A Magic Realistic Interpretation Of Waterland By Graham Swift

Graham Swift has long been regarded as one of the most prominentBritish writers. Waterland, his representative work, wins him enormousfame and honor. Since its publication, a great deal of research on thisnovel has been conducted from different perspectives, mainly includinghistorical interpretation, narratological analysis and ideologicalexploration. However, some elements in this work have long beenignored. There is still much room for new research.Based upon a close reading of Waterland and the former research onit, this thesis attempts to interpret it from the perspective of magic realism.By analyzing the magic elements and narrative skills, this thesis willexplore the magic realistic characteristics in Waterland. Graham Swiftsuccessfully employs magic elements like presages, ghosts, mysteriouscharacterization and symbolism to blur the boundaries between the deadand the living and creates a mysterious atmosphere throughout the book.Furthermore, he juxtaposes the past with the present, and subtly exertsambiguous narrative, fragmentary narrative and subjective narrative.Those narrative skills also work well to intensify the magic realisticcharacteristics of Waterland and strengthen the themes of the novel. As amagic realistic work, Waterland not only possesses its own literaryfeatures, but also functions well to reflect the reality. Graham Swiftreveals his concerns about history, human nature and society in this work,and inspires readers to reflect.