Cn The Postmodern Realism In Atonement

Published in2001, Atonement is considered one of Ian MacEwan’s greatest andmost influential works. This novel is about a13-year-old girl named Briony whomistestified Robbie, her elder sister’s lover, as a rapist. Briony’s behavior caused thetragedy and she was haunted by the resentment in the rest of her life. Studies both athome and abroad focus on the tragic theme and the metafictional features of the novel.Distinguishing from the previous studies, this thesis analyzes Atonement from theperspective of postmodern realism.Postmodern realistic novels are newly developed cotemporary literature in thepostmodern context. These novels center on the real details and characterize typicalfigures in a certain environment as well as reveal the social reality. McEwan describesa patriarchal society of class consciousness and typical family environment under theinfluence of such a society. The novel also characterizes typical figures like Jack,Emily, Cecilia and Briony. What’s more, it focuses on the detail depiction of figureswhich can reflect their personalities. At the same time, postmodern realistic novelsfeatures modern and postmodern writing techniques and thus realism andpostmodernism or realism, modernism, and postmodernism co-exist and play adominating role in this kind of novels.Atonement carries the realistic characteristics, in that it not only gives a finedepiction of the environment and heroes but also reflects social reality, war andmorality and human and nature. Postmodern writing techniques such as indeterminacy,change of narrative point of view, montage, and intertextuality exist in the novel.Moreover, this novel has evident postmodern trait in theme, since it is not like therealistic didactic novels which advocate “good will be rewarded”.This thesis consists of three chapters, with the part of introduction and conclusion.Introduction presents the writer, his works and gives information of Atonementincluding its influence, main plots, and previous studies on it.Chapter One explores postmodern realism novels. Postmodern realism novels arenewly developed cotemporary literature in the postmodern context. These novels centeron the real details and characterize typical figures in a certain environment as well asreveal the social reality. At the same time, postmodern realism novels features modern and postmodern writing techniques and thus realism and postmodernism or realism,modernism, and postmodernism co-exist and play a dominating role in this kind ofnovels. This chapter also includes the analysis of the relations between Atonement andpostmodern realism through the investigation of McEwan’s other works and the studieson Atonement.Chapter Two concentrates on the realistic principle in Atonement and how thisnovel inspects the postmodern society. The reality is meticulously depicted and typicalcharacters are fashioned. In addition, this novel meditates on social reality, moralityand war, human and nature.Chapter Three points out that the theme of this novel is not like the traditionalrealistic novel which stresses “as the call, as the echo” and the writing style stampedwith postmodernism for the author employs such skills as indeterminacy, change ofnarrative point of view, montage and intertextuality.In conclusion, postmodern realism is a newly developed branch and worthscrupulous studying. Ian McEwan, the contemporary English writer has always beenconcerned with the condition of postmodern society and few researchers review hisworks from the point of postmodern realism. This thesis takes Atonement as a example,and studies its postmodern realistic character, aiming to provide a new perspective tothe study of Ian McEwan and his Atonement.