Reflective Nationalism: A Study On Post-National Identity In The Untouchable

John Banville, one of the most celebrated contemporary Irish writers, has won worldwide attention through his novelty and exceptional view of literary creation. The Untouchable, as his typical historical espionage novel, deals with a multi-formed and post-national identity.In the Irish personal history writings and complex national context, self-identity is not commonly constructed through Grand Narrative; instead it goes beyond national subjectivity to reach for a multi-formed, displaced and fluid one. While traditional national spirit or a collective ethnic role can no longer establish a defined national attachment and national emotion, post-nationalism seeks national spirit and connections from “other places” to overcome national subjectivity. This research, in the light of national and individual relationships, aims to explore post-national identity on the basis of liberal nationalism. The thesis particularly looks into the issues of nation, memory and self-identity in Banville’s The Untouchable. By approaching the contextual individual and national obligation in Yale Tamir’s liberal nationalism, this thesis re-examines national paradigm and redefines historical relations. On all accounts, this thesis hopes to facilitate a deconstruction of national power of discourse and achieve a reflective national identity that goes beyond a long-established “Irishness”.The thematic focus on nation-individual relations has made The Untouchable distinctive among espionage novels. It introduces the personal reflections and choices into the realm of traditional nationalism. From such a perspective, this thesis endeavors to explore how the protagonist completes self-construction by combining personal reflection and national context.