Huntlrecl Years <l'soliurki!
This is a time rvhich can be even more apocalyptic than
the one putting an enci to the strange rcalm of Macondo. In
N{cEwan's novel, very ironicallv, a ninor incident between a
Russian and an American sprintcr in the Olynrpic Games
quickly escalatcs into the "sudden threar of global extinction"
I0

lan McEwan. The Child in linre. i-ondon: Jonathan Capc, 1987, p.5.
Subsequent parenthetical page number r eferences will indicate this eLlition
of the book.

259

/\utltorsllin altd I l.ntit],

in (,orrrcnlforary

l.iction

fl+)\\'rth th( lrro riurlrl

rhcir'r rt'rc t Iillc*
I" rr"
r''ll
f ir,rrncis-{
"'''i';l,:;:':';lll']
'?l"t:ll
r,,r ).
vcFrr.;rrr.,,,,r;i,,'
,,]:
rbsLrrdir;
';,,1
jr,,.,;.,.i,]l
;1rd \.rrcJry
rrrj. rrt.;rr
or
cnrr,tcs
^:,,
hirrr ro cuho
rrrc ,r.rrrr.r ,,,i,,,,r
l;; i ; ], .:,lll'j)
r,.ril,,.'t :1 ll ::lJ
;r1,,\\r iri, r,, (rerrlor\rr :':"lt1.
"',rti..
t1tt
sl'rtc
:rrrl)orirics
irrJrr rLtrr;r1.. ,i.;,;r',;-'l; :l
(
,lht *,r*..a,ir,,r,),iri,,,,,i"J
nr of rhcir
esscncc or.chiicjhootr.

Irn

ir{ c Ilrvarr

Mcirw rrn uscs

the r ']
L ltil'l and
ttt ( ttil'.l itt /irrr'' Tlrrs, ,]]
': if/'.^ ;;'l:i:'rirtt' ro
no r cr. c, r,,cc i
iil"r"r;i'#
n.*, r,.,,,, i,]) I I-Tl']::' ll,
ottc ol t\le I rr,rn'r prirtnr - 'YrJUu\r !r5 \\cll a\ aCCCnntrting
b'.ritc.n chih rorrd ;;;d';c. :,:'::"'5: .rhe (lclicare rclario
rirhood' antl
;.;;,";;i::il]i|
rn e'er] Lrcinr.
'n.
.lrrst.ts the memor.r (
n)iId. so. roo. il,1r.\ ,r,,,, i,,,,',' N']"_ftnlrin' ali!e irrhcr [rther.s
t

rcn:riu a c,)n\ranl
J ir.,.lr. I,r ,n.,.r.] :.'.:: 'li"o':'
in
rnrnrc'irrlcl)'
'11;,(
al'tcr thc cxpcricnce
jrrr
.r.L
L; , p",;,',i,
"' stclh.'rl
tnolltcr's .i..,,,i,i,
rt'iircs his
..:',''*t
.,1
htrtt'lnrgirring
",',,
"'rtrl1
loclrrs:
hirnrclf a. a
thc norr

,r

llis

ey.es grer.v

lalgs an
rlrno,.,,n.(..,,.'',tl]l,n-"1,,, IiLIrc,s uirrr dcsp.,r.nre,
r,i, .r,,, r,,. r, i".;l i,.
rnd ro,rcrrerr
Jl',:,1.".;
::::.,i:l;',I1,.
-,;.': 'rrl'lJers'
grll\ beit lime, rrr.g.,nr.
li,,1,L lcs. srrokr:r
tl,rol..l
rhar cngurc,i rrre
,,, .,"r",n J
i,.i;
-,:,:l^:-.".,.
and. lora rhe crying.
",,,.,.J
,.,,j1,,,* ,o,,,,,i,
"...i
ri-.1r,.,,.,.,1,'. llt lrool'i
rr,,,,,,,i,r, h" ;,,r ;;;i,:::,1: )"rc, rrs own. hc rorncJ a sirrgre
n:'"^tnt th;rt coulcl cmirod)
lrint. lrc rr;rs ,,", ,..;-.:.]:
r'\li(LrLu i"o:
"!
no desrlnaliou or time
n.unc(J {{,0,
cotrld be
Ir,,1q.i1,,,..

[-;rtcr, rvhgp g ggph.- r

*rccLr'd rr,,y,,rr" ,,",,'"'"i.ll-l"it"t the driver from rhc
ln a manne r rcminiscent
Lrirlh :cr'.c. S,r,,if"."rj'
of a
,i'"contplcx
images
nunrer.ous bri"r- ,crcrc,,l..
arc
il' ,'1"'"
chilahoia.
por
cxan:ptc. :rri" ri',".'ir',
i1"1.."',and
n"^
rouse
"srrch as a child
mrghr

draw"(74); Stcphcn takcs hol.ish plc:rsrirc in railrontis: flharlcs

Drakc is his rvile's "dilficulr child',(42).
In multiplying thcsc rntaecs trl tlrc chrlcl. l\,lel__ivan
rnrplrasizes the innoccnce ancl purity ol clrildhoocl, sor.nctltinr
rhat is tluicklv and alnrost contplctcl.y foleottcn in a<lulthootil
Very rarcly iio adults ;rbandon fhr-rrsclr cl; tO childish
l)l!.asurcs,
ls do Stcphcn and Juiie u hen thcy bcconre joyfirlly captivated
in building a sand castle rrith Kate: .,Soon. and,r,ith,u,, qr,r.
rcalizing it rvas happening, they bccanrc cngrosscd, liiled rvirh
thc little girl's urgency, *orking rvith no arvarencss of tirlc
bel,ond the inperative of the approaching ridc.'( l2l
).
Unlortunatcly, the adult ntusi th:ow off the spelI ar-rd
rctum 1o the rvorld of responsibilitie-s and appointments.
Stephen latcr thrnks that '.if he could d,: euervtlring rvith the
intcnsity anci abandonment *.ith which hc hid oncc hcJpcrl

Kate build hcl castle. he rvould

bc a happy nrair

oi.

cxtraordinary porvers"(122). N{cEwan. though, sirglgests t)rat

happiness can bc achieved in a cornl.lrornisc burLnly
ii.thc
adult is rviiling to rccognizc thr: child r.. jthin.
Like the imagc of thc chilcl. as it has hccn said
previorrsly, images of tintc serve to unify the novcl. Stcpher,
lor example. is constantly slipping into ihc past of ,r,e,lcries
through his slructured daydrcams. Throughout tltc novcl. thcir,
thcre is a continuous shift lrom thc preserrt to the past and
back
again. Likewisc, thcre are many rcferences to the sccming
instability of tirre and how it oftcn shilts accortling to
perception; Stephen Lervis is especialll, susccptLblc tJthc
shifting qualities of time. For instance, thinking aboLrt his aging
parents,_hc feels "rhe urgcncy of constricting 1ime,'(
50); a! he
is travelling to r isit Julic, hrs sense of timc disappcars; ire
fecls
as if "time had fixed him in his place',( I l7); rvhcn he pursue,
the girl whom the thinks is Kate, tinrr .,had a closej_down,
forbidden quality"(166). The constant refercnces to tinre and
childhood help to unify McEwan's work, complementir,g both

26t

f
I

AUrhorslrip ilnd ld.,rtit,\,

in Contcnrlroftrry I:icrion

tht-nc and

str rrr

trirc

r- rrhilt' dc rirrs \vnlr

rlic
timt
i.ornclhin"
,,,,,.
," ,;',,".'il',,..,).;ll:''"''i,,*
'anJrrtizirri,
rl,, rrr.,'r.,,,,1.,1ir,,,-* '.1;;;.;"'' 'lr7irl,g son)(llrrr)'.'). dc:cri[q.
,,rrrlrir;111.1rg.'

.,

.lirCk

,1,.. n1,,..,,"sl..ry,

-J

'firnc-

is a vanclal: it is tlr,
Iirjrl crr nr.rk(
rirDcr. ,lrilJ ,1,,,
;,;; ,."..:'t,.ntt'.1 otrthirrl oir\'lor.,r-r trr.
j.,y of
sir,rrrirrrr.,. . ,r.';;;',
l
'
. il'1",tt'' rrnclalizc-tl
tl"''"t'J..''".r'lr,,"n'
pertods that r,",,,n
.,l1ll

ii ;T.:s;ii; :l:

t.,:';i:,:1t: l'fl

;,

i:, t: Ji i,: ji};

"1

. fh" inruqcs of tinrc lr

..
arc ul.o eorncr.lcd
, . rrrs\rrr.,,
cJrur.lrrer
ro
s,.ri,1:l:ld,l':od
Jtrlic
Ler is Tl,oush hcr
nr' .r.'r iurri ,ii,,
",
.:''],1:'i:lo
;".,:,.;,

c.

rLrr

c1.1r1,r,,,.,,i r,",n"u,l,,l:l:

lll

a dcsDa

:T::l;l

iusr on,, of

rhe-n ran;

lp ^,,rA^,i.
rpt ro sa\' K ar.'.
l' ;. 4,,,,..1,r,,1 r,-Jn,
ro pr er cnr
i");'i ;i l"J ii 'li:r) ilr-rnr
his iiic. )irenh(.,1 1pr.',
ru ;rrrr.r rinre. II. ,,,i,,r, :;:::.'.'.'.:.1
,'' Io. rc'(nlcT rltc pltst bur
dt:corcrs only tJr.rr
li,,;::;.'
cimrrec."{ r,, ).'r r;
;,-*;i:.,'l'ojl]r,i.,.."jty.tlrcr-orr,ids scco-nd
hoprn:: ro di.cur..r
r..'ii of rim...
fl.. ;],l,on'",t"t.1']i::,..,h
t'o n"t',,
r.r

hrvc slorc.r lt..r

,fl,.1 trrerl ru ,rn!c IrJj ar,t
rrm(. r,, rrrJ,t.rt.,trnr,r,,ai.l],ll llt"nt rrgrinsr rlr. rrcighr of
rllc p(rrl'h('r) of vision,
llrc on( \vlr,r rrri
rlr'lv. ,;,,.: "' '"
rillcd rr
r,1",,." 7*,1". "]l l'il;^r.l slislll) t.trir.t. o h,,
':,'rLuarcrlr'rtrng oddi. or srmpl)
t';lititty Brrr ,i,n" i,.iJ'i,i.
(rri,rd\. anir ,,,
,,u""1 i,,,,' .,1::i .1?l:".. on h mundan.
tt"not,l definitioir driftcd
'rnrl di.solved. ,*, ," .r,"r"r,"1'lii,

itl*

[./nab]e to dcripher
rhe past..Sr
lo si\c ;n
rcsisls thc
,rt rlrogerhcr,
tltc impuLe
rttogelhcr. ;;;,,t;;:"):_"tef'lren
!nl':n rcsisrs
rcm:rini-. ,-* tt:
rr:
lris
his
rime. rh.. ,t,;,*rr,"contronrlion
conlrontrrion
,t,;,,rr,"- r.i,tn.r;:;'-^ltI
urlh
u
irh
i;,,"11,:::,_^l.I
l-.
olriv rhi.rd pcrceiving
hinrscll
hin,scr .,:.
r rs .''r,,"
Pcrceiving
rr," r..*..'
r.ri,., .,i''li:''
Ir'o;il;.I.rs:1^i]'
:.i^i]r^:ll]L
-chilfl
tot,._ child,,(2),
he v,:hemently

lan ltlclls an

nraintains his hopc

cope rvith
his mind:

thrt Katc rnay inrlcccl cxist sorncwhcre.'l'o

griu lczllitl,, hc allolvs lrcr to continuc aging rvithin

I biological clrrck, clispassionatc in rl'

itv, nlrich lct Iris rhLtghtcr go on grorving.

ThL-re was
tunstoppab il

extended ancl corrplir-atcd hcr sintltle vocalrLrlary. nlLde her

strongcr. her nrovenrents surcr'. l-he clock. sincrry like a hean,

kept faith rvith an unccasirg ccrnditional: shc rroLrld

be

drarving, shc rvould bc stilrting 10 reacl, she *'oLrlcl bc losing

milk tooth (161d ).

One incident rvhich sho,"vs horv he tries to copc u ith his

painful loss occurs t\\'o and

a hall ycars alter

Kate's

disappearance, during the rvcek that she rvould have turned sir
years old. Stephcn wants to celebrate her birthday but 1'ears that
to "buy a toy rl'ould undo trvo years of adjLrstntcnt, it rvould be
irrational, indLtlgent self--dcstructive: ancl weak, above all
weak"(145). FIe soon justifies his need to celebrate lbr Kate.

however. saying to himself that this would be an act of faith ;n

his daughter's continued existcnce:

'fo buy a present $ould

dcnronstrate tltat he \\,lts not yet

beaten, that he could do thc surprising, Iively thing. LIc woLrld
purchase his gift in 1oy rathcr than sorrou, in the spirit ol
Joving extravagance, and in trringing it home and urapping it
up he would be making an oflering to fatc, or a challengc -

Loctk, I've brouglit the prese

8n.t(t 46).

t, now tou hring

back the

As hc ernbarks on his shopping expcdition, Stcphen

mentally creatcs through "rnagical thinking" the image of Kate
as a growing, nraturing child and buys birfhday toys to match
her ever-changing needs:

stry.l. -1".1-.

;Jne;i:

ran McEwan,s The

Chitd

it

-t.inte,,

He needed to tesi her rcactions. She rvas a reticent girl, in

company at least, \a,ith a straight back and dark bangs. She rvas
a fantasist, a day-drearner, a lover of s tran ge-sound ing words,

262

263

ArtlrLrrshiprrrrLl {(lcrtity
in (-ontcnrljo*lr} lriction

:r k,, 1,,.r 1l \(..r,.t Jt

s,, rr,.,..r,'..,1 ,or; ;

r..,.ll.r r,,, , r,,,.ir.

r,..,,i, ,i r,,k..... rr.

il,,

(,;

I )i',,llli;1";'l; ,,::'

;':";'j

'l

1""'l"l,lii;l

a.

::" li,:::t',",

, r

,l

i;jll;+i.i:li1{';llt

:,,;,[Iy,'';li'*?;

''
rrr..

is 10 wanr you tn con,e-L,a.r

en.]s

ttl" cvcnl Is tltc bc.einrring

r;r1,rrrr6li,,rr: lor iJr(. u'.tt.'h*'
ttntc hc rerlizcs tlrar Kr,^ ,.
rr_ , r , r , , , ,
"" ''
r,. r,.,.., no ln,"
or er his lost ,rrrt;;,.
r'
rrc, r,,,,,1-1,,
ru rnird
rr..r ir,'rr ,rrt 1., rrer ..ri ]l'::]:i:."19 rl)c -prins) ro,cr, or
conrtort'rblv rotrn(r his
budv. rhe
.ol"n,n pu,.iiy ;;;;:;:: ::
thc,v ct Icd arrd rrlrite ot
ro
:,n,1 1i1,. ..11,1 ,.1-.,',,.',i"'''
l;
;"t
to rccall. Shc- ,.."'.ll9nditio"''t
;:[*;
'arde.,u", .;;;i;,-.'",..,i-il:],1:'""1 rll';;the trmc hi' isclesi
to,.
g.irr'r. Ilc ,n,,,,*r,i. i,.r,,]l'],'j,t,ng antl .disfiguring l:irn iike a
L'.:,1 w;ior yo,.,
r,,.,,,,g1,1 1,".-[ ,,o]. j:;;li',,]i:l
,",:::ll..r:,1
.,

.t i

Stcphcn,s fanatical

'

ii;i,;,ii,liij:.

sc

in nnar,g i;;;".'il,-,i:T.,h

.ror

Ail

r \\i,nr ro do

his daughtcr ultimatelv

it i' thc tvrorrg Kare.

,";,Itl:i'ln,
u Js mosl srrikingiy
nc\r' !\'ir. a lrr.,,1r., n,,,,. hi"h
.:t,thut."tlhlt
';;;';;;"
chcekbonc"(
I '2 r rhc
child rs .br r,r..l;
1",' 'i5t"
Il
ro
i,cccpr
rr,is
rrrs s,;rre rr ,;,;;i ,i,;;.';L,;
)]'n1".*n'se\
.iil
hrhrls thc degrec ol.his
oh.c5rlon
rnd dc:n.rir I_\..-,,,^rr.. ,
corrrii,llling ,,,"

-;i;., ',i,;.
'

il

;", ''i.

I'

in Tintc al:

,,. r;,;';ii; il:ff1,'li,l,i,i':T},1liTili",j

Darkc. Charlcs r: closcty ,iri",i","

n"",,i,aiI",,.,,
Lewis rnd rhe prime Minister.
,n* ir".:,jirg;,;"j;1,;.'L.,,,
connections between rhe world
of ;".r,r,;i.."j;;o;r'rri ,n.
"higher" rvorld of state issucs
and
He givcs up a
prornising political career
-polrtics.
aftcr bcing fo.
, *rrif" i"ril.i."
,:d.,1."]] an influential media man.
"0,,o,
Hc takes ."frg;
*.rld
nl,'".. he wears shons, uses a carapult
and
:j"*:.T:"1
l1-s
Jp!i,u5 rflosr ot the dav nlaying
with :rrarb]es arrd ririnking
lemona<le. perched in a trec
horse, under lhe bcnevolcnt e\c
ol
Thetma. a physicisr *tor.
r.uourir.';;;;il
;j',n.
rclatrvrty and mystery of time
.
Separated from his wifc
by the potgnancy of the srief
rhe loss_ of rhe child inflicrs
on tt,cm boiir. ;" ;;: ::";;""."
reunited at.the end of the
irr"
combines the roles of midwife
oftheir second child heals the
nor obr ivious,;
tLturcIn comparison to McEwan,s earlier
rvorks, The Child in
Timc appears incrediblv ssrrtrmcntal'
scr
Dclending the novel'
rl"-un'fi.yun.o;;;"6],l

i"ii"

ll

l:1.:ll.

*r.r ,

..r:r;;,H'lHfJ;
*d i;,;;; ;;il. il:il1",
;il ;;r;n,i'rx:t',i'f [lli'#J:,::XT:

No doubt McEwan Ieaves himself

lrlnerable to thc charge of
scntimentarism by exciting our
noslargia for rhsr strrc of pra(e
belore the ridc of hisroristof.
j,,n"
i,
sandcastled beach. But .ryU"
r.ntinro,oi_;';;;,*
any attcmpt to touch lhe heart
must cross.r:

,;ri,l,"

Yu'n""d bv thc school

"o*pi","iygi,..';;,;.il;.ili,J^,ll.,lljJli;.i,,"x1"T.,1."".
principal'

The Child

scarch ror
lll:
half humorous, half pathcfic.story
of rceression into childhooil
'
of Charlcs

,'.,1:;,:.,"1.,'l ,s't;;1"'rriti, 'r,r r,.fsp

''i'..i
gt'tccrttl chin'1, but she
t,.,1,.-t.., ,rlitil'o i,;;; ,,i'.i.]:::
rvas
timc shc kn..-''r hor'
to th.ow
Il.i took fio.r ,i,.'.ri,.,,1.1 31t-t;a;
plajtrc sock of tcnnis
b;rlls (148)'
Katc's bir-thtlay er,.e ntLrarv
bnngs nrore disnrav
than rerier;
sr"pt,",,.:rar'i,,i. ;:;;11J"
olthc
most touching
or,i p"tr,",ol'r."i ;;;;rij';1..^lt :nce.onc

lan McErvan

'. ': hoj.rLl(r ut int rplj,-..rl,lc ulr1t.Lt....

.
,1.
,,.'l ,y"l:.1:,1 drr-,ppcJ nro rri. wjlc
.r

,ri"r"",.i.,,'r.'#

;;;;",,

Thcre is a Iot of nostalgia and yearning

firr a world free lrom
the..constrai nrs of ti me. Nevert-h"f
ifr.- opti_i;,';#"
ending shows that people can
cope"rr,
with loss and overcome it.
t2

K.

Ryan. op.cit., p.54.

264

26s

\I
\ '.
1/tUt
rr)\

r..; .,,,

ll.l

I
r

rrrr

rr,

r ,,Jrr..,rl,,.r..r,\ I..,

t:

,r

5tt.. lIl ltntu itlrl tiu\

(. s!)rr(r., rr\ nnrl comp:rssio,ilop tlrcir relationsLiPs

111v61a1,

trt rrtl,rlt rirrrlti, arlul r

t tt. t,rtt.,;,,, ;,;;;::;;ll,,ib\(,1(.(r": fttL tnttLti, rtt
nt.tlc by Hl"r,"r,r' ;r"'ijll, ril ir \v.-\' lttt uclro ,.'f I 5r.Lt'lrqrl
'"1

lllr
I

I
I

;,

ll.,:;

il.,i

ll;il

l;l

:r;i:*

lll';: lrlll.

ilri,*ii;;r,,'

:'l.;,

l;i,;i

]''#.'

I lll ::,_r,;
1.1 lli:,):l;',i :t',il;
ll:: i,

rn,,, u r,, i,,'.ii,.,'rli )) i,,T

ri e n c u,
n,
1lir'Jtrlt
r,,,,t,
I
."lll "rc,L
rrrq
'"
''" ":,.
:er ruu l\ ili...t-,i
n(r'J)\'( tivc r\
by ,f..,1 i,,': rirl s di.;rlrre;rran-'.
't
':':'
.rr\.rrl r \,. ill ,.. ,.,;l
.:,; . ol-tJIe "Liotlrteisr)r" Lrr \l(llr: n, 'i
,..r11 tr. rr,'r,'. ,, ,r,,i'r."rl]i.
!\.rrr':
rrrc,r,rrrr^r ,.,,..;,,.,i,i',i|,,1''nt:,1' ,,tu,,ily secrr i ) . \r)rE:5r.r.
orr rhe ,r,r',k .,..,r.
,!r i,r\r,,r.
i..,,, ,.,,.111 ,,jilli',i1.,
l';:,1:rin;r
lrlc
:rLlllll
pl',)lrruor)i
ir:ri r.,,,*.-r.,
. s,.', rr.
"

r,.u i l,,rr'i],,,r..'t
rrr
ir. ,, r.,,,,.,. , .1 t::;; ,:il:.i
l,i,:;,:i,l],.ll.r,r
I

Ur Lir)Lrli lt]\ tJ s iirn

Pcrson I)arrator.

",,';;;il
"lr".,,,irlil"t^"tll

to

rr , r.r ,r

rnurUrlluLJS' trn{)bl-rrsi\c
ari:l
es" $het gocs un in it.
ir is

o_h_suT\

conr:rrcx ,,,rr;i.
it'terI rlr,,rr ,r ,..,,.t. ., ,inrrr...j.,'.'t'''',""""' I Ilctlr'1 i.Irr.. lrl,,
ti,rc. .frre ,i,i. orl,,"'uoo',.,i.r,,- i,]l :, gorhi( r;rory at rhc srme
an affenrPr to sho*. ,,"," ,?:,tjlJ:::.1:,ilrr(l chall(nqrng. li is
i attd p'r.h-,1, : i..rl
cortrl.trl:.1,,1'5 ,r,
, ,,,",.k'n,r,, 'rr(urugl(:
ac'irlt rrrrl .,Ji,, ;:'.:; ''^'^l']n, 'ln"Leorrrrtl Mrtrrth:"t itrt''. r'i
'
rttut\icrcr rnc rrr.ttr'.
It,. tr,,r t,l r ..,';,
;:;.'1"]ttcco
lhr '.cars of llit r',,;,r
\\rir. lr i, l(,.ii,rrl ,,, . al
-r'-"i1]llFns
on"orr*'
ntuttnrin.-'()r.r:rrr',
cot,l ri,,'n,',..',,',1.. l],.,1.1,1
,11
I.rtSlnd a tunn(.1 b..lorr
tlr.. b,,,,i,,,

;;$":::;;::,,1t' u-,i*J,,,,."
266

he rh

i,

ies

rasi: rnstit,,rL,l

l,rrt

1..1y1

rr.1L

J r.

rl

[rrttccrr liast :rncl \\rc:rl [:lcrlin Ir -lel clLr:,,- ttr. irnil tirlt. tlic
liussians' crtirtnrLtnicatir-rrr i irrcs.
TIie ilicrnatioiral clitlrcnsion ol- tlte rrorel cirItule. tlrc
spirit ol tcnsc trnxictl. llrc idcrrlouiclrl conllontutioit bctucen
thc Iron f-'rrrtain. \'hich hasu'l trecrr e|cc1crl ]ct (i.c. lti lit,-,rrl.
[Lctrtal expression, 'lltc l]rtrlin \Vull). Ikrrrcr'er rrlltt is cicn
nlore salirlt

is the conrplcr t'clllionsltips lrniol,r tltr: t!\o

Westcrn victors, and bcluecit tltent irl]d dclcalcd (r. Ixnr. Irl
tltc nerv, Jrost-r,rat rlor.ld, tlrr. LS crrrt-tges as il sLtpcrir()\\cr,
rvhilc eqLrallv viciotiorLs Ilritlin Iras to txkc llt] intltrrrlaitl \l!ll
backu,ards. Its imltcriaL !lanrtrur upllcars ils a thirrr: olthc pl-s1.

In this historical co0tc\t btscd on historical litct.

young innocent abroad is inlroilrrccd. l-corrtrrl I\llLr-nhunr is a

1,5-year-old civilian lrnglislinltn scnt orcr to IleLlin irr tlte
llritish l']ost Olflcc to trork on the srrrerlllrncc,l-r,.c, ,, lticlt
at-c to be installed in the cllrrilcsiiire tLrrtncl. A tviricnl lrrvku irril
and easily enrbarrasscrl [Jrit ltlnt tltc tltiics. Ic-onard rs
assisnecl to r.r'ork lvith tltc sull'-cttntldcnt .,\utcricans. Lli:;

Atncrican liaison ofllccr is [:]ob (illiss. Asserlir.e untl

clomineering, thc Arnericart * ill lct as a liril to Lcorrartl.
Thc Inslislrntan fi'rls hoth tltc clution ot Lltr victrrr.
corning to the de1'cated anri r uined licrnlrrrr urid thc

disappointnrent occasionecl trl lhc rnererr.rnr re.rl z;rrr,,n ot'

Britain's loss of ltor.r,cr in irrtcr.nutiunal t olirlir)ns. lts
backstaging by the nerv lcadins actot-s, Arrrcrica and RLrssi.i.
Although hc has to kcep a lou,protile and r., or.l< in thc
utmost secrecy and anonynritl,. Lconlrtl clnnot hcll) f]cttilc
acquainted rvith (icrntan rcalitics anti peoplc. iic i'licc.;
hostility, resignation, liustr iitir)n. ltLrt also r.ir-udshilt
The Ioung Englrshrnan soon n)L'cts lI r\:or.nAn in a tlanctclub. Too shy to gct in touch s,ith iter.right rlar. l_conard
tvaits ibr ten days betbre gtring to thc a(itlrL.ss shc crn c hinr,
rvith an arvkrvard notc about dropping in fbr a chat. Mrri.r
1

Eckdorl is a 30-1,car-olil tli,,,orccc u.ith rrhttrn

r6-

the

r\rrrhoiship and Idcntity in Corrlcnrporary Fiction

latr

int':.pcricnccrl young nlan lalls in lo,,,c. Maria fincls

ig
lvon.lsrlul not tt.r be lrightened, just for oncc, of a nran. At
fi131
irc is gcntlc, lcticcnt and shy: thc (ierman ts the flrst x,oman
hc
has intini:ricl1, knorvn so fzl-. Graclually he becomcs nastier
lvhilc har.ing scx rvith lr{aria, casting himself in thc role of
the
victor and r.'ictirnizcr. as if transferring the existing power
reiations of intcrnrtional politics to his relationship. He finOs
rnakirrg Iovc ntorc cxcitirrg jf he thinks of himsellas tltc British
r r. r,Jt, r'l hcr:rs the t icmran victirn.
McE*'an's ability to cxplore the dark side of human
natLrre is all thc morc shocking when he describes
the

ol thc "innoeL.nt".
A lery critical moment occurs when Leonartl

de r clopn tc nt

and l,,Iaria

iirc back fiorn cclcbrating their engagement. Otto, Maria,s ex_

husband, cnters the scene.
violent contiontation ensues,
' lcading to Lconard bitting Aand
killing the German. Now
I-r:onard has to dispose of the body, and what lbllows is the
grucsomc, typically early-McEwan section of the novcl. The
scenc of Lconard sio*ly and painfuliy dismembering the
corpse, apart lrom the sheer horror it produces, is also a
synrbolic enzlctr)ent of the deliberate and systcmatic havoc
I r.vrought by rvar at anothcr lcvel.
Unable to get rid of the body
and cornpelled by circumstanccs, Leonard brings the packets
r..,,ith human flcsh and bones to the tunnel where he works.
ln

\4clluatl

Allcr the dcnrisc ol'Opctation (joirl, Lcorrlrd is scnt

brck lroirtc. Engrlcd to Nlaria, hc is sttpposccl to bc teLtnitcd
hcr sontc titrrc latcr rn Lotrcion. 1he cnding of thc book,
"vith
rvith thc i*'o ilances parling at Bcrlin airport' docs not crtatc
tlie intpressiorr thrl this s'ill corttc to plss, thottgh.
-fhc postscript sltou's atl cltlcrl'7 L.colnrd coltling tir
-l'irc
Ilcrlin Wall, u'liich had
Bcrlin ntorc than thirty 1'cars lirtcr.
not bectr erccted in 1955. is about to fall. IIe lcccivcs, atler a
long rlc1ay, a ietter fronl N'laria. nos'an -,\n'lcriciln citizcn and a
lviciow. After Leonard letl. (iclnlany hil; fianccc rlrarl ied Bob
Glass and u,ent rvith hinr to Alt.rcrica. Nou'' altcr so mirny
years, thc prospcct of recrllt-ilialior.t and reLtnion laccs not only
the two Gcrnlanls. but also Lconard and Maria
'the htstorical context bast:d on rcalistic "solidity of
's inr'teasing pLcoecupation
specilication" contlrms the authol
,uith hirtory, politics, a nluch broadcr social scopc lor his
fictional u'orld.

this rvay two terrible secrcts meet.

Sooncr or later the Englishman rvill have to account lor
'the content ol the mysterious packets, so he decides to solve

thc problcm by lcaking information to the East about the

tunnel, hoping that thc Russians will take over both the tunnel
arul Otio's rcnrains. Tcnsion builds up, as the Allies want to

know horv their plan rvas discovered by the Russians, and the
qu:stioning of Maria and Leonard may lead to the disclosure o[
both high treason and murder.

Black Dogs: dcaling nith biographl' and the sltado*s of the

past
Black Dogs (.199)) introduccs an I-narrltclr lvlto secms to votce
thc author's orrn conccms in an unmistakable rvay. The

268

)69

:
I

ALrtht,rslrrp trnd I.lL,ntit_y

in C,oDtcrnporar-v I:lciion

'lll ,'l,., lltrlhor-.,Itn:rror. corr.idcr;rbt(. in his r'r't

orl(( lion\
' fir_t (,.oll..,.ri
'l"r rt: trn(l rio'.-l{ /rirS
h"r glven
,,ir.,.. wa-v
:,,-.." 1
't:'
to all blrt conlpleteof
i,t.,rr,t;.rt,u,,.

Ian \4cl:nurr

I
I

I discovcre-d that ihe cnlotionill voiLi, tlrc lcelirtg of bclongirt3

nowhcrc and to oo one tirat hrr<l rrlllictctl lltc b,itwccn tllc a!:cs
o1' cight and thilty sc\.n hltl an illrpottallt itttcllcctr.tll
conscqucuce; I lrad no aLtachnrcnts, I lrclicred itr notliin!. It
\\'as not that I*'as a dotrbtcr, or that I Iixd arnrcrl ntvscllrriih
thc LrsclLtl scr-pticisnr of u Iutiunal crrtiositl, Lrr tltat I slLtv
argllnrents lronr all sidcs, thcrc u'as sirrpll no goorl clLtst-. no

.l;r-qrt l\ Iorn son

rlruv
,
tu thc pirni, rihr \h;
rrrr' rr.ir(.r. rrrrJ r1,;
1,,r111111.. ,,:]rcnllol
rl'roL,gl, *rri.h i',;-;,,;i,l

t. rlr.rrJL.rr!r. Ijjrc. Ilistor\

,l;fi:i
s1'.itfii proht,.rr,, .i;;1.^l'o,n)cr]urf : "lt rs trrrurrgh rhc
tlttrclur.. IIrrr rlro",
rc.l irinsl*11;.i.5 n.:;i
..;
i;,,'."*'rphy'
lrrslorl
arlrl ,,"r;;';;.';;r;"1'';
rr

rlrrL..1i.11

enduring principlc, no lirndirnrcntal idca ri'ith ivhich

.ru-sr Irr..lclr.rl\. thc ntrrin c

truthlully, passionately oI qirictlv asscrt. r'

attti narrrror of rlrc

booi,
nirrcnrs in
,..i,j1.::':.let
!\'hcn
ver) young. l-nr a whilc
arr..r ,hrr r,. r,ra i ",,
*'"rl'olti)1,
other )oullrs' p:lrcnts
ht l.i it ;l cirs(. irn(i ,; ;;;:
r.itlt wlsn.,
hrve
tlreirj,rkes.
..,,,,krr:,.,. .np,".i,,,",t
atrvice.
t,,,",t .t.l.,lf'to
rr,'rre
\ orrn! orplrrn. Al
rir(. srrne I
.tc,,.,,r..1 i.'J,,r,:.,il,..
r."i'irs lit:i
srir..r s i*ric drrr.{rc.r.
.r,t.n'1"1i
lc'.'ittlrl
in
lhis
rral r.r,:lonsrblc
;r|(l r rlirL.r.

r'i''''.ii

I'or

;r rr hile,

,
irrr.1.r'rhlcr,.

all this

Il

kr

n'",j, charrcrc-arrry
(,'ord ;rrrd *;.;';. i:;:'n: ll: hc sccrrre: r praceftsrnar
.,,ii;;;' ;;,;;jl:..1i:,:..
l-lls nlccc. Ihetc lirllorv
tr'rrr: :rr
16u,
r,riir.,.r;1y'31,g-16'wtr5

of ycrrrs r,r rrr;isfi fia

,,r.r..rr.lr.;;;;..';]1,^u,,,1n,0",
"'i;;;',"...'':''
Io\cr\
This pcri''d
:rrr crrd uiih hit
..,..-.. tn hrs nrid thirtics. 1n6s' 1o
Trt.r]l:t,,rc.
tu Jenny
A rrer" cxii(crrce bc,
c sir. Jglerny
!,,irr! I rc
r..r,r.l,',r,0,",'#i1"1,,,,),1::n
^lor
"rro
,u rL'srorc
'
ri to tl(ContC
"",
A i(,st nrrenl
One hinscJI. H"
both childrcrr and nerv
p.rr( nr i rn ,f ,,. to*,
, ilirr',,Ii liq'^*t
\\ irerr {ic fi,.., ,,..,*
an,J Junc r rcrnainc.
,1,",i jr", )).i' "*".d
*pcak in r,'.,r,
rr,: huct) on
r*."1,,"'ri::1.']ltt"l:tlttl-vand
rrr Inerr prcoccuprrions
rrrlli\ r(,mt rtcsrinics
and
3 tnat strikts it scnsi i\.c chord
!,,rn,I hrrnsclf: r;.;i;l;;':i
rrh,rrr,r,,rr,

Jo.*,,

rndividLral dcstinies

of his nrothcr-in-lur.v rnd

coLrld

lirlhcr-in-larv,

Junc ancl Bcrnarcl.

They bcgan togcthcr in lircir youtli rts L-,.rrttrr Lrttists, tltcrt

tvcnt thcir scpar:rlc ways. but tbcir cupacit,"-' {iI bclicf ne,, cr
clecrcased. ThroughoLrt his hlc Llcnrard rcnrained colrmitted to
thc hmitcd ccrtaintics of scicncc. IIc rcplaccd his intcrcst in
Contrnunism lvith a long adlocacy oi'numcrous causcs lor
social and political relonlr. JLrnc's inletiLltiorr u ith
Comnrunism lasted a lerv nronths only, bctbrc shc stancd
believing in God in 19.16 rvhcn fhccii in a Irlcrrch lorcst rrith
thc ontinous lorces ol cvil cnrbodicd in tilo fierce do-gs. She
saw in the terriblc crezrtures a lorce that c)'ciically etnerges to
possess and destroy the livcs of individuals and societies, thcn
becuntcs dornrln{. lrwlilin-q thc rtexl ocelsirrrr.
Bcmard rlas ccrtain that thcre u,as no tlircction. no
pattcming in hunran aftirirs or ltLtcs othcr tltan that rvhich rvas
inrposecl by hur.nan minds. Llnlikc hinr, Junc thought th:rt lile
had a purpose and it was in thc pcoplc's intcrcst to L,pen

to it.

Rationalist and nrystic. scientist

!r",-i.nn.ill]..
t5

270

corrld

IIe tries to tind sonrcthing tci bclicvc irt and sorncthing

rvith utich to fill his emotionrl void in an egc o1'disbe licf anci
of crrotional conlusion. To cio so lic bcconrcs absorbeii iir ttc

themselves
'o

idcntiiy, no transccndsrt cntitv rvhosc cristcncc I

Black Dogs. London: Jonathirn C'rpc. 1991. p.

271

I S.

and

r\Irllrlirsllil) an(l ldcntity in Ltllrtcrnporar1 Fiction

lu;l NlcL;u ltn

r'rtrritior)ist. Ilcrnar.cl and his r,_,itb arc thrr oppositc polcs along
lxis .lcrr-'rrtv rnoves, witltout (:vcr conting to rcst.
-lcrL'tny's idca to ri.ritc a solt ol memoirs darvns on hi6
iir,r'inq thc r.isits hc pays his tcrminallv ill mothcr-in-law in her
l,uisinl honre. JLrnt canre to acceDt hcr {ate rvith selcnity and
,.ictachntt:rtt. 'i h,: jnraec cf the hggc <logs r,nning torvards
her
hILrrrtcd hci liir lirity ),cnrs. ShLr secs thent corring then
tiis:rpp,:arint. lreacling into the nrountains, lrom which she
krrcls llic_v will rctLrrn. The iniage also brought her 10
iinJ()r5taild a loosely dcfined presence that she calls.,God, ur
thc sprrit of' Ior c, ol the Atman or the Christ or the larvs of
r:liurc". rr hich enveloped her in a h:rlo of colourcd light.

$irelc thev r.r'ill rcturll to llaullt us. solllc\\hcrc itt IrLrropc, itr
arlotllcr tirnc".l''
Wc rcalizc that sceing Juttc ittlci Ilcnlat'd as oppositc

\"irol.r!-

poles u'ould bc.an oversiurplificatron.

Junc's pcacclul and discrcet dcath onl;, strengthcns

Jircrnv's resolrrtion to lnvestigate the mysteries ol June arrd
iJer;.;ili'd's lrlctimc rclationship, of their dillerent systerns and
1l Irv to sce lyhere ltc, titc spcctator, actually bclongs.
I [ol cvcr. it is only. two ycars latcr that hc hirs the
olr,ortunitv to pursue his qucst. lt is Novcmber 1989 and he
rcceivcs arr enthLrsiastic call from Bcrnard. His father-in-law
rlr itcs hinr kt go to 13crlin, to sce the symbol of the Cold War,
thr \\r.rli, collapsc. fherr trip to reunited Ccrmany occasions
tlic rcsLlIl]ption of thc stor1., lvith some ntissing clentcnts
corlring rip (thc incidcnt with thc tlragonfly, just bcfore June's
','ncDuntcr rvith thc dogs).

An incidcnt that -lcremy and Bemard witncss in Berlin

siri;rvs tlrlrt cven in moments of cuphoria and of apparent
gcneral eoodlvill the forces ol darkness rear thcir ugly head. A
lrrunr'l'urk is airnost lynched by the Gemrans around lvhile
:irrif in{ a rcd flag. This is only one ol the rcminders that
1i;i-.,.irpt Jcrcnry to ponder thc significance oI thc black dogs,
' ladinq as thcy nro!'e into thc lbothills of the mountains lrom

'

int"taa.t, sclllctinlcs run llarallcl. Jcrclnl hinrscll scr-:s that thc

\\orld is luil ofpartial storics that run p.LrallL-i to ollc llnothcr.
bcginning and cnding at odd tinrcs. 1ht- pcrccption of tJris
attitudc is one of rcality as sonlething llot givcll. 2l (lyllalllic
constnlction made and remadc continllalll' by human
'fhe trouble is, the nrotto
communities.
'rf the book (Marsilio
"ln
Ficir.ro rvriting to Giovanni Cavirlcanti. c 1475) gocs, that
thesc timcs I don't, in a nlAnncr ofspeaking. knor'v rvhat I rvant;
perhaps I don't want wliat I kno\\ ill'ld want rvhat I don't
know".
Wc do not knol holv trluch the atlthor himself
idcntifles with Ficino on (not) knos'ing and (not) rvantinr:'
Looking back on his rvork. trort' spltrtritlg tu o full dcc:rdcs, rve
could sce McErvan the u'ay Kicman Rl tn describcs hinl: "A
famili:rr ntoral lable rurrs bcneath this rcading of I\4cErvau's
carcer. It casts thc author as a kind ol Prodig'rl Soll, whil
graJually gro\\s ouI rrf his nasty adolcscrl]l lnntasics and into a
ri."pnntit l" adult nor clisr.'
Wc could. but \\'c won't. Thc u riter ltas come a Iong
rvay, but to see him moving lronl llastincss zu.rd irrcsponsibility
towards maturity wotrlil dismiss somc of thc excellent rvriting
.of his titcrary beginnings. He sounds a r e rY scrious and mature
note as early as 1978, conrmcnting on thc ctlrlscqucnces and
implications of cxperinlcnt:rlism in fiction, and thus ploviding
a cluc Ibr his own artistic dcvelopnlcnt:
The formal cxperimcntation of thc latc sixlies attd early
seventics came to nothing largcly bccluse 1hc stufl wls
"'tbid., p.114.
lrK. Ryarr, .y. cir., p.2.

272

l heit storics stluetinlcs

-r

ALrthorsl;rp and I(lertit_v

in Cor)tcnrporary I:iction

jnir.cc,rl,l:
lrrrLl loc_r often unr,r
,,,., n,,, ,t,,.,"
.,,,, .,,i"ry"i,l'nj'l:'.tJ
"t . ro J,lca,rrr... 111 ,1,n
',r,ro.',i,'l:i:
r,crir,,Jrsrr.r,r,.,
i'",t r.o,n
1., ,,-."i,,
il'l:,,'",,"]"
scrl ('n..ro,cJ
fi.rion*' ,r.
r.,,lrry r. ,,,,1t. ., J;;,;.';;:
ries rh.rc i. ,,, ,,..d
.,rrrr,,J,,,iby ,
ro ll
.,,,,,,,,. i.r lJll
or.fic'r,,r c.rn ii
r ,r,,rr r,,r rr,,,,rc,l
, .;;;;,:;,;1,,; ii':.''nrrrc'r,, r,,r .. .,,,r,,"rd
r;1."
ii",l1ii,:]:1,,,Ii
l)lr\trn{ Up \ uut s}ot,i\ i::..,.;l:il l,
antl scrar
prtc orJcr. 1nj
rjrore iu (i ,
.o,,,.1n,'_",f ,.',3::::::i::,
"i,f,
oi
stntcr oIn1;ntr
.rn,l rlre.,,-ic1y rf,.
'\lrr(sellrltron
r

L.r,r. t;rr\

i\l r.r'cr killer{s): .4mstlrdarn

/\ qtlillier of a ccnturt belort

,],".Bookcr
..r.r,,,.t,.. l,rttr (lr,,xr.
Me l_rra*J,':',*l'n

pr.izc rr
irh his

ru-rder s u irh

sr,r, :.,q6,, ..r,..,i,,,,

n.,l'; ::: I :::,:r- \' ln lllc rr i, fi rsr
It'' ;':.rrlro kiJlLrs rrd
DC\! Irr)\tsJ.
srr
lli.r:,c,, .,f , ,.,.,r'r,."',,"o, ".ii.t:']^ o I(.n.rSCrs lrr inl, orr thc

,,. ,r,,] fi rr', 'r"hi,1,1n,..u,,,,, bur rlrc 5uok is iust rr

tnre r L;rksland Rapisr
rrlro Icr'[,,
rrn.( rrrrr:,

rii,

r,

r",' n,'.iir.,',i*1.]i..i' it

;1

1.,i. rr,,. i, r,.

l,i',r,.li,ril;;llr^.,

dr;,mar i,.ar ry arlbcr ing.

r,,. ..:l:,,,',inl, .'oi'lll' J;:ii.,:f

,::,,:1,11,..,.y

Br i,airr.s

'r
c,r,,,,,,n,,..
'tt trte publr, cye: Jutran
a.pirinf
rrrirr,i;ry. ,; ;,,;;;,i;:-i.rnJev' promint nr conrposer.
,Vcrr:o.
n"*"r,n., cditor Whc.rr'is
l:e;rrr of ,fr.f,n.r,"irr.,
lhc

nr,'aiiii i

M'lwrnnr'\('l 'lr

.".ill'
hkell to e\r)cci in'Ln
t';;;1il::are
trclorc
lhc rlrsucr 1r"gi,rs
-

(lrilf,c
Ciivc Linley is
corlr...(,scr',As

to t,,ke

a
'!\rJrrur' ratncr
rather rh16rybnck,
thro\\h:lck,
t iirr is rhc fo.l-ill^"_.rfll:,
at
tllc
begirrning uf this
clcr,;rnr l', r..r.,,,,. ,,"*;,;
^'":'"ttt L^psuts no,:f
nrln"il'
.,lI;';' posiiion ot rrttro.ity'i"rrr
specral
:o assune a
n the stDry rr.hich

*,.r:':i

rl$;;:U:ilx

lt ,.
Ed,rard
r'\j:tu Anroid.
An:old. Iqqj,
Iq95 p.
n rSO
lRo

--tt't'ort-

R,tlirnt antl

is ro

unftrld.

.4-,tcr London:

lirl

l\1c l.rr rur

I
I
l

llis liiclrl \/crnon is tltc ctiilorol'rL dirilv rrlirclt llrs sL,r:n l)cttcr
days. One-tirnc Iotrrs ol lltc (lL.celtscri N4olly Ilrnc. lltcY nlcct
at her Iirneral in Lonrkrn on:i chilll, I;cbrLurrl rlul, in tlte latc

Also attcrtding is .lLrlill (iulntirnl . (('unscrr.atir,,c)

liorcigit Sccletar-y. allcgcdJv alloth('r ol' NIollr'r er lorr'rs,
cordiallv hatc-rl by both ( lirc lrnrl Vcrnon.
1990s.

lnritetl to hc ilttrotlLrcccl to (lutlltortr, ( live t: trVinq tr-t

assess tlle mar belorc hint. tO llIlrl thc sL-.rc1 ol'Iri5 ilppcal to
Molly. t{e has clrflicLrltl, -nressin.e the nrvste r\. A nr.rn r ith li
lar fronr slamoroLrs appcilrartc!'. Irllc ltearl. rLns('nsual llps. In
polilics he i.rld distingLtishcd hinrscll'by lti5 \cnr)ltltol)ic \ iows.
!Vhat nlade hint so spccili/ Vcrn()n gLr!,:,s(-\ th.rt (ilnrrorry
must lte a hot in thc suck bastirld. trLrt cr.'n so ... 'l-lterc rlrust
havc bee-n sonrething elsc :rs u,'ull.

'fhat sccrct ivill soorr bc lcrcllcri. rrrtlt drrirstutirri:

ettccts fbr nrorc thln onc citrnreter. |or. rirc tiinc bciu(,
inrporlarll nromcnts ()i'tlrc 1nst. iccoulltc(l in pr ir trlc 1ll:hlrlicks
thoLreht licusing on ( lire. shou ,\iollv's
inllttcncc on thc con r post'r.
While talking to \rcrnon ltclbre bcing intlodLrced to the
I'M, Clir. e rcntinisccs to hintsclf' ll5uLrl !ltc lccac., \lollv lcli
hrm. emotronal :rnd at'tistic. Ilc thinks she hudn r changetl.
although hc irarl. She hld tuLr{ht hinr, a "1etc dsclrrperj' a lot
about love ancl "scxLral stctlth". \\'heu shc lbLrntl hcr pl:Lcc, she
packed her- lLrgeaue and icli, tLrrnint tlou.n lii: rrar.riage
proposal rvith a quotc- llorl Iririlip Larkin: "l/c tnarried u
tvotnetl lo slop lrcr,J?ttin! arrnt,,,,\orl s/lr,li tlttrcttll tltt.t".
In rctrospcct. (.llivc thinks shc uas risht a:. rihcn hc
was finally' alonc, he *.as ablc tr) wt itc onc of' ltis nrLtsical
master?ieces in lcss thun a ntor.lth. SolitLLrjt' u ill tunr olll to bc
essential to Clive. Is he'a Iatc r.ontlntic'l Wc.ll, at uny ratc, at
the end of the novel he u ill bc the latc CliVe Lrnlc),.
Apparently, nonc ol thc tlrrce ex-lovcr.s is the apple ol
Georgc l-anc's eyc. The bL-rcavcd husltanrl has sollt, accounts

of ll'ee indirect

274

2t5

A rrthr11 5lr11,

irncl Iclcntity rn C.ontcntporary

lriclion
larr

1,, .,r IIlr. \,,1 l( llir\l\

ri,,, r

5Lii.nt

i i ;", ;; :'

rrrr .,].,1;111,..p...1

t,rirt

I.v ,,.t

Jl.:Tili,l,"ti;.,:,.1 jlT
pl(.ilsant EUCsts.

Both C,iirc",,:"ii;[i'::]
anrl Ve
a t i o n . r:,,
r' i
J:X.
",
".1'..:::
huii bcconrc . i.cs.r.bie
iu.i,,g,ii"
tic lc, i or

il: l,,il'li,ll,l,l.',,i

r,^,"

:iX;il;:JJ
;;;;;il;, "j:;#:!il
,,",

"l'i.il
in"l"l",'i"r,.,1*

^l;i;r.il:
..c
silou,s .ig,,,, nr-,,,",,,ni' ;l:ii:[:"i,i::ii;i

thc Lrni|gnifi c.i. Iong

fi

nalc

o,

fl:i;i::]:i:

cnabling
ifr",U.r,
placc 1'or that is, at the n.tontent.
"rriro,rorin.'
Amslerdanr.
fhcrc rvill bc surpi.ises. il storc
lor everybody,
cha..crers ar)rt rcadcrs atike
,h.
;r.;;;;;
,i.**""irr2,,,""
,As
Vrqrt,rl, .xu c\pccts, aller.thc
11.,i
l,rr;111r. lroill clr.,.rCtt.r: l,) c()nrnrjrn,l .^-,,, :-:;^'_-. _"'j :'l
b_1,

irlil;n;;;;;;l'.1 *.

*.h

r h c,
r

g,, i ij

:.

;;.:."

;; ;;J'l'Ji,l :ff [ J;:il.-"", .,| :

Clliyc and Vernon arc rnenrbt

shoLrrcr

r.,k,,p,u,.j i;;:;:H.Xiillitilhat

i,fil

ordin:rry pcopre

lcFtuinr ratiicals in ihe early 1970s,

thc trvo
ly thrir crl undcr a
they despiscd and arc
now, at trrrl height oi,,,",. .o*o'"tt'n'"nt
Lreers' about to deliver the goods'
or s. thcy thi.rl:.
. C'lir.e has bcen contmissioned by thc Govemnrenl to
i, t t
p fi n 1,. rhe piccc i,
].i]ji.,l;-r.1,,]:,,
.,t.y
ur (L)nir,trpr)r0iy
exccsses tow.ards ,.the cssential
colnmirn icativencss', of a long
humanistic ,*aiti* if ,".,,
mu5tc \\ill.unrt(
;,coplc aglin in ,cf. of sccutal c;;;";;;;",
lnrprrssctl h;' hrs or.r,, id(as and
n,rrl" nnJ iu*yi;;'il;;;;r,
genius, thc coinposer is somtcttntcs
"overcome by a sudden
iicep alIcction lor hinrsclf ...
Vcrnon, editor of The Jtulg.e, has
to stop the declining
circulation of his broaclshcet. FIc-looks
fb, ;il;;;;;;;;il"r,
iJkely to boost the sale of the paper.
An antr_gravlty machine,
.i

\'oLrn-L

uhsr:q ircl

2t 1

.r;.;;'.;;;;"",

1 1

iirr cx:mple? euadruplets bom to a pianist?

What

Vcrnon

N,Ic

I:s

rrn

nccds to sa'",c I/tt, ./rirlgc l,ill bc it sct ol'scarrrlalous plrotrts

takcn by N.loll1, of'Julian Carnrony uhilc thc tl,o rvcr.c close
fi-iends (Cicorgc Lanc providcs thc photos. appar.cntiy to hclp
tl.re ncil,spapcr). Vcnron hatcs .lulian. v,,lront he consiclcrs a
dangerous poiiticiai.r. A I,andora,s box, tltc pholos rvill u,rcak
havoc on nlost of thc character..
Clive Linlcy hirlsell- cor.drally hrtcs thc r ight_$,inq
politician. In thc initilrl funcral sccnc Itc tirmll, srubs and
defies l.rim- gaining thc rcadcr's sylltpatlty. Nou.thai he sces
what Garntor.ry's sccr et \\.as, hc te cls tc,tnpted to respect ltis
"dillerencc". Thc photos shorv a l,ounrc-r rersion ofthc racist.
conscrvativc, xcnophobic politician,--nragin-q in dubious
lantasics as au unexi)cctcd transvcstitr.. ('livc is suqrrised tlrat
his fricnd is detcnlincd 10 t:rke advantlfc of' Cannony's
"lla,,v". eanrestly, and politically-con.ectlv, asking hitr, ..Do
you think it's rvrong in principlc lbr nrcn to dr.css up in
women's clothes? YotL rvcrc oncc an ap,lloeist lol thc sexLral
revolution. \-oLr stood up hrr gays"( 7_j ). Vc-nrol is atlanrant.
though. What he wants to cr(pose is thc racist politician,s
hypocrisy. Il hc is not stoppcd norv. hc uill soon hc electcrl
PM, with cattrstropltic con-(cqucnccs lbr. thc undcrprivilegcil:
"There'll bc ctcn rnore pcople livin-e bclor.r thc povertv linc,
morc pcople in priso:i, nrorc lrontelcss, nxtrc crlnrc, llore riots
like last ycar"(1&1r1. ).
The tlo liiends do not sce c),c to eyc ol.t this issuc. ln
.Clive's opinion, if is acccpt:rblc to be a transvcstite, then it is
also acccptable for a racist to bc one. The w.rong thing is to be
a racist, transvcstitc or not.
Thc destructive cl'tccl of the clash betr.recn thc trvo will
be enhanced by thc conscqLLenccs ol a cllancc cncoluttcr tl.tat
Clive has with sonrcone rvho will turr oitt to be thc Lakeland
rapist and r'".ith one of l.ris vrctims.
\l/andcring loneiy as a cloLrd (or as a William
Wordsworth) on thc slopes ol the picturcsque mountains of the

276

217

,\Lrtl o,sitip and

Iil.ntit)

irr Coltcrrrpolary lrirli,rn

lan Mc lirvan

I.rrllr:

I)islrici, 0ir.c is in a rlrientrrra

Aticr a ptriocl of jack
,'..tlr\lry ;lil,j ,(,ll!, rie..ot.r.lttt.ly
of
.l,orf
ntl ,i,,i.",i,"",r,],r,.,nn
r!.. ( i\,.. (lt\irrc irrr1,.*,rr,,rr,r'i

rl .r',i.. ,;;;,,,,,,:l
,,.
tl ,,r n ,;," nt.,,\.iJ..Itiili
,ilc.t.cl;rrir
rrrrr.,ic:rl n rc.,.r,-nc. ;,,""
se()ri . scc,., ,\.hich
na
apirL,a{_s,-1o, sho} a
,rr,ul iii"r,Jn,r*
\,,1nlltl. Is this iltc lantous
o
r_apist thaf tt" n.rurf,,;r".rirl.
*,rrtrrr.q abuLrl,/ Clive
U".n
has
b",r;;;.1;i; ,r;;
.l-,._,rno,r"
]rc
crroos:s u,."m-,..
"rd
:;lllllll:,[,,ji",j''l]ilX"',i"''ll,cc

l'

,ri),,rJt ,r, tot

s.i *rlrs, rhat his rnusic

i, fi,.'ll::11.
r,,,.,,. r,"
' ,lti I,'. l.is fi jc;rd to rcnor.

111u,

,,]" ..:,"1: r'as nor

rhat

.n.',lii,;iliili,IT:,li1fl:,H:"T:l;;::::,i],il:

(
b,,.;i ,;;,;;",;,:':ll 1,,,,,,::.:,,.,r rr\c ,\un'r do ir. a:
r-r,,i,r,on-v i'.;;;;; ;;;,1:]l'::ll:-t. touehes ro his inrnrortar
p,, r,,," t., .,,n,n,-,ft.;,;l
l ;ii:i, J: :,,1',,::::;l;.i,.; l.):i

,.

ll..::'n.

,",,,,,""1,1ii,'J"l,li;'.J:n:,iil,.li.J. i ir,,,n."-",i''.,l,i,l':l:,,,
I'lur.'

rr

r(cuqr'riti()n. nti:rdcrous

ill,,. n.,.i.,i.' jitd,bcyurld

h;t:iis of tlre iritrll
nr,r,r rh., ,,. . "':
ca..h' an5ry

L,rFirrr;rsr:r

uiil

mutu:rl

raitlr c..h t-rrirer.

,,,.1 11,.1 i;,;,r.r:ii;',hllJ:r,ro\
e
dcrr:cred
rrrrrrisralrblc
ii!.r\ or rlrc orl.cr :,,,,,,,., ,,_"'llr_1.1r
atrtl
thrl the; have t.
Letlr 111g,1 i,,;, , ..^,,llueierrorrlron

lbr his prcy. lt his (iurtrdinn revierv o1'thc novel,

Nicholas Lezurd sharcs this intprcssion (on his secolcl
and sconr

reading):

it is only ol a second lcadiltg tlrat you rcalisc

horv ntuch

McEwan ciespises his characters: this is hou,it sucks yor.r into

its moral dilemmas - or rather, rnakcs you think at first that
what are really non-dilemntas ale rnatters for great ethical
wrangling.'"

The connection between thc title and cuthanasia finally

it is casicr to find lcgal
ways to obtain the right to euthanasia. In l,i.r/erdant lan
McErvan keeps away lrom marginality, playing thc mercy
killcr, putting to sleep intlucntial mcmbers ofhis gcncration for
thcir lost idealrsm, lack of hr.rman compassion and powerlul
emerges. Amsterdam is a placc where

self

delusions. Redeeming featurcs

ol' the

murclerer-

cuthanatist? Ellectrve use of free indile'ct thought to convey

superb irony and a skillully orchcstratcd plot, or rather, plots:
McEwan's. and the widowc'r's

; ;.i ii;, i:"X1..'" J,i"' 1,,.1',,, l,l j.,,I:,,':;

l, :: l: ::; rrili irc rrffierr]lv
1,,f; ;., i;
.crr1 lo pic\
]''ltttl',tiy
up rhc illrrsrrrous
r'o(tr,,s. C)rc
;

cltlrrtler u,ill do
noo''
i'ruc:'olrL tirrfll( - l,-L,nr ,,,. lll

cotr.nt and

tloal irrcr lhc

Irris onc .t,.r..,", ;'.";";;:"ni'""r.. f his ttomc in Londun.

t'1" 'Molly's wrdorrcr.

J,r.rrrrc,l ir , tt, noru;".;.'.":=;

t,(.h ,s rir)r ,,'a

He has
mcmormt scn icc, rfier

rlc s :l[l.to ol-er-lore's.

"rr,i. i"..r,.-i::i,11..
Iiri. brrk
,.';-..;r
Lr;iir,,) l'.1(.ilri:,c of rr,^ .r ,r, . L:f"nl: l(chnrcxl il.'hi'venrcnr,
,,," ,1,,.:.."',rrr*:.i"'#]ll, trrtL uhich the lurho' modutrres
is toid. airernetery
co'rrhinrr,E ,r ri"i ,'.,,. '
l.-lr,.1'"_. ',o,1
Fi n.r r.", [e',
"i,1.,., "" ",,." Jj[::'"J':,t. Nx:;;,,:i:,:."T.:l
r

re

Nicholas Lezard. "Morality b itcs" . The ()turtliatt April 24, I 999

<bttpi/tuooks. guardian.co.uk,/print/0%2C3858%2C392417199930%2C00 html>

273

279

Arrrirorship and ldcnlity

in Contcnyrorary I.-iction

I,or the tirne being. Arone r,

cotottat opus
.4torerrcrt (r00 itT;;n; ;;,te'tt
may find untypical of
I\4c-iir'van' but rvhat ."o,,,0
lan
ol"'l'1?Ic
ri r irt.r s ho i, .r,,,,onrry
:lilrianr
-. I
"- !,vl',r,s. rrr nrs
l,,rL. 5,,,,,.r. rcu,crr.nf tf,e"r,'."n:1il..:|y;.t":*l:.:rol:
Nep
n,
fom
Sitonc
iokirrgll
inraginsq
p,rzzlcJ "hrrdcrr",i 1ur.p.*rlu"/.
anriousrv flicking baik
.r,".r,r,ri
to
on the dust jacket".rc H"
socrrr add that Abnenrctrr,t'*
wiI
': "most conlpletc and
conrpassionarc ,uurt to
art"l, 'Yt-u-,*-il
and most readcrs are likely
nr:rrc. In uauirior. ii,.ir"l-'.'
to
rr r.:. h he t,r, ,t,o*n'*,,t '",r',ni ':"1-lo:'r supcrb narrarive ski[.
in his previous novet.
Irr,;hiko
ll'"id.it'
as
a
ver}
"critical"
critic, hails the
no'el as a ,t* i" n).J," "

ii'ir'i;;";;l;i_1",s

lln N'lcE".ln

tight i[tertcxtuai nctlvork, an intcllitcnt cn.qarlc ]cnt rvifll

rcprcscntations of cxpcriencc, il';ratc artd social, a playing
witlr narrative conventions and,fr-nres. n supcrb confidcnce in
the power of words.
The cpigraph, takcn lronr Janc Auslen's Northurtgcr
,4bbey, draws attention to thc discrcpancy bctween llcid
rcalism and l'ar less reasonable ronriince. The hcroinc hls bcen
imagining Gothic honors at Nonhangcr Abbey; Ilenry Tilncy
is bringing the young lady back to ...L,ngland:
Dear Miss Morland, consider thc dreadlul nature of the
suspicions you have cn(ertained. What havc you trcen judging
from ? Remcmber the coirntn and thc age in rvhich we live.
Remember that we are English that s e arc Chrislians. Consult
your o\,vn understandini. your !r\\ n sensc of the probable, your

n;i;;,'il*r'llol'

Ian McElvan,s remarkable

new novel ,,Atonentent,, is
a loye
slory, a \!ar story and a:
aboul the destructive powers

own obscrvation of what is passinl around yorr. Does oul

education prepare us lor such atrocitics'? Do our lau,s connive
al thenr ? Could they bc perpeirated v, ithout being knorvn in a
country like this. rrhere social and literary intercourse is on
such
footing. rvherc cr
ntlrr surroundcd try

,t.

of
inrogi,*,ion. i, ,."rrl"ttoo
ngYt!'th:t takes all of the aurhor's
pcrennial rhemes -- d.oli.o
t]: hazards orinnocence, the
i,.ra
ii,,"'p,,,
t and the. intrusion of evil
"r
rnto or(iinary rir". ";;lilY-".1:l
-orcl]eslr,tcs thcm into a
srtnnhonic
".,11t-^lllt]cn
r"r'rk rlrirr . .r.n u,i'rl
illlectinP as ir i'' gripping.
-l;
"'
li ir. in
,t,on.,

,,-r,,,

._.

,,,,":

a.

tlr

r.a(icrs hJvc rcachcd lirc

cnd of the fictional
rh"1 -"',,,i;;"', ;;

^r.
;:: i'jx:'.'iJ:,',

*"
il: ::fl ,Ylr.".k",.
ffi;',.ili;"":,I"J*l"li"J,:;n::,;lT

g*sp"a tn" J",i;;,

Ionr Slronc. ..,1,u,,r,or,_

rtDt, , 8,,,)A

n,,,,.,,. rr"r"i,
I t,,":-rr,1.," tii,nt

- Ir.hrln

I^nir.

farrirv

s trauma." Ncrvrorr
i;' zuv:'
;;;:"1:.pl:o,
nttp'./ rvuu'.wnbc.com hooLrcrieu.,

Kakurrrrr. ..ln t9l0s. a lrt

;;;li;;ljlil;,,;;;;'.i';,;,));,*li:::lj::t1:[:fi ?ff:::*,

is

Therc u'i/1 bc a volu:tary spy in the English

countrysidc. and tlte conseqLrerr.es \\ill be o1'considcrable
importance, as that particLrlar presencc is nrr.rch ntore th;rn a
character, as we finally realize. "rcally' plotting againsi othcr
characters on the onc hand anJ fictionally against readers
themselvcs. That particular persr.rn will have to atone lor the
catastrophes ofthc first plot by the litcrary achievements ofthc
second, as it tunts or.lt.
The "plotter" is ihirteen-1ear,old Briony Tailis, an
imaginativc girl *,ho has what ir rakcs to bccoutc a writcr. It is
the sumrner of 1935, the Tallises are in their country nt:rnsion
house, getting ready lor a special dinner. The eldest son, Leon
21Jane

p.
280

e;l

neighbourhood of voluntrrr spics...rr

Austen. Norrhanger Abbet,. London and Ncw York: l,enguin, 1985,

199.

28i

Authc,rship anrl Idcntity

in Contcnrporary
FictioD
l,rn Alcl.rvan

is conring. and Brionl

ha
lhf Frcar e'r.irr..i,, i,".-;.,1'::^":.h lv rvrirren a short pl
., ;-r..r,,",1

h. r ro .r.rss a r,rrcakra.t
r

.A

'.ll.,flJ

,,;or;';;it.li

narrator *.ho
( orsLrorsricss
al,r h..
,, ',.nr,
d
suillcwnat rtnprcssionistic
:rr (..rlr or. consc in,,rn"rr
"rll,'"1..,",.,i'::,^:i^,"liony
r'.il''',
o,,.,,r,*,.#u...,,:=',",'";rl::i:,] a.r,rlmes wiil rhcn rocarizc
gradu:rlly Ieadingto
ir (i,nrplex btending .,r
n"::j':,t'tlok.ing
rcalism
and roman6.3
rc\rr{rng ;n aru,nir,"'.i,i1i,1"'"e't:l
at
the
end
ol- l'ar-r onc, rhe
l,r,t'.'r i..tion;i;;;;":l:'"""tt

The central conscior

s::scs. is

::(

B"*;i';il';:ls::*I.,rs^at nithi'
the

ot rhc

passagc touar-ds

arrcr 'masinarion

r'r;l;;';

first part. in its

'*t*"'i-t;i'rri.",iill

j::lt'cence. when h:r sensir'

ullt n"ot;;;t.';;*:ll
;.e.1Tr
't
shc relates

scc: the adrlr r,,'orld

around
rrorcs and a";;
t'r tte craft of
;:;,1,",:t"ti:"* a' "one of tl-ose
chilrlren
noss(::sed uy , J.ri,. i;';: :t:J"
the world so"(4), rvhich.
.er.rtjurliy ,*l;;.';;";rra\e
one
.ppur.ntly ry.t..,o,.l, 'rn"a"j.1?. t'ntulis and ordenng an
by me: n or fiirion
:rnd dranra.
,'r,.,
,*"ro
....'
semblance
-.ir;r", "he
",;J
o[ nrafure. Lnowrng
dclrchmcnt:

illil,.

()nly *,hen a
story

rr,as
ali fttes resolvetl and rhe
,.rl.d off ,r I:l:.h^ed.
ir rescn:b1,.'d. ar leasr
,ni. o,,. ,..,f.Ii. .l:";
ir
srory io tire *oao. ."ril
.h. l''et inrmun.] '-i "li::T-:,.,0",'"
l.:1"r1.":'tnto
uino rn".r,fi.,..^;il,;:::I :o p:nch hores in the n:argins.
or strins painr or d';
and trkc tiri ;;';;;'';'::
w the co've.'
shotv

rvlrole matrer

futhq,, s1h.. ir"

"=.'i..."r}to

The. n.trratorial comment

abo,
mild i'ony. *hi.h r;;;":r".
ii.""^
lhe importancc ,,
i..'.:r

to her ntcther, or

hcr

to contain a tinge of
'ln"it:
chijdrsh
cnthusiasm a'bour
the end of the

r,i"i,itrl's
rat posrtion. At

;,:::,H::;Hyrm:*:"tJ,T:;,il::i;

f:.J;

pr

Subsequen,

novcl, thc relcyancc o1- tltis otrscrratir)Jl to tltc str uclLtrc oi-tlle
r.vhole u,ill bcconrr ob v iLrLr:.
Tlrr-- r arioLrs "piots (1tlot as conspilui:y .ild plLri as
vcrbal, llctiolral drsiilrr) hugin ,,,,, ith lirion) s Lict(.rinillirljon to
-l'lrc
creatc drantlr.
noVcl !cls slilrtt(l trltcrr tlre scriltt ol'th.- nlay
('[1rc 'liials ol'..lttballtt] lr:Ls bccn cornlrlctetl. lJri(ln_\/ ilr: irlso
constructr-al a nr:rkcshifl bor olllcc hootlr. slre l,irs ric.ilrctl
progranrnrL's. posl.rs and ti.l.:cls. Shc is nou scll'irnpclt:Lrily.
pemsing the flnishctl dltij, rvaitiu lir potcntial rtciois to
arrive: hr:r cousins, l5,rcar-old J,crlrr, thc ii-yclr-old tr,..rns
Jackson and Pierrol. i"/rc l'riuls oJ .4rubt,lla is rncun( io i_,: thc
play which mar-ks []rionl"s llrst crcirrsrnn irrto dral;u_ lrLL!
rltrmatiL r,,ny \\ ill rle. rrlc ,,tJrr.rrr i.u
Irirst. it is rhc Itunrororrs situlttion u Iricli learls lo tJricfl\'
reluctarrtly, casliltg ir,.'r' li.,,cklcd, old.:r c,rLrsiri irs AlrbelL.,.
although slLc h.rcl assLrnrtrl tltat slic hcr-scll t.ouid br- rtctjll thc
r.nain role. I)rtnlt u,ill rrruterializc ul arrrtthcr rlrrqr.tic icrel,
though, thc llctional realnt rhr clxrracter.s takc to br'tirc ail-tooreal world. Brionr uill tr itncss. fi.onr irlitr, ir sccne bctrvccn hcr
elder sister (lecilia and tltc clcantr.'s boy. Robbic furner. a
Cambridgc qradulte. She sr,cs thc trvo her in-* an argllt).lcn1. ovcr
a Nleissen vasc ncltr thc ucll in the lardcn. I{obhie- anrl f ,--cilia
pulling at thc resscl until it gcts crackc.d. thc young rilrntan
taking off'her clothes ancl jrrrnpinr: rrr the uell (t,r rccover
pieces of the vlse lvhich Itave f:rllt'n into the water). In the tight
texturc ol tlte first section of the novei thc cracked vase rvill
acquire a compler synrbolrsnt. that the rcailcr u,.rii fccl t!.rnpted
to explorc.
The vase had sun iled thc destr.uction of r,r.ar- in Europc,
had been brought to Enqlancl intact, [_,ut had becn broken bv a
servant, \1,ho thcn mcndcd it. (rcilru urtd [(r,bhrc brc.rk iL lg.irn,
and have to put it together agein. ls there a connectir.rrr bctwccn
the breaking ol the vase and ihe breaking up of Robbie and
Cecilia's future togcther. a lrttle later perpctrated by Briony,i

282

281

.,\Uthor

rlril) irnd l(lL-ntitY in Clottctrporary I;iclioll

ian N{cllu'an

At rr )righcr riirreclic lcvcl, uill thc clackcd fictionrrl vasc

6"
broLrght togethcr br, llrc ";rrrthor" ol;hc no'cl no*. i, p*rgrcss,1
Cccilia arrcl lLobbic, upp4lgnrl) kcpr ;rp rl
il thc
difl-crcnt social classcs thcy bclonglo. arc hccontrn3 aryarc
that
rhcy arc talling in Ior.c rr ith cach olher. and unmistfkable
sign5
of thcir ntutLral itttraction are ntisunderstood hy Briony,

littlc

thg

spv.

At ouc lrlomcnt

Briony rvill bc cntrusted witlr

ntcssagc liont Ilobbie to Cecilia. Inadl.erlcntly. tlte yourrg

ma1
gives Briony the ,",,rons r.]otc: an earlier drafl couched in
rvhat
is bour.rd to be secn by a detachcd party as obscene language.
Thc "obscene" ntcssage, $hich r,,,ai not nteant to bc scnt,
had
been written by sorneonc,,vho had done Er.rglish:rnrl rvanted
to
becomc a nrctlical studenr. Robbic had leti the note .,on
the
opcn copy of (irzn, ll ,4natottt.r - Splanchnology section, page
1546, thc vagrira"(94). dgail rvlrich nrusr ha,ue xdded tu
the
urgcncy ol thc youllg lt]an's ubsession.
C'urious. [3riony u rll trnscal the cnvclope containing
the
nlcssagc and,,vill conclude that Robbie is a dangerous rnaiiac.
The other sccnes shc hls u iincssed now lall into placc: what
rs
soing on betirre hcr o,cs is anything but rr,,hat tlc young grrl
irnagin cs lo bc iot.c.
'l'he sitLration gcts n.tLtcit
r.vorsc alter other complications
arisc, as a rcsrilt ol a nur.l.tbcr of nlysterious events building
up,
challenging [3rrony's naivcte, scnsitivity, imagination, thirit lor
the glamour of dranra and the need for closure, 1br order being
1i nally restored.
For thc rcadct and the narr4{p1, if not for naive Briony,
thc various characters, rvith their corresponding background
and ntotivations, gradually entcrgc, in a stylc the ,,resisting,,
critic or readcr migltt sec as a convcntional blend of ficc
lndirect thought, omniscient narration, and realist .,solidity of
specification". The u rong message incident appears tn br-uially
bring togcthcr dillercnt flctional worlds, as Jcii Dyers
2El

gr.aphically notcs: "11 is as jl Mcllors Iott Latl.t. C liarrL:r1c.1,,5

!,over has gate-crashcd thc exquisitclv rcndcicd u orlcl of-Mrs
PallorraY'.2J
The twins, initially lrerceived ns "littlc' ienorant brutcs",
convincingly
enrerge as neglectccl, Lrnloyecl childrcrr, the
u,rll
r. ictims of a marriage falling apart. Iqually af[ccted by thc
confusion ol the impending divorcc is the clder sister', l-ola, a
teenager moving into thc world of adLrithood. Aiso attcnding

will be

Briony and Cecilia's elder blothcr, Lcon, and a

presence that will complicato things even nlorc, Leon's ttiend,
Paul Marshall.

The tw'ins' tenrporary disappcarance, the desperatc

searching for them during the midsummcr nrght, I3riony's
discovery of a strange aggrcssion against Lole in thc clarkness,
her mistaken confidence that she has see thc r&pist, Lola's
acccptance, in ordcr to save face, of Brionv's unreliable
testin'rony, are combined u,ith a nurrber of incidenls and
circumstanccs that conspire to produce a catastrophic cilcct on
R.obbic Tumer.
The last straw in terms of incrinrinating evidence
against thc innocent Robbie is the obsccnc messxgc she sent
Cecilia, which, nolv recovered by Briony fionr hcr sister's
room, confirrns that the young man is a dangerous maniac, who
has first molested Cecilia, then rapcd Lola.'fhe readcr. who
has had access to a number of revelatory details rvhich indicate
an affair between teenage Lola and l-eon's rich friend, Paul
Marshall, is alone in detecting who I-ola's scducr is.
An innocent and inraginative girl with a lascination for
mystery and drama, and with a strong r,'illingncss to restore
order and meaning, has moved far away frcm her initial
intention to stage her play to a far more serious perfonnance
2a

Geoff Dyer. "Who's afraid of influence?"(reriew ol

Guardian. Septcmber 22, 2001, Sat. Pages, 8.

285

rooLntent) Thc

Authorship :rnci Idcntity in

Contirmporary I;iclic,n

Ior rv|1i3ii she js thc director.

T.ragrcally. Robbie is cast
as the
villain. and the Iorvcr ciass
h1s t3 pav ibr the
i,rlL's'trirlist'-, tleJ'iiiil'.1:i".rrta1
t arest ends thc first artd bv far'icll
the

r(,nacsr s..- ii;r;';ii,,"'""r].i

f, rr1 Tr,,o trcsins with intintations

lhc

nirriitrvc is

sortricr,

+l::"

l;

lueuscL_l c

r..con,pi#il;"il,.,:Jl.J:i

i;:

l:

J""Ll;

l[,. ;:.],,", ",

,.h rd. rrrr:ins r-r;;ir",;...l

; :;

t.

n,

;l::: l*ilir

of horrt,rs to

come.

ll; ff::l:,l"_,?:.:
; th;i;;,; .'i.,n,,

ir

rhe scv.red rt'g of

rir,,r r r,e,..
"1 i.' a'
i:;,;':j:'ll1;I:11,1'J:;,:
-cn,(\,,rn( dcrrths. altJ tlre tir-,.ali.er ,,,," ,r ,,,,,;i:.;.',f..,, ff ["J
Hi,rfriTLrrner. The nran is 1ar
lionr
I 'ilirl callous' yct. ironic:rlly
and -stran-qely fo, ao,r,",t-t'"ittt
,:]i1,,;" .
rr,. ,;;;,* ;:;,',;,.,.,.'J-,1.
".,p.,i.n..
,";1,,,.,,'
conlJr,trci thc awful clau.trr
1c.rr' irr.pr r', rr \.. ,,, ri,,,
,"r,,,'u. r,.r.Jo,n
,:;::,ll"l,,ic
n'$
in the nt Jrllc of ln
:rpocal-r'ptic a"u""i", '^1'ur'lencln$

l[

;"

Ite.:. hcrc | ..1rvitlr rn I

r..,,, r. 5ornqr'1,,n;,;,; lfi rlrr"_;it
t\ h(rlc coultr), r ultolc
r

:ffi

.,Jil

i.: fr:Jl :

-lt

abottt to lall, rvas

herr.r than he in.q rhere.
o-t'-uil'^tlon,
,arrou bccl utrder a Ittn elcclrtc
Iiglrr' rv.iting
"

.,, r, r,, o, i,

foin;;;;":'

"1,;;;',I, ff
him. And tlrerr

rhc-\

lil[-d

back

1202-203).

,:r:;.:J,.r"*i,:

was

hopc

l'tl

i
wait Jbr

r;r;

ff ,T.:

Yoi

conte

Cradually. the story ofwhat

happenecl after Robbic rvas
rrresrc,l i.s lrking shape, mediated
by his consciousriess. After
hrIl.ycnr: in prison- 1," i,rj
::L.:
rL'reJsc on condition
that h
.1oin the anny.").,,
The
armospheis o
inter-rvar,
Innocence
-.n.r,urnn-v
of
un:usnccting
"r:-.:n:-11
Brit.rin. the p;.,rra.ora
:efore the storm os d,:picted in
pan o._ -;,,^^ ...^
tht w6;kin.g of Bnony.s inr.rginltron
and by the complicity of

l"! .

.U,.i*.'r,

lan

I\4 c

llrl

an

class PrclLtrlicc atrci pttrvct tltat sharlo*cci

lhe tlnal lrlrqcs of-tllal

l lal/1e27.'rll.
At times thc r.eadcr gcts tlr0 accrLtllrtl:tlitlt'L oi dctail
conveycd by a lLrcid. krtol'ittg obscrvcr ol pcople irt dcspatl,

scctron ol

retreating ainid utter (lcstrLtcliorr anil sLrflerinq. I!-llliilisccllt of

sonre of I lcmingrvay's cont'incirtg tl(.-script ioils ol' u :tr :r:citcs.
It is the snmmcr ol 1940, ancl thc llritish l:rpetltlionar' irorce
troops are withdrarving torvartls DLrrtkirk. or eru ltclnteil by thc
quick and nrassive I'anzcr altacks o1'thc (icttttatr attnl . straf'erl
by strccessive air raids ol Stuka pllnes.
But thc narratiotl becUtll,,'s Il)trrc I rlll|,ls\lr)lli f !' llncl
more involvcd than Henringrvay's "ti1-, of thc iccbclg"

perspective. 'l-hc story of the liottttu mlln u'htr lvas

tremendously rvrongcd, thc passitrtate l,-rr e of Cccilia and
Robbie which had survil cd thc pt ison \ r'itrs iln(l w:ls
dcterrnined to survivc thc havoc ulcaked [-,.. rvirL. is sct r-gainst,
and beconres part of, a vast background u.hrch rieavcs thc siliy
nristakes, cmelty. sui-fcring and dcaths of irrnunrcrable p.cople.
Language games and * r'iting hrrd bccn so inrponant fbr
young l3riony in Parl One, but lc'cl to uncxpccted tragccly.
Writing bccomes csscntial for thc t\\'o lor,ers uhrle Robbic is in
prison, thc only rvay thcy can cxpress theil lcelings and
communicate them in code, against the firnr censorship of the
authoritics. Robbie has rcligioLrsly prescrrcd tlrc letteLs lrom
Cccilia, which he carries with him dunng the rctr.-et. [-[is
lover's words keep hinr alive and going, although he apnears to
be scverely u,ounded. IIe is finnl.v detcnnined to sunive,
return to Engiand, merrry Clecilia and get the Tallises to
apologize for haling givcn credence to the llttle girls false
testimony that camc closc to ruining trvo lir es ibrcver.
The power of language to asscn class disiinctions
becomes obvious in the intcraction bctuecn Robbic' and the
other characters in the army. The poor- lrd, the son of the
cleaner, sent to Cambridge as a resulr ol the nraster's
2E1

.,\utlror.lrip arrd

ldcntit_r.. irr C,ontemporar_,f-;clion

Ian lt,lcDs an

Cr,'\rt). llr..rr tl' lrrr.orr. l:rr.,.iy hci.rrr:e nf

fla5s I)rcJUdiCc,
now spcalis, like \,1r Stcvcns.in lsl.riguro,s
ft," n"),)"-i),i ,),n"
-/.)a1 , a lnngnng6 *hich hc rcalrzcs
is not 1,,r. ifr"'i*"'."#.i,
rvitir 1hour Robbic rs nraking his ,.oy
to flrnU,fl
srrpcrioL in rank to hirn. arr
"ii,,rrrr,-1
acc!'nr: "whar's a pri varc
:l'll ::' i:'j #,1 ;,,.lru';:J:,;
191) Ilclbrc lon-q, a strong, unassunring
friendsliip rvill
folf-?"(
bring thc thrcc rogethcr, and RJbbie,s
,rj'ri,l'i'*,,r,
1,(.

soldicrs back hontc 1o safcty: ..i \\,on,t say a rvord,,'hc said,

thor.lgh Ncttlc's head had lonu rlisappcarccl tiorn his r iciv.
"Wakc nrc bclorc seven. I plonrisu, y()u won.t hcar anotltcl
word fi-om me"(265 ).
Parl J'irrcc rvill conrbinc cxpr.cssions oI sufteling,
alir:nation and evcntual hopc. as thc narrativc rnovcs liont
Briony to Cecilia, both acting as nur.ses in rvartinrc London.
Both girls had bcconte cstrangr-d ti-om thcir uppcr_class timrly
aftcr the rape aftair. Briony has choscn not to go to Camlrrirlgc
University, like his elder sistcr.Cccilia bcfore hcr, dc.ciding to
train and work as a nursc in a hospital. Is she atoning 1br hcr
crime in this u. ay? Is she, laccd rv,th the immcnse pain and
suffcring of the patients she is att,:ncling to, tryins ro
compensate lor her latal nristakc througtr her- dilficult,
dedicated work'? Is her rvritin-u any hclp, as she is pcr se\ r,riue
in her literary pursuits? Thc narrator focuses on Nurse Briony
and her vicu.s on literature. obviously influcnced bv moCcrnrsr

-,:

words r,vill s:r\,!- thcnr more than once.

^..1"i
There ls a comic sccnc in u hich
a loolhardy major is
trying to tbrm a suicidal resistance lorce
against the German
advance, although official orders ,p"ll
i.;:;i;;; ;il;;;.,.
Thc olflccr orders the three to ioUo* t inr, 'o,r;";;;r.
Robbie's response in upper-class parlancc: ,,e.irrlfy,
Ury,
,o tcll yorr lhc lr uth. l rlrink ue.tl rurher
not..(l2j). iil. "fa
t;rkcn ;rh;rek. [ailrn: ro scr.. rhc insignir
",.i..,,,
.i r;;k .;'d;;rb,.
tattered unifonn. but assunres, becaisc
of ,fr"
iir"iirr"
insolent man outranks hin and gives ..,p
".."",,
i.r;ir;il;';r.O;;*
ordcr to the tntLrp,

... .fh" British army,s rctreat to I)unkirk

-.
Robbie 's adyance ton.ards

ideas:

The age ol clear ansuers wits ovcr. So ,,vas thc age of

characters and plots. De.pilc her jt,umll skcrchcs, .h-c no
Ionger realiy bclicved in cltaractcrs. 1...1 A nrodcrn novelist
could no more rvrite ch,rr..tctels an,l plots th,rn a r.torltrn
composer couid a Mozart symphony. It was thought,

amounts to

Cccilra. Iherc
U.
hint rvitli his sur.i.il.al schcme, evcn lt he "ifi
",,app,rg
takes risks
fiom time
to tin*. rcscuing a.nd.helping people around
hil-h;;;il*
rnl1r., rn oroer to makc tt against I,ery
adverse odds, people
have

to show solidarity.
The end o1'par-t Trvo shor.vs Robbie
having reached
I)rLnkirk. rrliting lor thc rcscue opcration
to rrn[old. Hc rs
dciirious, rentiniscing about the immediate
.ra'."." .".r""
pd\r. rD irrg ru sct ns nlr.takes right. confidcntly
on,i.jnr,iun'ii,
reunion with Cecilia. lle rs shouting i" f,l,
ar"rrr,, lirir."frirg
thc pcace o[.thc sieeping soldiers-arounr] hi*.
il;;;;";,
gently asked by one of the corporals to
be quiet fit i,
rhat his conriirion hrs got very serious by
"Uri"r,
now). he i. *ra,l
,"
D(nr\c htmself br.lbre rhc slrips conre to take the
Drrrish

perccption, scnsations that intercstcd hcr, thc conscious minrJ

as a river through timc, and hoiv to rcprescnt its on,,rald roll,

as rvell as

all thc tributarics that rvoulcl su,cll it._. (2gl 2$2)

Briony is said to have read Virginia Woolls l/re l/aues. and to

be deterrnined to write in thc sarnc vcin. which rcnrinLis the
rcadcr ofsomc sections ofPad One that appear to illustrrtc the
indebterlness to WoolL
Cecilia has severed any,. link to trcr family: shc blames
not only Brion1,, r.r'ho was still a young:loolish girl at the time
of the incident, but also the other members of the familv for

lheir respcclivc

contrib.rtion

288

289

to lhc ovcru

,..n"r,o,

/\u(l)or sllr,) ru.l J(lcrllity

ilt a.oll(cnlr)orary [ iction

oyct r,rlclrn

inqly

rcscrtrncrl

in

fluctlc c{i

'

WItr:n Ilcirbic ruir:

r,r ::l:r..rrir,'t.. iur(l (.c.irril

[:y

g]31q prcjudirc,
cn\.y and

iri)fr;rIs (l)r' IH,l

1rIu11;1..J
i'..'llln"tlt
rrorrrisc'|l t. rvrl, t r Lirr:rs
:, ir r,k,.), lr,;;;;l.';;:j."1:'
rong
,,,.rirl)r\l r,,;rs l,rrrrl ,,, ., 1i1'-, 1'lt cuuPIl'3n6, Ir. rirrrr lcrrlizc(i
r5 IC:l(lJ lu:te I itt or,l,
l(ol,l,r,.r, ilrrrr\.\.i\.c
r'r,,
,,;; ;,',
l"',,' t;;..' ,;;.'r':,']r";:
tl' rL rrrrrrr,,l ru (k, rrL,rc
,,,,,.1t:1"'1'"']"1
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290

"J,:,;i:iilir"l

Iarr McLirvan

it in rctrospect, as a |c1rentin11, llr:rtrrrc, but still young rvor..,an

rvrilcr. I1 also bccorncs aplllrc t tlurt slrc is tirc autlror.rif tirc
rvlrcilc booit, urrd lhut :;lrc hul; also Lrscti hcr inrlllirrltion, to fill
in fhc incvitablc gaps. 13riony lrcl).irrs thc rcadcr for thc finaj,
sad surprisc: shc has chanilcrl sorr.rc ol thc ,,facts,, in order to
makc iovc prcvail ovcr ricalh.
'flrc rcLtnion ol' tltc two lovcr.s

irr part tlrrcc aricl thc

anticipated happy-cniling, Llriony's ,,villingncss to rcpair thc
wrong she did as a child, arc figmcnts of Briony-as_author's
lictional plotting. At thc vcry cnd of thc novcl wc hclr that
Robbie died in Junc 1940 at DLrnkirk olhis inlcctcd wound and
that Cecilia diccl a couplc of nronths later in a bombing raid in
London. This is not to be secn as a dirty trick l3r-iony is playing
on the readcr, but as ltcr firm willingncss to rcpair tirc past and
kecp the two lovers alivc. Shc sccms to bc unawarc of Roland
Ilarthes's pronoultccnrcnts on thc bcginning ol lvriting
coinciding with the .dcatli of thc author:
As soon as t fttcl is nurrcttccl no longcr rvith a vicrv to acti[g
dircctly on rcality but intransitivcly, that is to say, finally
outside ol any functio| othcr than that of thc vc.y piactice of
thc synrbol itself, this tjisconncction occurs, thc voicc loscs its
origin, lhc aulltor clltcrs into his olvn dcath, writing bcgins.25
Thc fact is that this author rJrrcs want to act on rcality, or provc
the power.of the realit), of hcr llction
ovcr thc contingcncy and
dtsorder ol'what peoplc call tlrc rcal wtrrld.
. The "real story" llriony started h.om was far lrom
satisfactory: l{obbic and Cecilia arc in
lovc, a little girl,
Briony,_ruins this lovc, I{obbic gocs
to prison and tlicn to war,
where he dies, Cccilia leaves hcr upper
class farnily and
bccomes a nurse, dying rvhcn hcr hospital
is bombcd. Fuli stop.

Roilrrtl Bartlrcs. ..'llrc D,.lrh oI tlr,. ,ntrrh,r.

t rttt.t_,Dt r tl Thi.n. rt ,(,./,/,r /," (,1rtrJ I-odgc, David, cd. A'lolcrn
(rcviscd and cxpandcd by
Ntgcl Woud) llarlurv. I\.:rrsol. 2UOu.
l) l.ll

29t

Arrllrorslrip aurl ltlcrrlity irr (-onlcntporatv l:iction

'I his .lt611, is turnsd

into a ntcruorablc plol, and Briony is

rlucil
nrorc ti'r:rn thc t)rat that spoils tltc aciults,hrn. Tlr" plot
i;'h.,
rvay ol- irchicving atoncrrcut as rvcll, cspccially tli-ougf
th.
spccial addition of tlic hopc, thc lividness of ti," dr"nl,
#pun,
'l'wo and 'I hlcc.
At thc santc tintc, 13riony is aware that she is unablc
to
:rclricvc ;rtorrcrncnt. rlthough t[c. rvLiting t,l. fhc rvholc
nqygl
now appcars as hcr attentpt at it. paradoxically, she s2in61
ac6rcve it bccausc of her special powers, h., ,up.rio, poriiion,
becausc of ircr powcr over language. She is a dclniurg" .,uli,ng
tmnsitivcly", not a dying author subjccted to the "powcr
of
'.,vol

Ian Nltl)wan

Il,

accortling to Bat.thcs, lvritiDg arnouirls to thc

dcstruction of voicc, of cvcry point of origin, and thc rvr.itirrg
itsclf is a sitc *,hcrc "all idcntity is lost", Lan McErvan as
author has managcd to stagc a brilliant dcath. llc docsn't havc
to alrangc anotl)cr to bc acknorv]cclgcd as onc of thosc dcad or
dying aulhors (or, nravbc, just a 'inccliltor" or' "shar.nan"'?) that
rvill crrclLrtc rvcll nto u lllillcllnirrll lvhiclr is cxtrclllcly y0ung.

os:

...horv c-an a novclist achieve atonemcnt whcn, with

her
atrsolutc pou.sr of dcciding outcomcs, she is also
Godt ih","
is nothin-q oLrtsidc hcr. ln hcr imagination shc has set
thc limik
antl thc tcrnrs. No atonement forGod, ornovclists ... (371t

Brionv's power ovcr llction and life ls assertcd oncc more.

Thc
play slrc \\,rotc but drd not get to staqc for her brother Lcon
(or
was lt, sccrclly, tbr Robbic'i 1 rvheri shc was thirtecn is
norv
bcing pcllormcd, rvirh Lcon's granddaughtcr as Arabclla.

Onc final. nrild irony is orchcstrllcd by a Itirhcr

clic.qctic lcvci arithor this tintc, Ian McErvan hirnsclf.

Bri"ony
ll.ic or.llnipotcnt author feels tentpted, for a moment,
to resurrcct
Robbic and Cccilia as a spcciai treat for hcr seventy_seventh
birthday. Rut this is only fbr a moment, as olcl age and
her
advanccd discasc invites her to slecp... for a whilelthese
also
bcing tl.re ve ry last u.ords ol thc novel, hers and Mc[,wan,s:

If I had the powcr to conjure thcrn at my birthday

cclcbration... Robbie and Cecilia, still alive, still in love,
sitting sidc by sidc in rhe library, smiling at The Trials ot
Arabclla'l It's nor impossiblc.
[]ut now Intust slecp (372).

292

293