The status of metaphor in (de)constructing historical master-narratives in the novels of Julian Barnes and Graham Swift and Kazuo Ishiguro

Table of Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER ONE Metaphoricised Historiography

I. 1. HISTORY IN POST-WAR BRITISH NOVEL: A DIAGNOSIS

I. 2. NARRATING TERRITORY

I. 3. SENSE(LESS)NESS OF METAPHOR IN A HISTORICAL DISCOURSE

CHAPTER TWO History as Spectacle

II. 1. USURY AND ABUSE OF IDENTITY

II. 2. (DE)SIMULATING METAPHYSICAL VIOLENCE

II. 3. THE SPECTACLE IS OVER: METAPHORICAL (?) IMPLICATIONS FOR HISTORICAL ENDISM

CHAPTER THREE History as Performance

III. 1. THE CRISIS OF AUTHORITY: INTERPRETATION OR DECONSTRUCTION?

III. 2. THE ART OF HISTORY

III. 3. SCHIZOPHRENIC DISCOURSES

Conclusion

Objectives and Research Themes

This dissertation explores the role of metaphor in (de)constructing historical master-narratives within selected post-war British novels by Julian Barnes, Graham Swift, and Kazuo Ishiguro, focusing on how these authors reformulate national identity and question the rationale of history through varied deconstructionist and cultural analytical strategies.

• The metaphorical status of history and identity in post-war literature.
• The impact of post-colonial crises and shifting cultural power relations on British identity.
• The use of "historiographic metafiction" as a method for questioning historical credibility.
• Narrative strategies, including unreliable narrators and the revaluation of personal faults.
• The tension between master-narratives and personal "mini-narratives."

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

Introduction: Outlines the thesis's focus on the modern condition of historicity and the redefinition of "Englishness" in post-war literature through deconstructionist theory.

CHAPTER ONE Metaphoricised Historiography: Categorizes notions of identity and history while analyzing how social crises in 1980s Britain influenced collective identity and the rise of historiographic metafiction.

CHAPTER TWO History as Spectacle: Examines how historical events are turned into repetitive spectacles, using the concept of homelessness to explore the friction between individuality and historical pressure.

CHAPTER THREE History as Performance: Investigates the act of interpreting history through performance, focusing on memory, the crisis of authority, and the use of schizophrenic discourse to challenge master-narratives.

Keywords

Metaphor, Historiography, Deconstruction, Post-war British Novel, Narrative, Identity, History, Memory, Spatiality, Hegemony, Metafiction, Cultural Studies, Discourse, Representation, Power Relations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary focus of this dissertation?

The thesis investigates the status and function of metaphor in (de)constructing historical master-narratives in the novels of Julian Barnes, Graham Swift, and Kazuo Ishiguro.

What are the central thematic areas?

Key themes include the redefinition of national values in post-war Britain, the politics of community versus global history, the role of narrative in shaping identity, and the relationship between physical space and historical memory.

What is the main research objective?

The work aims to examine and summarize the metaphorical operations of historical narratives and how protagonists engage with or subvert hegemonic historical discourses.

Which scientific methodology is employed?

The author uses strategies drawn from deconstructionist theory, culture studies, and literary criticism to analyze how language and metaphor organize historical representations.

What topics are discussed in the main body?

The body covers "Metaphoricised Historiography," "History as Spectacle," and "History as Performance," analyzing authors like Barnes, Swift, and Ishiguro through specific narrative and sociopolitical frameworks.

Which keywords best characterize the work?

Keywords include metaphor, historiography, deconstruction, narrative, identity, hegemony, and cultural studies.

How does the author analyze Ishiguro’s narrators?

The thesis discusses Ishiguro’s use of "unreliable narrators" and introspective attitudes, linking their psychological profiles to the historical mechanisms and responsibilities they seek to evade or re-evaluate.

What role does "homelessness" play in the second chapter?

Homelessness is analyzed as a metaphorical concept that signifies independence from traditional historical place and challenges existentialist predicaments associated with community living.

How does the author relate the concept of "ecriture" to Barnes's work?

The author connects Barnes’s use of writing to Derrida’s model of "ecriture," where written texts signify a performance devoid of individual voluntary consent, acting as a constraint on meaning.