This essay aims to compare Kazuo Ishiguro's book 'The Remains of the Day' (1989) and Julian Barnes' book 'England, England' (1998) with regard to the manner in which they construct and deconstruct England as a nation and ideal. The relationship between individual and national identity, the selective nature of national history as well as the role of myth and nostalgia within the 'imagined political community' of England will be discussed.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Nation and Narrative
3. Memory and Myth in The Remains of the Day
4. Selective History and Constructed Identity in England, England
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This essay aims to analyze how Kazuo Ishiguro’s "The Remains of the Day" and Julian Barnes’s "England, England" construct and deconstruct the concept of England as a nation through the lens of narrative, memory, and myth.
- The role of individual and collective memory in nation-building.
- The function of nostalgia and myth in sustaining national identity.
- The performative and artificial construction of "Englishness".
- The political consequences of using selective history to define a nation.
- A comparative analysis of how both literary works deconstruct the "authentic" English landscape.
Excerpt from the Book
The construction of the English nation
The nostalgia for “common glories of the past” (Renan 53) also presents itself in Stevens' focus on primal English myths. One such myth is that of the “untouched natural beauty” (Thakkar 91) of the English countryside, which is “generally considered one of the crucial ingredients in the formation of an English national identity” (Berberich 169). In The Remains of the Day, Stevens undertakes a road trip during which he encounters green fields and white sheep (Ishiguro 25). It is significant that Stevens undertakes the journey through the countryside during the time of the Suez crisis, because it is “[i]n times of national crisis [that] the English landscape is conjured up as a place of refuge” (Berberich 169). Importantly, the landscape in The Remains of the Day is not a representation of Ishiguro's real-life experiences; it is imagined by the author (Ishiguro qtd. in Gehlawat 508). This “extra English” (qtd. in 507) fantasy fulfills “conventional expectations by being almost too picture-perfect” (495). The “nationalistic value” (508) of this mythical landscape is emphasized when Stevens connects it to England's “greatness” (Ishiguro 27) and thus with “familiar tropes of the colonial gaze” (Thakkar 90).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter defines the theoretical framework of the nation, drawing on Ernest Renan and Benedict Anderson to establish the importance of narrative and imagination in nation-building.
2. The Nation and Narrative: This section explores how national narratives, particularly those involving the Second World War and the empire, are adjusted and fused to maintain a symbolic existence of the nation.
3. Memory and Myth in The Remains of the Day: This chapter analyzes Mr. Stevens' unreliable narration and his romanticization of the past, illustrating how national myths like the "perfect butler" and the "natural countryside" are deconstructed.
4. Selective History and Constructed Identity in England, England: This part examines how Julian Barnes satirizes the invention of tradition and the "nostalgia industry" by portraying the creation of an artificial new nation.
5. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the comparison of both novels, highlighting how they both unveil the manufactured nature of Englishness and the political dangers of national nostalgia.
Keywords
Englishness, Nation-building, National identity, Narrative, Memory, Nostalgia, Myth, The Remains of the Day, England, England, Colonialism, Imperialism, Representation, Cultural constructs, Deconstruction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines the construction and deconstruction of England as a nation in two contemporary novels, focusing on how history, myth, and nostalgia are used to shape national identity.
What are the primary thematic areas?
The main themes include the performative nature of national identity, the unreliability of memory, the "nostalgia industry," and the political manipulation of history.
What is the central research question?
The essay asks how Ishiguro and Barnes compare in their portrayal of the mechanisms that construct and deconstruct the nation-state of England.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis, incorporating postcolonial theory and concepts of "imagined communities" to interpret narrative structures within the novels.
What is covered in the main body?
The body analyzes the characters' interactions with memory, the role of the English landscape as a myth, and the political implications of romanticizing imperial pasts.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Englishness, national identity, nostalgia, narrative, myth, memory, and postcolonialism.
How does Mr. Stevens use memory in Ishiguro's novel?
Stevens uses memory to escape the realities of his present, such as the Suez crisis, by romanticizing a "glorious" past that he perceives as the best of England.
How does the novel England, England approach tradition?
Barnes’s novel portrays tradition as a deliberately invented commodity used to stimulate the tourism industry, thereby satirizing the superficiality of "populist national heritage."
- Citation du texte
- Silvia Schilling (Auteur), 2018, The Politics of Englishness in Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day" and Julian Barnes' "England, England", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/963327
