On The Absence Of The Author In The English Patient

The English Patient, which is structurally complicated and thematically diversified, is perceived as the most successful work of the Canadian author, Michael Ondaatje, and meanwhile, the spotlight of Western critics as well. In terms of its peculiar styles, many of them maintain that The English Patient has a profound impact on Canadian novelists and furthermore, its contemporary works. Other critics are attracted by its preference to historical events and allusions which, while increasing the depth and readability of the novel on one hand, cannot avoid its falling into the conventional pattern on the other due to its lacking of innovation. Since 1996, critics have diverted almost all their attention to the cognominal Oscar-winning film, questioning in their articles, after a detailed comparison to its fictional version, the fidelity of many aspects such as characters and scene of the film. In spite of the divided comments and appraisals, it is apparent that a large portion of critics carry out their task on the basis of Ondaatje's intention, together with his personal experiences, definitely oblivious of the work's surface or deep structure. Therefore, this thesis will take a new approach to the novel and analyze the author's absence in it. All of our study aims to prove that it is not Ondaatje's extraordinary experiences and value orientation that make immortal The English Patient, but on the contrary, the openness of the text and the possibility of readers'interaction aroused by this kind of openness.Like"the death of the author", the so-called"the absence of the author"does not mean the author's physical or biologic decease. Instead, it refers to the subversive transformation of the author's conception, function and role it plays. But unlike"the death of the author", it is much more systematic, for it includes the theories related to the multi-dimension of the text and the rebirth of the reader, which are set up by Deconstructionalism and Reception Aesthetics.This thesis is composed of introduction, main body and conclusion. And the main body is further divided into four chapters and each of them will concentrate on one aspect of the strategy of"the absence of the author".Chapter One mainly explores the conception of"the absence of the author"in order to testify its inevitability and necessity in postmodern literary creation and appreciation. In a long term, the author has been transformed from center to margin and finally exiled by modern theorists. For Romanticists and Realists, literary research is nothing but the author's background research, which to a great extent constrains the reader's appreciation to the futile searching of the so-called authorial intention. However in modern times, the work itself becomes much more fascinating and the deep structure of the text is repeatedly highlighted. To be more precise, the author even hides from his or her work and lose no time to show their esteem for the reader. This transformation is theoretically indispensable to the increasing human consciousness and bound to make great progress in literary creation and appreciation.Chapter Two concentrates on the narrative strategy of The English Patient, including those unconventionally used techniques, which function to overthrow the authorial depotism and beckon the reader's positive involvement in the construction of the novel. The shift of point of view in the novel shows things from different protagonists vividly. Instead of fixing his observation on just one specific character like the realistic or romantic novelists do, the novel emphasizes the feelings of all the characters and tries to let them stand out, and relate from their own point of view. Furthermore, the emphasis on the English patient-Almasy's incredible memory also adds plenty of difficulty to the understanding of the novel's real purpose. Besides that, this chapter will discuss the unique function of fragmentation and open ending which together breaks the unitary authorial intention and make possible the reader's interaction.Chapter Three is about the deconstruction of the conventional binary oppositions, which are figured mainly in three aspects, namely, morality, gender and ideology. There seems to be no absolute opposition in The English Patient, and Ondaatje's tyrannical intention roots in nowhere in the whole work. Taking the hero and the heroine into consideration, there is no distinct boundary between their morality and immorality, possession and dispossession, for true love can even eclipses the humiliation aroused by adultery, and refill the English patient who keeps always in a distant manner with desire of possession. And likewise this deconstruction is true in the Western countries, such as England and America, where the material luxury cannot overcome the spiritual degeneration. Sometimes civilization also has the prospect to bloom in the most desolate and humble Bedouins and Asian people. Apart from that, the novel even intentionally undermines the informal rules of the male's superiority to the female, boldly constructing a harmonious as well as humanistic panorama among the warworn English patient, his lover, the nurse and the sapper.Chapter Four probes the multi-dimension of the whole text, which is primarily embodied in its subject and theme. Unlike the traditional novels, which insist on a self-sufficient structure, The English Patient tends to have a larger capacity, lingering freely and unrestrictedly among romantic story, detective fiction, historical novel and other possible explanations. After the God and the belief is murdered by the scourge of the war, all the characters including Hana, Almasy, Caravaggio and Kip are confused at their identity, thus demonstrating different consciousness of it in their mind. Moreover, each of them desires to revivify their own history and past experiences in order to testify the personal existence, which inevitably compensates or more exactly amends the collective history written by the mainstream society, thus expanding the dimension of the entire official history.In conclusion, The English Patient has demonstrated a revolutionary attitude either in its narrative strategy or in its theme. First and foremost, it is considered as a betrayal to the realistic and romantic theories for it questions the commonly accepted rules. Moreover, it diversifies the subjects and themes by undermining the so called"center", and finally expands the dimension of the text, which could be perceived as a brave trial for a brand-new literary form. The success of The English Patient is established on the expanse of the absence of Ondaatje. In addition, the respects it shows for the reader's consciousness activate their potential of creation and liberate their imagination at utmost, by which they participate vigorously rather than accept negatively during the reconstruction of the text and its meaning. The whole novel insists on such a writing principle, which makes allowances for the common people's requirements for the popular literature, and taking into consideration the self-reflection of human consciousness. In this way, The English Patient is inclined to be avant-garde of the future literary transformation.