This paper investigates how the ambivalent, perhaps even ambiguous definition of ‘historia’ relates to the representation of history in the novel and how this representation again relates to its functionalisation by Tom Crick. To answer this question, this paper will primarily work with Linda Hutcheon’s notion of ‘historiographic metafiction’ while also pointing out similarities to the reading of Waterland as a trauma narrative. In taking a closer look at the protagonist-narrator himself, this paper argues that the protection “from chaos and disorder”, which Landow addresses, is only achieved through a form of historical escapism.
Superficially speaking, Graham Swift’s Waterland is a novel about a history teacher who, having lost his job, forsakes the formal teaching of history, and embarks on an
extracurricular journey into his own past. However, upon closer examination, Waterland is more than that, a novel about history itself. It explores “the whole mystery of ‘history’”, as Swift himself puts it in the introduction to the novel (Waterland, xv). Thus, it is only logical that the novel prefaces its narrative with an insightful epigraph: a dictionary definition of the Latin word ‘historia’, from which the English word ‘history’ originates. As can be seen above, however, said definition is ambivalent- it is “inherently polysemantic” as Judith Ryan notes. James Acheson has likewise pointed out that the fact that “historia can mean either history or fiction is significant, for the historian and the writer of fiction must deal with similar problems in writing about the past”. The natural tendency of language towards proliferation of its meaning aside, the epigraph leaves us with a very ambivalent concept of history, which the narrative of Waterland, in its dealing with history, then builds on. Since such a prominent theme in Waterland, the novel’s representation of history has been thoroughly examined in secondary literature; particularly against the theoretical background of what Linda Hutcheon has identified as ‘historiographic metafiction’.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: An Ambivalent Concept of History in Waterland
2. Waterland as Historiographic Metafiction
3. Tom Crick and the Functionalisation of History
3.1 Tom Crick’s Detective Work – Trauma and Meaning-Making
3.2 Trying to “eliminate fear”: Escapism in Waterland
3.3 Living an “amphibious life”: Tom Crick as an Allegory of History
4. Consequences for the Narrative: Unsteady Underpinnings – Personal, Local and Global Disintegration of History
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This study investigates how the ambivalent definition of 'historia' within Graham Swift’s Waterland informs the protagonist Tom Crick’s functionalisation of history, arguing that his reliance on storytelling serves as a mechanism of trauma avoidance and historiographic deconstruction.
- Analysis of historiographic metafiction and its application to the novel.
- Examination of Tom Crick’s "detective spirit" as a method of meaning-making.
- Exploration of escapism through fairy tales and storytelling.
- Investigation of the narrative's themes of regression, circularity, and disintegration.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Tom Crick’s Detective Work – Trauma and Meaning-Making
The first part of the dictionary definition from the novel’s preface defines the Latin ‘historia’ as “inquiry, investigation, learning” (Waterland, x). The connotation here, particularly of “inquiry” and “investigation”, is not far to seek: dealing with history can to a certain degree be associated with detective work. Landow (197) aptly notes that Waterland “is in part a detective story” as it “meditates on human fate, responsibility, and historical narrative by pursuing a mystery.” The mystery in question here is, just for once, not history itself but rather the death of Freddy Parr. In his retrospective narration of the tragic events from his youth, Tom Crick makes sure to endow the younger version of himself with a certain “detective spirit” (Waterland, 286).
As a matter of fact, the young Tom Crick’s bearing resembles the bearing of any ‘real’ detective in quite a few of his traits: his seeking for clues regarding the death of Freddie Parr, the careful exposure of his (half-)brother Dick as the murderer, all driven by his general curiosity. “It’s strong stuff, this curiosity” (ibid.), and the older character version of Tom Crick has not lost much of it; he has kept his ‘detective spirit’. In his dealing with the abduction of the child by Mary, detective work and historical investigation are once again conflated:
It’s called reconstructing the crime. From last to first. It’s an analogy of the historical method; an analogy of how you discover how you’ve become what you are. If you’re lucky you might find out. If you’re lucky you might get back to where you can begin again. (Waterland, 428)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: An Ambivalent Concept of History in Waterland: Introduces the novel's ambiguous epigraph and explores the intersection of historiographic metafiction and trauma narrative as theoretical frameworks.
2. Waterland as Historiographic Metafiction: Defines Linda Hutcheon’s concept of 'historiographic metafiction' and examines how the novel frames history as a subjective, constructed narrative.
3. Tom Crick and the Functionalisation of History: Analyzes how the narrator uses investigative methods and storytelling to structure his life, manage trauma, and cope with the present.
3.1 Tom Crick’s Detective Work – Trauma and Meaning-Making: Explores the narrator's attempt to use historical inquiry as a way to solve mysteries and create coherence from personal trauma.
3.2 Trying to “eliminate fear”: Escapism in Waterland: Discusses the function of storytelling and fairy tales as a necessary refuge from the fears of the 'here and now'.
3.3 Living an “amphibious life”: Tom Crick as an Allegory of History: Portrays the protagonist as an embodiment of the novel's polysemantic view of history, bridging disparate modes of narration.
4. Consequences for the Narrative: Unsteady Underpinnings – Personal, Local and Global Disintegration of History: Examines themes of circularity, regression, and the ultimate impossibility of finding a single, progressive meaning in history.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the novel's reliance on escapism and its deconstruction of historical progress define it as a prime example of historiographic metafiction.
Keywords
Waterland, Graham Swift, Historiographic Metafiction, Tom Crick, History, Trauma, Detective Work, Escapism, Storytelling, Circularity, Regression, Meaning-making, Postmodernism, Narrative Construction, Ambivalence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the representation of history in Graham Swift’s novel Waterland, focusing specifically on how the narrator, Tom Crick, interprets and utilizes history to cope with his personal trauma and his fragmented present.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The work explores the concepts of historiographic metafiction, the function of narrative as a coping mechanism, the intersection of history and fiction, and the themes of regression and circularity in historical accounts.
What is the central research question?
The research investigates how the ambivalent dictionary definition of ‘historia’ in the novel’s preface influences Tom Crick’s functionalisation of history, and whether this functionalisation successfully protects him from chaos.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper utilizes a literary analysis approach, drawing upon Linda Hutcheon’s theory of historiographic metafiction and integrating psychological perspectives on trauma narrative to deconstruct the novel’s narrative structure.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body critiques the narrator’s 'detective spirit' in investigating his past, his resort to fairy tales as a form of escapism, and the eventual disintegration of traditional historical progress throughout personal, local, and global narratives.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The key concepts include Waterland, historiographic metafiction, Tom Crick, trauma, meaning-making, escapism, and the deconstruction of history.
Does the author consider Tom Crick to be a reliable narrator?
The analysis portrays Tom Crick as an inherently ambivalent character whose subjective view of history reconstructs and deconstructs events simultaneously, suggesting that his reliability is secondary to his role as an allegory of the novel’s conflicted relationship with truth.
How does the novel handle the concept of 'progress' in history?
The paper argues that the novel presents progress as an illusion, illustrating through metaphors like land reclamation and individual personal failures that history is fundamentally regressive and circular rather than moving forward.
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- Thorben Höppner (Autor:in), 2021, The "Mystery of History", its Functionalisation and Disintegration in Graham Swift’s "Waterland", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1354999
