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More from Julian Barnes
Odd, inventive, and wickedly funny, Julian Barnes is known for his intricate and often satirical books on literature and culture. Visit Amazon's Julian Barnes Page. |
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"Novel"
in quotes because this book is not truly a novel in the way some
readers might expect, it is perhaps better characterized as a
collection of prose pieces with interlocking themes and motifs,
similar in a way to John Barth's "Lost in the
Funhouse."
Barnes writes: "We make up a story to cover the
facts we don't know or can't accept, we keep a few true facts and spin
a new story round them. Our panic and our pain are only eased by
soothing fabulation; we call it history." Barnes clearly
understands that history, or what we perceive as history, is really
only an interpretation, frought with as much difficulties and
inaccuracies as the interpretion of any text. To illustrate and
explore this idea, Barnes uses an oblique approach: 10 1/2 chapters of
loosely interconnecting stories running from "Genesis" to
"Revelations."
Barnes' "Genesis" is the first
chapter, and is basically a comic, revisionist telling of Noah and his
Ark narrated by a woodworm stowed away on the Ark. In Barnes' world,
Noah is a drunken lout who lost and/or ate some of the animals he was
supposed to save (the griffon, the unicorn, etc.). Barnes'
"Revelations" chapter is about a dream of Heaven where all
wishes are fulfilled, and Hell is simply "necessary
propaganda." Part of the delight in this book is the way Barnes
attacks and deconstructs stories from the Bible, pointing out the
fundamental (pun intended) error in relying on the Bible as an
historically accurate text.
In between these are chapters about
woodworms placed on trial for eating a bishop's throne; a hostage
crisis aboard a cruiseliner (a thinly veiled retelling of the Achille
Louro incident); a trek to Mount Ararat to locate the Ark's remains;
an analysis of the sinking of the Medusa and Gericault's painting
depicting the impending rescue of the survivors, and others.
References to Noah's Ark or ships' voyages figure in practically every
story, as Barnes "spins new stories" around "a few true
facts."
Many of the chapters explore the ways in which history
is recorded as subjective experience. For example, Barnes uses
historical records to illustrate that Gericault's painting likely left
out and changed certain historical details to heighten the emotional
and allegorical nature of the painting. These few pages are one of
the best fictional meditations on the connections between life and art
I have read anywhere.
The structure of the novel serves a specific
thematic purpose here. The various chapters are often narrated by
different characters, and Barnes also shifts back and forth between
first- and third-person narrative. This is done to draw the readers'
attention back to one of Barnes' central themes: history is narrative,
and like all narrative, it all depends on where you're standing. The
idea of reaching true understanding based on memory/narrative/history
is a theme Barnes has explored in many of his books, from
"Flaubert's Parrot", to "Talking it Over," but
never has he more perfectly molded form to function as he does
here.
It is also beatifully written, clever, and funny. Barnes
shifts effortlessy back and forth between extremely diverse authorial
voices, and while certain chapters are more enjoyable, there really
isn't a dud in the bunch. The chapters on the shipwreck in 1816 of the
Medusa, and Gericault's painting on that subject are fascinating and
engaging, and the chapter on the woodworm trial is hilarious.
Barnes explicitly addresses some of his themes in the half-chapter,
"Parenthesis" (more than two-thirds of the way through), yet
lets the reader connect the dots between the chapters, which, for me,
was half the fun of the book. This is a truly original, rewarding and
thought-provoking work, and one that is even more rewarding upon
rereading.
À˙
These collections of stories, and in one case a story within another, are all wonderful when confined within their own borders. They certainly were intended to be elements of a much more transcendent work, and when the reader finishes the parts, and becomes a ruminator of the whole, the effect is brilliant. Mr. Julian Barnes is a new Author for me, fortunately this book is not his debut so much remains to be read, and on his side, I hope, to be written.
A short time ago I read "Ghostwritten", a book that was divided into 9 tales that all had an element of commonality. I thought it was very well done. This work takes the joining of elements that could at times be superficially viewed as disparate, but are all of a singular piece when the entire book is read. The bridges that bring the reader and the elements of the books through the tale can seemingly be obvious. They are also incredibly well disguised. A cursory read through what may seem to be just a satirical romp will no doubt please, but attention paid with more vigor will yield a much more richly crafted work. And the added gift is that even when you think you have taken what the Author has offered, this work lingers, and the more and longer it is thought of, the better it continues to grow. This is a work that can easily be started again immediately after the final page is read.
Some would argue that for a work to be excellent it must be entirely original. I think that would be nice, and it does happen occasionally. Much more frequently what is offered has all the originality of a clone. Taking the familiar apart, changing the perspective, adding stylistically original and provocative thought, is as original as one can get. Generally accepted ideas or truths are not necessarily either. The ability to step back and present stand alone pieces that are fresh, that then become a symbiotic whole is a remarkable talent, and Mr. Barnes is incredibly inventive.
Show this man a Rubik's Cube with all of its colored sides intact. Then scramble the object and present him with the multi-colored curiosity. Not only will he place all the colors back so that each side is uniform, he will have changed all the colors as well.
Read this man's work, it's a wonderful trip.
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