Numerous contemporary British novels display an almost obsessive concern with the notion of Englishness. Hence, they focus on the myths, traditions and attitudes that are regarded as typically English. This is a subject which is also of central interest to recent literary criticism and cultural history at large. Among the many novels that deal with a literary exploration of England’s past, its cultural memory, and its national identity are such well-known works as John Fowles’ Daniel Martin (1977), Jonathan Raban’s travelogue Coasting (1986), Andrew Sinclair’s “Albion triptych”, including his novels Gog (1967), Magog (1972) and King Ludd (1988), Adam Thorpe’s Ulverton (1992), Peter Ackroyd’s English Music (1992) and Antonia S. Byatt’s and Graham Swift’s novels. These works can be regarded as a kind of echo-chamber of England’s cultural history, for they display “deliberate Englishness”.1 With its interest in Englishness, the nature of historical truth, and the blurring of boundaries between the authentic and the imitation, Julian Barnes’ novel England, England (1998), which was short-listed for the Booker prize in 1998, shares important concerns with many contemporary British novels. Like a host of other novels published after the 1960s, England, England focuses on the question of how much we can ever know about the past. Hence, this novel shows all the features characteristic of postmodernist historiographic metafiction. That is to say, like other historiographic metafictions, England, England is “both intensely selfreflexive and yet paradoxically also lay[s] claim to historical events and personages”.2 What is more, Barnes’ novel also reflects the feature which has been the major focus of attention in most of the critical work on postmodernism, i.e. a self-conscious assessment of the status and function of narrative in literature, history, and theory: “its theoretical self-awareness of history and fiction as human constructs (historiographic metafiction) is made the grounds for its rethinking and reworking of the forms and contents of the past”.3
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The (De-)Construction of Englishness and the Invention of National History in Julian Barnes’ England, England
3. Conclusion
4. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines how Julian Barnes’ novel "England, England" explores and deconstructs the concepts of national identity, historical authenticity, and the fabrication of cultural traditions. The central research objective is to analyze how the novel utilizes postmodernist historiographic metafiction to expose the "invented" nature of Englishness and to challenge the idea that history can be objectively represented or retrieved.
- The role of historiographic metafiction in contemporary British literature.
- The construction and deconstruction of "Englishness" as a cultural myth.
- The relationship between individual memory and national history.
- The satirical depiction of nostalgia and the commercialization of the past.
- The critique of historical authenticity and the fluidity of identity.
Excerpt from the Book
The (De-) Construction of Englishness and the Invention of National History in Julian Barnes’ England, England (1998)
In order to analyze how England, England deals with the invention of cultural traditions, it will be first focussed on the depiction of Englishness, its construction and eventual deconstruction. Hence, it is necessary to take a close look at the structure of the novel.
The structure of the novel draws the reader’s attention to the state of England, whose fictionalized development is represented in three different stages. The female protagonist Martha Cochrane’s earliest childhood memories consist of her repeatedly assembling her favourite jigsaw-puzzle ‘Countries of England’. In this section, two central themes are already introduced, namely the analogy between the memory of an individual and that of a country, and patriotism. Thus, Martha herself realizes that her problems in trying to recover a true memory of her childhood are similar to those of “a country remembering its history”.
The second theme the novel deals with is the glorification of national history. The patriotic view of history satirized in England, England is exemplified by the peculiar way history is taught at Martha’s school: the teacher, who manages to present history in a manner which inspires more reverence and awe than religion, tells the children “tales of chivalry and glory, plague and famine, tyranny and democracy” (p. 12) that grip their imagination. Therefore, one can say that Martha’s childhood corresponds to the ‘infant’ state of rural England at the beginning of the novel.
However, a completely different stage of Englishness is presented in Part II. Having taken an opinion poll to find out which things potential visitors primarily associate with England, Sir Jack Pitman and his steering committee, including Dr. Max, a famous historian hired for the project, set about exploiting the only thing England has still thought to be valuable: “You – we – England – my client – is – are – a nation of great age, great history, great accumulated wisdom” (p. 41).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the theoretical context of the novel within postmodernist literature and establishes the research focus on the exploration of Englishness and historical narrative.
2. The (De-)Construction of Englishness and the Invention of National History in Julian Barnes’ England, England: This chapter analyzes the structural phases of the novel, focusing on how the protagonist’s personal development and the project of "England, England" exemplify the creation of invented traditions.
3. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, arguing that the novel effectively demonstrates that any attempt to construct a singular national identity is inherently a fiction born from the needs of the present.
4. Bibliography: This section lists the primary and secondary sources consulted for the analysis.
Keywords
Julian Barnes, England England, Englishness, postmodernism, historiographic metafiction, national identity, invented traditions, cultural history, historical authenticity, narrative, Sir Jack Pitman, Martha Cochrane, cultural memory, satire, British novel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on Julian Barnes’ 1998 novel "England, England" and explores how it deconstructs traditional notions of Englishness and national history through a postmodernist lens.
What are the central thematic fields addressed in the work?
The central themes include the invention of tradition, the reliability of historical memory, the commercialization of national culture, and the distinction between authentic history and simulated identity.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to determine how the novel uses narrative form to expose that "Englishness" is a constructed, heterogeneous mixture of myths rather than an essential, stable identity.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The analysis employs literary criticism, focusing on historiographic metafiction and the deconstruction of narratives to examine how history is utilized as both a reference to the real world and a discursive construct.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body examines the three-part structure of the novel, the satire of patriotic history teaching, the "Top fifty" characteristics of England, and the deconstruction of English identity through the project of the Pitman company.
Which keywords best characterize the research?
Key terms include "Englishness", "historiographic metafiction", "invented traditions", "national identity", and "postmodernism".
How does the author analyze Martha Cochrane’s role in the novel?
Martha’s character is used as a lens to explore the analogy between individual memory and the collective memory of a nation, highlighting the difficulty of recovering an "authentic" past.
What does the paper conclude about the nature of national history?
The conclusion posits that, as suggested by the novel, all attempts to construct national identity by looking to the past result in "invented traditions" that reflect the needs of the present rather than historical truth.
How does the novel treat the concept of tourism and simulation?
The paper highlights how the "England, England" project on the Isle of Wight serves as a realistic framework for showing how idealized, tourist-friendly versions of culture are constructed to replace reality.
- Quote paper
- Sirinya Pakditawan (Author), 2004, The (De-)Construction of Englishness and the Invention of National History in Julian Barnes' England, England (1998), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/186201
