"Britishness" In Julian Barnes' Novel

Born in 1946 in the suburbs of London,Julian Barnes has experienced and observed Britain for more than half a century.From his first novel,Metroland,almost every novel contains the thinking of history,the exploration of the British nation and the identity and self cognition of the British people.And these contents are expressed by Barnes through writing mediocre life of characters.This writing of daily life is based on the growth process of characters and the classic national symbols in life.The interweaving of these elements reflects from The British aristocracy and the history of the British "public spirit",the identity of the British,and the British nation's operating mode precipitated behind it.All these constitute a relatively objective and stable "Englishness" which can reflect the characteristics of national identity.With the development of the times and the change of the world situation,Barnes also realized the problems caused by placing the inherent and traditional "Englishness" in the context of modern Britain and globalization.Therefore,in his works,he expressed that the connotation of modern "Englishness" should be changed through his "nostalgia" of British society and his criticism of the attitude of confining himself to the glory of the past empire.In addition,Barnes' s reflection on "Englishness" also compares "self" with "others" such as the United States and France,hoping to make "Englishness" better develop its advantages and avoid its disadvantages to a certain extent,and make two-way communication with a more "friendly" culture,so as to become more solid.Under this reflection,Barnes also began to explore the construction of "Englishness" with the help of his works.Facing the problem of traditional "Englishness" appearing in the post-modern society,he shows us that it is not feasible to restore the national identity and national image with imperialist brilliance by blindly consuming and copying cultural traditions and heritage.In the face of multicultural background,Barnes saw the inherent drawbacks of "Englishness",that is,ignoring the plight of contemporary British minorities,which led to the fact that multiculturalism could not be placed in an equal position to import valuable content for "Englishness".Based on this,Barnes also hopes for the future "Englishness",that is,to recognize the importance of our national culture,but also to hold an inclusive attitude towards other minority cultures,so as to achieve a harmonious but different multicultural co-existence.The discussion of "Englishness" in Barnes' s novels shows that "Englishness",an attribute that can reflect British national culture,is not unchangeable.Instead,it should constantly accept the severe test of the times on the basis of tradition,evaluate objectively and accurately to find its own position,and finally realize the enhancement of national identity and the maintenance of high-quality culture Continue to carry forward.