Usually a novel contains a beginning, a middle and an end. That is what the reader expects from the majority of books. This convention is not only based on the presumption that only by this sequence of beginning, middle and end a reader will find the reading of a novel rewarding but there are also theoretical concepts demanding this structure. Mendilow points out that Aristotle was one of the first to stress the meaning of a general structure in a piece of literature. According to Aristotle
[e]in Ganzes ist, was Anfang, Mitte und Ende hat. Ein Anfang ist, was selbst nicht mit
Notwendigkeit auf etwas anderes folgt, nach dem jedoch natürlicherweise etwas anderes
eintritt oder entsteht. Ein Ende ist umgekehrt, was selbst natürlicherweise auf etwas anderes
folgt, und zwar notwendigerweise oder in der Regel, während nach ihm nichts anderes mehr
eintritt. Eine Mitte ist, was sowohl selbst auf etwas anderes folgt als auch etwas anderes nach
sich zieht.
This concept is true for realistic novels but it falls short for most of the postmodern novels.
In this paper I will show how the structure of a linear plot is given up in Peter Ackroyd’s novel Hawksmoor. The sequence of beginning, middle and end evokes that all events are linked by a chain of causality. In Hawksmoor the chain of causality and the linear concept of time are replaced by a circular concept of time. The events in the novel and in particular the murders cannot be explained by the principle of causality.
In my paper I will analyse the concept of time in Ackroyd’s novel. As a first step I will point out the relation of the novel to the historical figure Nicholas Hawksmoor and summarise briefly the two plots so that on this basis the analogies and recurrences in each plot can be better understood. Chapter 3 deals with the conception of characters because it is the repetition of characteristics, biographies and attitudes of the characters that illustrate best the linear concept of time. The character that is associated the most with this concept of time is the protagonist of the eighteenth-century plot Nicholas Dyer. Therefore, I choose this figure for a detailed analysis in chapter 4.
Table of Contents
0. Introduction
1. The Title Hawksmoor
2. The Plots
2.1 Plot A
2.2 Plot B
3. The Conception of Characters
3.1 The Victims
3.2 Dyer and Hawksmoor
4. Dyer’s Concept of Time
5. Rationality vs. Irrationality
6. Summary
7. Works Cited
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper examines how Peter Ackroyd’s novel Hawksmoor abandons the linear structure and causality inherent in traditional novels in favor of a circular concept of time. The research focuses on the fusion of two seemingly disparate historical periods and the corresponding dissolution of individual character identities within the narrative.
- Analysis of the relationship between the historical Nicholas Hawksmoor and the fictional protagonists.
- Examination of the circular concept of time and its manifestation through recurring events and character traits.
- Exploration of the duality between rationality and irrationality as competing worldviews.
- Investigation of the formal narrative techniques that enable the fusion of past and present.
- Study of the function of setting and architecture as constants in an eternal, non-linear cycle.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Dyer and Hawksmoor
As I have mentioned before the most obvious relation between Dyer and Hawksmoor is the title of the novel. From the title Hawksmoor the reader could assume that the novel is a biography about the historical Nicholas Hawksmoor. The author plays with the expectations of the reader in giving a different name, Dyer, to the character that is meant as a counterpart to the real Hawksmoor but at the same time creating a fictitious character of the present named Hawksmoor. Only the synthesis of the two protagonists represents what can be expected from the title Hawksmoor.
At first glance, the role allocation is clear. In plot A Dyer is the murderer, whereas in plot B Hawksmoor is the detective searching for the culprit. With the help of this classification based on moral values, Dyer being the „bad“ and Hawksmoor the „good“, the two characters are clearly distinguished at the beginning. The only link between them is the corpses. As Brenda Maddox says: „Dyer’ corpses are Hawksmoor’ s corpses. One makes them, the other discovers them [...].“
In the course of the novel the distinction starts to become blurred. The more Hawksmoor tries to solve the crimes the more he adopts Dyer’s behaviour and thoughts. After the third victim had been discovered at St George’s-in-the-East in Wapping Hawksmoor walks from the scene of the crime to the places where Dyer’s first two victims were killed, St Anne’ s Limehouse and Christ Church in Spitalfields. He follows Dyer’s way backwards both in the sense of time and space.
Summary of Chapters
0. Introduction: Presents the departure from linear plot structures in postmodern literature and outlines the analysis of circular time in the novel.
1. The Title Hawksmoor: Examines the significance of the title and its connection to the historical figure Nicholas Hawksmoor.
2. The Plots: Summarizes the dual-plot structure set in the eighteenth and twentieth centuries and describes their common convergence.
2.1 Plot A: Details the narrative arc of the eighteenth-century protagonist Nicholas Dyer and his Satanic ritual murders.
2.2 Plot B: Describes the investigation by the twentieth-century Superintendent Hawksmoor and his struggle with inexplicable crimes.
3. The Conception of Characters: Discusses the loss of individual identity in favor of recurring character types.
3.1 The Victims: Analyzes the repetition of names, biographies, and destinies of the victims across the two time periods.
3.2 Dyer and Hawksmoor: Explores the psychological and spatial convergence of the murderer and the detective.
4. Dyer’s Concept of Time: Explains how the protagonist employs Satanic occultism to reject linear progress in favor of eternal recurrence.
5. Rationality vs. Irrationality: Analyzes the breakdown of Enlightenment logic when confronted with the mystical nature of the crimes.
6. Summary: Concludes that the novel successfully demonstrates a cyclic concept of time and the dominance of the irrational over the rational.
7. Works Cited: Lists the academic sources used in the paper.
Keywords
Hawksmoor, Peter Ackroyd, Postmodernism, Circular Time, Causality, Narrative Structure, Nicholas Dyer, Satanism, Rationality, Irrationality, Intertextuality, Identity, Historical Novel, Detective Fiction, Repetition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central premise of the research?
The paper explores how Peter Ackroyd’s novel Hawksmoor subverts traditional linear storytelling by replacing cause-and-effect with a circular concept of time.
What are the primary thematic areas?
The core themes include the intersection of history and fiction, the conflict between Enlightenment rationalism and occult irrationality, and the repetition of human experience.
What is the primary research objective?
The goal is to demonstrate how the dual-plot structure and the fusion of characters effectively challenge the reader's expectation of linear progress.
Which methodologies are employed?
The paper utilizes a literary analysis approach, drawing upon theories of the novel, postmodern narration, and concepts of temporal structure.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The body covers character analysis, the significance of the title, the duality of the plots, the concept of circular time, and the failure of rational methods in the face of the inexplicable.
Which keywords define this analysis?
Key terms include postmodernism, circular time, identity, intertextuality, causality, and narrative structure.
How does the author explain the "fusion" of Dyer and Hawksmoor?
The fusion is described as both a physical and psychological integration where the detective, through his investigation, unknowingly adopts the patterns, thoughts, and fate of the murderer.
Why does the detective's reliance on "rationality" fail?
His rational methods fail because they are based on a linear understanding of time, which is rendered obsolete by the circular and supernatural nature of the crimes in the novel.
- Quote paper
- M.A. Anke Grundmann (Author), 2000, The concept of time in Peter Ackroyd's "Hawksmoor", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/38799
