An Intertextual Study Of Julian Barnes’ The Sense Of An Ending

Julian Barnes is one of the most prestigious writers in contemporary British literature.His works have attracted many readers around the world for their unceasing exploration of the truth of history and memory.His novel,The Sense of an Ending won the Man Booker Prize in 2011.Although scholars have conducted researches from multiple perspectives hitherto,few articles analyze the novel from the perspective of intertextuality.Hence,based on the theories of intertextuality put forward by Julia Kristeva and Mikhail M.Bakhtin,developed by Roland Barthes and Gerard Genette,this thesis will dissect the intertextual relationship in the novel.Chapter one mainly explores intratextuality in the novel.Based on extensive reading of Barnes’ works,this thesis finds that intratextuality is a prominent feature of Barnes’ works.Firstly,the paratexts of the novel,such as the title and inscription,corroborate with the text.Secondly,Barnes implicitly refers to his own works and revives the similar backgrounds,characters,plots and motifs,making his novel present the characteristic of self-reference.Chapter two discusses the intertextual relationship between The Sense of an Ending and Frank Kermode’s The Sense of an Ending:Studies in the theory of fiction.By virtue of the intertextual strategy of allusion,this chapter explores how far some of Kermode’s ideas about fiction apply to Barnes’ novel The Sense of an Ending.It demonstrates that Barnes not only inherits the literary tradition but also pays homage to Kermode.Chapter three explores the intertextual relationship between the novel and history.By analyzing the subjectivity and fallibility of the protagonist Tony’s personal memory,it can be inferred that Barnes thinks the recorded history is uncertain and unreliable.In this sense,history can also be regarded as an intertext.By virtue of the theory of intertextuality,the analysis demonstrates that Barnes fuses the boundary between fiction and history to challenge the authenticity of the recorded history and pays attention to the history that has been oppressed by the dominant ideologies.In brief,this thesis reveals the creative characteristics of the novel and Barnes’ intense consciousness of intertextuality.Intertextuality is not only the distinguishing feature of Barnes’ works,but also the medium through which he reflects on truth.Whether Barnes revitalizes his own previous works,alludes to the work of others,or conducts a dialogue with history,what Barnes repeatedly emphasizes is his doubt about the certainty of truth under the post-modern background.Therefore,whatever the intertextual sources,the uncertainty of truth is always Barnes’ main focus.