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Atonement, *2, *2, The idyllic setting serves as a contrast to the…
Atonement
SETTINGS
Tallis Family House
Hot Summer's Day
Hyper-emotive, claustrophobic, fractured atmosphere
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Country House
Appearance vs Reality
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The house has a facade of grandeur yet its decaying state symbolises the decay of order within the house
It mirrors a disconnection between the Tallis family and the family striving to maintain an image of wealth.
Mirrors a disconnection between the Tallis Family and the family striving to maintain an image of wealth
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Fountain
Sets up Briony's fictionalisation of events; a setting used to characterise the first time Briony thinks to manipulate perspectives and the truth for the pleasure of a desirable, secret-filled narrative
An example of Checkov's Gun; a seemingly unimportant element mentioned that later becomes significant
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LINE OF ARGUMENTS
McEwan uses setting to shape Briony's role as an omniscient narrator, amplifying her desire for control within the fictionalisation of her experiences.
As Briony's development transitions from the family environment of the country estate to the harsh reality of the wartime hospital, Briony's grip of control on the narrative diminishes.
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France
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Elsewheres
McEwan's novels often use the strangeness of a setting to enhance the Englishness of the displaced object, and their crisis of identity when confronted with the loss of geographical bearings
Hospital
"Empty beds spread across the ward, and through other wards, like deaths in the night." Page 270
Solemn atmosphere and strict yet uneasy mood; contrasts Briony's melodramatic writing style and sets up her inability to manipulate events with the harsh reality of suffering
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CONTEXT
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Post - Modernism
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Features
Intertextuality : Recognising that no texts exist as an entirely separate entity; postmodern authors draw attention to this by referring to other texts.
e.g. McEwan referring to Northanger Abbey, both stories of a young girl who forges accusations as a product of over-imagination.
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Metafiction : When a text demonstrates 'awareness' that it is a fictional text, calling attention to the process of writing and reading
e.g. There are clues throughout to the metafictional nature of the book, including Briony's reference to the Balham tube disaster, the 'BT London 1999' and the trials of Arabella, all leading towards the coda.
e.g. There are also omniscient narrator comments; "within the half hour Briony would commit her crime"
Fragmentation : Used to create knowing, playful text that reflect the world; there is no overarching meaning
Pastiche : Imitating other texts and genres (similar to parody, but that involves making fun of them)
Modernism
Modernists brought in - Fragmentation, multiple points of view, ambiguity, dense allusions and stream of consciousness
McEwan said that he wished Atonement "to enter into a conversation with modernism and its dereliction of duty in relation to the backbone of the plot."
BRIONY
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Curious, meticulous and inquisitive in her work
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PART TWO
War - Structural Device
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Part Two
Pace
Journey to Dunkirk sets pace for second part of novel; significantly slower; sense of suspense and waiting
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"He walked / across / the land / until / he came / to the sea." Robbie "Five iambs ... the beat he tramped to now." Page 219
Steady rhythm of Iambs helps him stay focused and persevere; finds comfort in literature - preserves a piece of his identity
Juxtaposition of 'beat' and 'tramped' - 'beat' = steady, beautiful, musical, represents his upper class environment VS 'tramped', exhausted, injured, reflects his current surroundings; reminder he is an outsider
"walking into the setting sun. Always a hopeful act."
Sense of hope and optimism; walking suggests a universal human experience, showing his humanity and collective experience to build sympathy
"If there has be a moon he would have been happy walking all night." Absence of moon symbolises an absence of normaility, rhythm and Cecilia: imagery
"One field of cattle had a dozen shell craters, and fragments of flesh"
Imagery, destruction of innocence; foreshadows Robbie + Cecilia's deaths; "fragments of flesh" fricatives emphasise violence and grotesque
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War - Wider Scale
'Elsewheres'
McEwan's novels often use the strangeness of a setting to enhance the Englishness of the displaced object, and their crisis of identity when confronted with the loss of geographical bearings
Narrative Shift
Lack of chapters
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Emphasises how Briony's actions have put Robbie into a continuous chaotic, intense atmosphere
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The idyllic setting serves as a contrast to the tumultous events that unfold within the narrative, heightening the impact of the characters' actions and the eventual disruption of tranquility
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