Age and vulnerability in Julian Barnes' fiction : Metroland (1980) and The Sense of an Ending (2011) / Raphaël Laloue ; sous la direction Prof. Catherine Delesalle-Nancey

Date :

Type : Livre / Book

Type : Thèse / Thesis

Langue / Language : anglais / English

Barnes -- Julian -- 1946-.... -- Critique et interprétation

Littérature britannique

Vieillissement -- Dans la littérature

Âges de la vie -- Dans la littérature

Delesalle-Nancey, Catherine (Directeur de thèse / thesis advisor)

Université Jean Moulin (Lyon ; 1973-....) (Organisme de soutenance / degree-grantor)

Résumé / Abstract : This work aims at providing a better understanding of the role and representation of aging in Julian Barnes’ fiction. Both Metroland (1980) and The Sense of an Ending (2011) depict the retrospective gaze of a male narrator upon his past. This joint narrative stance allows us to study the evolution of a fictional identity in relation to the protagonists’ vulnerability, that is the several uncertainties and insecurities they face as they age. This study thus investigates the various threats to the psychological integrity of a fictional self throughout a life.