Hypertextuality In Nutshell

Nutshell is the sixteenth novel of Ian McEwan,a distinguished British novelist.Despite its ostensible adoption of Hamlet's plot,this novel narrates a different story and expounds a different theme.In the light of Genette's theory of hypertextuality,this thesis is to conduct a comparative study of Nutshell and Hamlet and demonstrate the discrepancies of the two texts in terms of their characterization,plot development and social environment of production.On one hand,by composing Nutshell on the basis of Hamlet,McEwan intends to build a link between the hypertext and its hypotext.On the other,he integrates into Nutshell his specific insight and concern about contemporary Britain,aiming to transcend the pretext/hypotext in theme and in characterization.Thus,from the gap and discrepancy of the two texts,the author tries to reveal the immense changes of both British society and aesthetic pursuit.This thesis is composed of three parts:the introduction,the main body and the conclusion.The first part briefly introduces the author Ian McEwan and the novel Nutshell,reviews researches on Nutshell abroad and at home,and explains the core concepts of Genette's hypertextuality theory and its applicability to the current study.The main body consists of three chapters.Chapter one analyzes the characterization of the main characters in Nutshell.By highlighting the roles and personalities of Trudy,Claude and the fetus in contrast with their counterparts in Hamlet(Queen Gertrude,Claudius and Hamlet),this chapter exposes the distinct features of the characters resulting from social changes.Due to its remolding of the characters,Nutshell is a creative writing with subversive energy.Chapter two probes into the underlying causes for the discrepancies of the two texts.Produced in an environment of disorder and disturbance,Nutshell is to expose the turmoil and agitation under the superficial peace and order.Besides,with the increasing secularization,the importance of religion in life declines and people fall into crisis of belief,which further reinforces the distortion of human nature.This kind of crisis and distortion is especially evident in the behaviors of Trudy and Claude.Meanwhile,the expectations of contemporary readers have undergone tremendous changes,who are now more interested in secular stories.McEwan's Nutshell is both a faithful reflection of the turbulent reality and an innovative writing to arouse reader's enthusiasm about serious literature.Chapter three focuses on the idiosyncratic style of Nutshell.McEwan consciously keeps a distance from his predecessors in artistic pursuits as manifested in genre innovation,dwarfing characterization and transmotivation.As for literary genre,Nutshell does not conform to the stereotype of tragedy but gives a modern interpretation to the classic like Hamlet,By dwarfing characterization,McEwan makes Trudy and the fetus more acceptable to contemporary readers.With transmotivation,the author shifts his concern from the noble people in palace to the ordinary people in daily life.Meanwhile,it can foreground the uncertainty of the story and makes possible the dialogue between readers and characters.In sum,Nutshell is not an adaption of the classic Hamlet nor a tribute to Shakespeare in its usual sense.By rewriting the story,McEwan intends to initiate a dialogue to his predecessor starting from a contemporary perspective.The discrepancy and deviation of Nutshell from its pretext Hamlet not only indicates McEwan's efforts to be released from an"anxiety of influence",but also manifests the bewilderment and worries brought about by tremendous social changes.