A Study Of Polyphonic Features Of Atonement

Atonement,a novel by contemporary British writer Ian McEwan,was published in 2001 and shortlisted for the Booker Prize in the same year.In the novel,McEwan skillfully combines the serious subject of war and crime with the light-hearted element of love,reflecting the vicissitudes of characters with historical and social changes.Based on the previous research,this thesis explores the novel in light of Bakhtin's polyphonic theory,in particular multivoicedness,dialogism,and carnivalization.By analyzing these polyphonic features in the novel,the author of the thesis argues that McEwan's use of polyphony helps him subvert the traditional writing mode and set new authorial position by giving equal rights to characters who are able to express their own voices and consciousness.What McEwan hopes to reveal in the novel is that there is no absolute authority,absolute stability,or absolute unity in man and in the world.It is only through plural perspectives to view the world with continuous dialogue between one and oneself and between self and others can people get closer to the truth of reality and understand other people around them.