contemporary critical perspectives by Sebastian Groes (edited by)

Author:Sebastian Groes (edited by)
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Continuum Books
Published: 2009-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

Conclusion: Between History and Fiction

Can we draw any general principles about McEwan's use of historical source material in Atonement? Or is it perhaps the case that the rules are made, and unmade, by authors themselves? Rules about the mechanics of using source material in fiction are, and may perhaps remain, notoriously hazy: unlike other forms of writing, there are no agreed rules as to what kind of details can be used, or how; no rules governing the use of phrasing, or scenario, or background detail. Does it make a difference if an author uses a single source extensively, or builds a narrative out of a number of stories, or facts, from different sources? Is the extent to which an author relies on a single source significant, and, if so, how might an author properly acknowledge this? Fiction, after all, is not held to the same standards of objective truth as history, but will we find footnotes spreading into novels in the future?

If we read Atonement as an answer to such questions, the novel offers a passionate ethical argument against postmodern fabulism, reasserting the difference between historical and fictional forms of narrative, and creating a new form of historiographical metafiction. By rejecting postmodernism's erasure of the difference between history and fiction, McEwan extends the debate about truth in narrative from the level of the plot to the form of the novel itself, and historical fiction in particular. This form, because of its difference from that of historical narrative, can take us towards an understanding of the past that the source material alone might not achieve. Atonement partakes of both the empiricist and postmodern traditions, creating a dynamic tension that is both explored and challenged in the next chapter, which investigates the form of Atonement in great detail.

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