Plight·Representation·Reception The Subject Of History In Julian Barnes’s A History Of The World In 10(1/2) Chapters

Julian Barnes is one of the most important members among contemporary English writers. His works are full of both technique innovations and philosophical thoughts and the discussion of history is the unchangeable theme in his variable writings. The novels like Flaubert’s Parrot, Staring at the Sun and The Sense of an Ending all contain the thinking on this issue. Actually, after a period of ebb, British historical novels have risen again and reveal a veer which is titled as neo-historical novel or historiographic metafiction. These new kinds of historical novels connect more tightly with philosophy of history. In the meantime, more concerns about contemporary issues and the ontology thinkings of history are also blent into such works. Barnes’s A History of the World in 101/2 Chapters, titled with history, probes into the questions such as the relationship between history and reality, the meaning of history and how to read history.This thesis attempts to analyse the topic of history in Barnes’s A History of the World in 101/2 Chapters from the aspects of plight, representation and reception of history, in order to uncover the causes which lead to the unreliability of history, but the ultimate foothold lies in exploring the reasons why we should still pursue the reality while we are aware of its illusiveness and the methods that can make us approach to this reality.Barnes’s "history" focuses on the tribulations and feelings of ordinary people in big events. People’s impressions of and reactions to such events are influenced by their established notions and existing stance and condition, thus although facing to the same kind of incidents, or even evolving in the same one, their responses will differ in thousands of ways. As for the writing or representation of history, it is not a process of objective record either. Through the creation of a painting and the shooting of a film, Barnes shows that the production of historical text is inevitably at the mercy of its creator’s intention, options and ability, so the product in the end will undoubtedly have the fingerprints of its producer. In addition, if the writings of history are expected to enter the public sphere, they certainly will be reshaped by the powers in society. Readers’reception of a historical text is not a process of direct and complete information transfer. The text itself changes slightly as the time passes by, and readers’ reception is also confined by their own preconceptions and reading strategies, therefore, people always extract different information and meanings from the same text.However, Barnes’s reveal of the historical unreliability is not to place history into a situation that anyone can distort or varnish it. He still insists on the pursuit to the truth, but this pursuit is no longer unidirectional or accomplished through appointing some authority. Multi-writing of history is the very approach for people to access to historical truth. Barnes advocates that people should discard the wrong way which depreciates and restrains others’voices and admit different statements and opinions with broad and tolerant mind. Only through multiple perspectives can we possibly appreciate the panorama of history.