Research On Historical Narrative In Julian Barnes’s A History Of The World In 10? Chapters

Once on the academic discussion,there was a debate on history is that history is subject to science or arts,obviously,the answer is neither two of them.However narrativity is one of the recognized characteristic in historiography.In the novel A History of the World in 10?Chapters mentioned that poetics is a feature in historical writing,which is composed by imagining and making up when history is narrative.And the consistency of history is just a well-constructed lies,which give an interpretation or meaning of people’s life,actually the knowledge of truth is sheltered by the lies.Moreover,the difference,not identity,is the form of history,in the different interpretations given by history will cause uncertain on individual’s life,which also misleading the self-consciousness of individual.Thus,the way to face the absurd of world and living in the world history is the problem for modernist.And the “love”in “Parenthesis” is the main method for individual to oppose the absurd of world history.Love means true and activity,standing for the hope and courage from darkness and chaos.This paper can be divided into three parts to discuss the historical narrative in this novel.In the first part,the paper will introduce the productions by Julian Barnes,and collect the achievements already made on the novel from domestic and overseas study.The second part is the main body of the whole paper which is made up by three chapters.First chapter will discuss the way of historical narrative organizing the evidence and events from the nature and objective world.In second chapter,after the historical narrative,the novel is a subverting writing,which refers to the diversification of history.And the third chapter will discuss the loss and construction of self in the historical world,representing the way on how to live and recognize the self-consciousness of individuals in the uncertain world,so that find a way to re-construct themself.The third part in conclusion is find that the love with truth and activity could help people run away from absurd and chaos of the fictional world history.