The Study Of Irony In Historiography

Julian Barnes is a renowned modern English writer,and his novels in line with metafiction's traits is not only self-referential,but also make use of the well-known historical figures and events.Under such a scenario,Barnes' novels show striking post-modernist features including fuzzy boundaries between the text and the history,multi-referential discourses and ambiguous attitude toward his own national history.The point is to highlight that Barnes pays more attention to the relationship between individual memory and national history compared to other post-modern writers.As an authentic Englishman,Barnes conceives of two kinds of development paths for England that are fully present by two countries “England,England” and Anglia in his novel England,England published in 1999.Meanwhile Barnes makes the two countries collocated with the real England through his own ironical discourses so that his introspection for historical nature and oppugn for national identity are in plain sight.This paper makes a case study of irony form in Barnes' historiography by citing the example of England,England.Linda Hutcheon's irony theory is the most important theoretic means in this process.Firstly,the paper expounds three preconditions of irony.Then there is a framework within character irony,verbal irony and structural irony,and it dissects perfect ironic effect which Barnes achieves in his historiography.Finally,the paper explains how to pass judgment through the ironical emotional tune.In that way Barnes shows his negative attitude and his worry of national history and nationality's alienation in such a political atmosphere and capital environment.Barnes' worry is alarming as our nation advocates the cultural renaissance of the Chinese nation.It is a real challenge for us to protect Chinese traditional culture vein.