UNIVERSITATEA DIN CRAIOVA

FACULTATEA DE LITERE

ȘCOALA DOCTORALĂ „ALEXANDRU PIRU”

THE RHETORIC OF IRONY IN JULIAN BARNES’S NOVELS

SUMMARY

Conducător științific,

Prof. univ. dr. Victor OLARU

Doctorand,

Anca-Ioana VULCĂNESCU (VULCĂNESCU-FLOREA)

Craiova

2020

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SUMMARY

Key words: Postmodernism, rhetoric, irony, Socratic irony, Derrida, Deconstructivism,

Bakhtinian influences, carnivalization of literature, literary techniques, intertextuality,

reinterpretation, narrative, reinterpreting history, carnival, sarcasm, parody, burlesque

characters, hyperreal, simulacrum, irony and postmodernism, re-enactment of dandyism,

Neo-Victorian influences.

Julian Barnes is one of the writers who transgresses the narrative boundaries and

rewrites the major themes of Early postmodernism, thus becoming a controversial figure. His

narrative technique differs from the modernist one and we notice that he either deconstructs

the narration replacing it with a state of mind, or goes beyond the boundaries of narratology,

changing the structure, and impregnating it with irony. Barnes replaces the plot with a

narrative game and his motto seems to be a simple one: ‘Let’s play with the characters, the

plot… let’s play with everything.’ His changeable style, either journalistic or dramatic,

constitutes an element of novelty that might puzzle the average reader. For example, in

Flaubert’s Parrot, he starts by presenting a short history of literature, and re-writes it in an

imaginary way: 2/3 of the story is real, while the rest is fictional.

He never ceases to amaze us when he uses language as a means of transition and

combines postmodernism with classical rhetorical features in order to obtain ironic situations.

In The Porcupine he relies on both verbal and situational irony when he describes the activity

of the Devinsky Comando. He employs verbal irony when he refers to the students’ slogans

‘THANK YOU FOR THE PRICE RISES/ THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD SHORTAGES’

(Barnes 2005: 46), and situational irony when he describes their encounter with lieutenant

Ganin. The meeting was supposed to be a bloody confrontation, but it turned out to be a

pacifist reunion due to the main participants’ power to negotiate. England, England abounds

in examples of situational irony: when Sir Jack is excited because he believes he can fire

Martha, she manages to turn the tables, blackmails him with the disclosure of his most

shameful secret pleasure, and becomes the company’s manager, instead. Consequently, these

are some of the situations when Barnes finds the necessary means to insert ironic hints or

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funny misinterpretations, irrespective of the novel’s theme. Our endeavour is to investigate

if and how irony provides Barnes the opportunity to reshape the narrative according to his

rhetorical approach, starting from Jacques Derrida’s deconstructivism.

A. Field of research

Our study begins from an interdisciplinary approach, with references to literary

theory, intertextuality, psychoanalytic studies, and Philosophy. We will analyse Socrates’

irony, Plato’s maieutic principles, Aristotle’s rhetoric or Derrida’s deconstructivism and their

effects on the narrative. The thesis also focuses on Julian Barnes’s interviews, as they enable

the reader to understand the mechanism of the novels, as well as the motivation that prompted

him to choose certain topics. His interviews are another source of information due to their

diversity and richness, as they provide the only chance to scrutinise each situation from the

writer’s perspective. By tracing the development of every novel, we will be able to identify

the patterns, which constitute the basis of this study. As the title suggests, we will approach

the novels from two perspectives: one determined by the narrator’s ironic attitude and the

other shaped by the rhetorical devices. These interdisciplinary aspects are now part of the

literary panoply, and based on the information gathered so far, we will interpret the eight

novels that form the corpus of analysis, including his latest novel The Man in the Red Coat

(2019). By contrasting the novels, the literary elements: plot, narrative, characters, themes,

as well as the literary techniques, we will determine the author’s ability to adapt the narrative

and reshape it according to the deconstructive technique. In our opinion, this

multidisciplinary conceptualization and the comparative analysis facilitate the access to a

thorough understanding of the novels.

B. Statement of the problem

Julian Barnes and his work have aroused mixed feelings, and there has always been

a storm of acclamation and incessant critiques. Firstly, in a world where categorisation plays

the most important role, and critics are inclined to reject everything that does not correspond

to their patterns, Barnes had the audacity to distance himself from these restrictions and

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created his own versatile style. He embraces sharp irony and satire from the very beginning

of his writing career, and coins it as a Barnesian attribute, alongside solitude and other

features. Not all critics responded positively to this new literary style, so some accused him

of superficiality, others of inconsistency. Secondly, in a postmodern fling, he favours the

deconstruction of the narrative and borrows the Modernist non-linear pattern. In The Noise

of Time, the narration is a cubist one, and Barnes decides to cycle back and forth through the

memories of the famous composer Dimitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich. He describes the

effects of an authoritarian regime on Shostakovich’s life and career: not only does he feel

insecure and persecuted, but also enchained and forced to submit to the restrictions of the

system. Thirdly, all the features discussed so far are part of his contested rhetoric. From

Antiquity, rhetoric has always been a critical instrument facilitating communication,

becoming the milestone of literature and philosophy.

Some critics might dismiss his novels, accusing Barnes of simplicity, due to his

tendency to minimise and enwrap into irony certain aspects that could be highly important

for others. Barnes does not seem to succumb to detractions, and he refused to change the

ending of The Porcupine even if that meant to confront his publisher. We have based our

study on two fundamental assumptions. The first supposition is that irony and the narrative

peculiarities become the cause of these controversies. The second one refers to his ability to

use Derrida’s deconstruction as a starting point and reshape Postmodernism according to his

literary interest. Our aim is to explore the texts and the narration in order to discover the

literary influences and the structure itself and find the proofs that might support or invalidate

our research. Furthermore, our intention is to determine if this literary fusion, spiced with

intertextuality, Bakhtinian influences, and Neo-Victorianism, is one of the steps towards his

narrative accomplishment.

C. Research, questions, and objectives

Starting from the premise that Julian Barnes’s novels are the products of narrative

deconstruction, rhetorical irony, and postmodern rhetoric in general, we shall attempt to

answer the following questions:

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Chapter One

1. Why does irony play a crucial role in literature and philosophy?

2. How do Irony and Postmodernism interrelate?

3. Does the art of rhetoric influence Postmodernism?

4. How does intertextuality affect the novel?

5. What is deconstructivism?

Chapter Two

1. Does Barnes rely on the reinterpretation of History?

2. What is the narrative approach in The Porcupine?

3. What forms of irony does Barnes use in The Porcupine?

4. How does Barnes employ the deconstruction theory?

Chapter Three

1. How is Bakhtin’s concept of carnivalization reflected in Barnes’s England,

England?

2. Can we identify any Bakhtinian patterns when we analyse England, England?

3. What kind of society does England, England present?

4. How is the concept of irony reflected in Staring at the Sun?

Chapter Four

1. What are the effects of the deconstruction theory on Barnes’s latest novel The

Man in the Red Coat?

2. To what extent does he combine irony and intertextuality?

3. Is this novel a form of reinterpreted history?

4. What are the Neo-Victorian influences?

Chapter Five

1. How does he reinterpret feelings and time?

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2. How does he represent memories and time in The Sense of an Ending?

3. What inspired him to create the characters from The Sense of an Ending?

4. Does he deconstruct feelings in Talking it Over and Love, etc?

5. What kind of irony does he use in Talking it Over and Love, etc?

Furthermore, the objectives of our research are derived from literary theory and

analysis. The aims of this study are as follows:

1. to define and analyse the concepts of irony and rhetoric with reference to Julian

Barnes’s novels.

2. to investigate the selected novels using Derrida’s deconstruction theory.

3. to analyse the way in which Barnes used irony as a rhetorical device.

4. to identify the connection between Bakhtin’s concept of carnivalized literature

and Julian Barnes’s work.

D. Significance of the study

The eight novels selected for the study have in common the fusion of irony and

rhetoric that enabled the writer to adapt the literary elements to his own need, in a

deconstructive process. England, England is the epitome of the Barnesian satire and was

published in a period when many British critics believed this genre had come to an abrupt

end. The Porcupine is a reshaped novel, in conformity with Barnes’s journalistic style, a

radiography of the post-communist society, with many ironic sparkles. Staring at the Sun is

a reinterpreted bildungsroman with many ironic accents, presenting Jean’s life from

childhood to her one-hundredth birthday. The Man in the Red Coat is an intertextual approach

of the nineteenth-century French and English society with accents on Dr Samuel Pozzi’s

personal and professional life, following his excesses, vices and numerous achievements. The

Sense of an Ending is another reinterpreted bildungsroman based on the main character’s

retrospections and attempts to reconstruct the past, while The Only Story is an amalgam of

ironic and dramatic experiences caused by the consequences of a controversial relationship.

Finally, the last two novels, Talking it Over and Love, etc are united in an embryonic

narrative, which analyses the ironic and negative consequences of a love triangle.

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Given the variety of approaches that need to be used, we suggest the deconstructive

method as an overarching theme and its subsequent effects on the narrative in order to

observe the changes in irony and rhetoric. Furthermore, the significance of the study resides

in the outcomes and ensuing observations on the differences and similarities between the

various types of irony. Based on Bakhtin’s observations and methodology, the reader might

notice a polyphonic use of the concepts of carnival and parody in England, England.

Consequently, Barnes’s specific irony becomes a coined feature, which takes different forms.

We have also followed the genesis of every novel and the author’s painstaking attention to

historical contexts, data, events, and important characters. Even if reinterpreted, Barnes’s

history provides an insight into the periods he chooses to describe, and due to this diversity,

the study’s significance broadens.

E. Scope and limitation of the study

The research scope is determined by the analysis of the selected novels, using two

approaches: irony and rhetoric. The theoretical perspective is a synthesis of the data collected

from various scholars, and its aim is to illustrate the dynamism between irony and rhetoric.

In order to demonstrate its applicability to Julian Barnes’s novels, we have favoured the use

of other literary techniques. Furthermore, we have resorted to extratextual information

extracted from the numerous interviews in which Barnes has revealed aspects related to his

novels, life and literary career. Sometimes, these interviews function as an autobiographical

account, and due to the research, we have discovered that the novelist has often used them as

a starting point of his work.

Consequently, the time constraints and the size of the corpus might cause certain

limitations. Thus, it would have been difficult to enlarge upon the analysis of narratology,

the narrator’s reliability or unreliability, the focalizer and focalization. Another limitation

might be the impossibility to encompass all his novels, given the diversity of style and

indisputable prolificacy.

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F. Structure and organisation of the study

The study is structured into five chapters. The first chapter of my thesis aims to prove

the close connection between Irony, Postmodernism, and the art of Rhetoric, starting from

Socrates’ maieutic and ending with Katharina Barbe’s linguistic perspective on irony. The

first part of the chapter focuses on the traditional tripartite classification: verbal, situational,

and dramatic irony, as well as their postmodern uses. To Socrates, we owe the use of irony

as a form of inquiry, meant to help him cross all the social boundaries and ‘extract’ the truth

from his interlocutors, without insulting them. More than that, he succeeds in transforming

irony into a stylistic device.

D.C. Muecke analyses the concept of eironeia, so he consequently compares the

meaning it acquired in Plato’s Republic with Theophrastus’s definition or with

Demosthenes’s explanation: if for Plato, irony was supposed to trick or deceive, for

Theophrastus irony was ‘evasive and non-committal, concealing his enmities, pretending

friendship, misrepresenting his acts and never giving a straight answer.’ (Muecke 1986: 15).

Linda Hutcheon investigates the philosophical perceptions of irony, concluding that it has

evolved into a form of ‘oppositional rhetoric’ (1994: 11-12), while Barbe tackles the

importance of the relationship ‘producer’-‘recipient’, comparing and contrasting two famous

theories: the Mention Theory and the Pretense Theory. (1995: 50).

We will closely analyse the art of rhetoric from its early beginnings as loquacity,

continuing with its oratorical evolution in Athens, and up to the moment it becomes an

essential training for all those who aspire to a political career. Rhetoric was soon classified

as techne or craftsmanship, so Aristotle emphasised the practical aspects and the efficiency

of this skill, insisting on the persuasive functions. Literature is interconnected with these

stylistic devices, and the bond between these Greek concepts and Julian Barnes’s work is

rooted in his need to arouse the audience’s feelings.

The last subchapters are in fact an attempt to present different perspectives on

postmodernism, contradictory opinions and classifications, such as Ihab Hassan’s refusal to

propose a precise definition, Butler’s progressive analysis of this cultural phenomenon or

Hutcheon’s stigmatising remark that the concept is overused. This dichotomy has aroused

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many contradictions, intriguing other literary theorists, such as Brian McHale and Frank

Kermode, and paving the way for many reinterpretations.

The second chapter covers only one of Julian Barnes’s novels and its perspective on

communism. This first subchapter presents the novelist’s interest in the evolution of the East

European countries under the communist dictatorship. His trips to this part of Europe, before

and after the fall of the Iron Curtain, helped him to discover and understand these cultures

and provided enough material for his future novel, The Porcupine. Even if he claims that he

refers to an unnamed communist country, the striking similarities lead us to believe that the

novel’s antagonist, Petkanov, was inspired by Todor Jivkov, while the former communist

country is a reflection of Bulgaria’s struggles to overcome the problems encountered during

the transition period.

The first half of the second subchapter focuses on the prevailing communist symbols,

including the Mausoleum of the First Leader, the statue dedicated to the Liberating Red

Army, or Lenin’s pictures, while the second deals with the controversy of the novel’s open

ending. The ending has been the subject of numerous debates between Julian Barnes and

Dimitrina Kondeva, his Bulgarian publisher. These negotiations were made public by both

of them, and their correspondence constitutes the object of Vanessa’s Guignery research. The

letters prove the writer’s narratorial efforts to find the adequate literary devices, appropriate

names, symbols, and situations that might enable him to recreate the post-communist

atmosphere. He acknowledges that Kondeva’s advice was crucial because she provided the

necessary information that helped him in his attempt to render the exact social and historical

background.

Barnes’s newspaper article ‘Candles for the Living’ paves the way for The Porcupine

and allows him to understand the Bulgarians with their allegedly remote and strange nation.

He starts with a review of the anti-communist manifestations in Europe drawing a parallel

between these events and the Bulgarians’ more peaceful ‘Changes.’ Then, the novelist praises

the Bulgarian products and pities the locals for the food and petrol shortages. This

controversial article, which stirred the readers’ emotions, is an objective radiography of the

disorienting moments in the early 1990s.

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The last subchapter analyses the use of irony and its effects on the novel’s overall

context. Although the beginning is dramatic, describing the women’s protests, the following

pages abound in ironic and sarcastic approaches: Petkanov’s interior monologue and the

burlesque portrayal of other world leaders, such as Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev,

or the Devinsky Commandos’ slogans, are among the first examples of the author’s

propensity for irony.

The third chapter covers two of Julian Barnes’s novels, England, England, and

Staring at the Sun, which in spite of some differences, are the embodiment of the writer’s

ironic style. England, England is analysed starting from Bakhtin’s concept of carnivalized

literature and Baudrillard’s theory of the simulacrum. Robert Maxwell, the British media

tycoon was a real source of inspiration even if the novelist declared that he identified this

controversial figure with a rogue. The similarities between Maxwell and Jack Pitman are

more than staggering, and their unscrupulous nature prompts them to do everything to assure

their financial security. For Bakhtin, the carnival is a complex festivity whose aim is to cancel

restrictions, rules and class differences, social and moral values.

Barnes’s satirical work is the epitome of the carnivalistic spirit, and every character

overwhelms the reader with a considerable amount of eccentricity. Once they accepted to be

part of Jack Pitman’s charade, their mission was to keep alive the flame of this imposture.

For example, the inaugural parade is a mélange of real and fictional characters, meant to

maximise the illusion of Englishness and function as a caricature of some overestimated

qualities. The King and Queen of England become Pitman’s puppets who do not resent being

part of this simulacrum, thus, creating a symbol for an inexistent situation.

This dystopian society is a reminder of the exaggerated tendencies to appreciate the

replica instead of the original. Today’s consumer society is a threat to originality and history,

and Barnes reflects this theme in the novel’s third part, when England decides to embrace a

form of seclusion, denying its past as a member of the European Union. After many years,

these fictional facts are part of the cruel reality, and the echoes of the much-awaited Brexit

can still be heard.

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The duality of Staring at the Sun resides in its double-edged effect: to impress the

readers with its realistic descriptions and stoic contemplation of the everyday life, and to

amuse them with ironic situations. Irony pervades the whole novel, from its early beginnings

marked by Barnes’s endless quest to find the most appropriate title, up to Jean’s unstoppable

wish to travel and see the Seven Wonders. For example, Uncle Leslie’s childish attitude

distances him from the rest of the family, except for Jean, who seems to like his pranks. Even

if in China, the local guides misuse many English words, Jean accepts the hilarious results

and creates her translation. Such events constitute the basis of Barnes’s ironic literary style.

The fourth chapter is dedicated to Barnes’s latest novel, The Man in the Red Coat.

This remarkable book reminds us of Flaubert’s Parrot, as it relies on intertextuality and

combines biographical elements with excerpts from novels, autobiographies, newspaper

articles, and personal letters. The title itself and the brightly coloured cover may be an

enigma, but not for the art lovers, who will soon recognize Sargent’s 1881 painting Dr. Pozzi

at Home.

The first subchapter deals with the representation of a disputed topic, dandyism; he

uses a very interesting narrative technique, switching from the third to the first to the person,

in an endless game of perspectives. This hybrid form, of Postmodernist influence, allows him

to play with the subjective and objective point of view: the narrator scrutinizes the three

dandies, insisting on their behaviour, clothes and general attitude. In connection with the

theoretical framework, the second subchapter focuses on Barnes’s use of intertextuality. This

mosaic of texts includes references to numerous biographers, who captured the glamorous

aspects and the spicy details of the nineteenth century lifestyle. Then, the novelist transforms

the most intimate letters and diaries into real sources of inspiration, meant to guide the readers

in this literary maze. The third and the fourth subchapter analyse Dr. Pozzi’s life and his

connections with the members of the Parisian elite, who soon become his patients.

The next subchapters explore Barnes’s representation of the Parisian upper class, and

his constant references to Oscar Wilde’s flamboyancy and outrageous behaviour, often

presenting him as Montesquiou’s English counterpart. The narrator places great emphasis on

the nineteenth century English and French societies, with their excesses as portrayed in two

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controversial novels: À Rebours and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The last part of this section

follows the narrative’s deconstruction and reinterpretation of the historical events, as well as

the Neo-Victorian influences. The Neo-Victorian stereotypes analysed in the first chapter

constitute the basis of this part of the study: women’s permanent feeling of emotional

unfulfillment, the religious perspective of the kind-hearted Christians or the hero’s propensity

for tolerance and the subsequent belief in class and race equality.

Within the fifth section of my thesis, we have grouped four novels whose common

denominator is the love theme and its derivative, the failed relationship. The Only Story and

The Sense of an Ending focus on two aspect: emotional interdependence and the ability or

inability to recall events and reconstruct past situations. The Sense of an Ending is a novel

that adjoins mixed themes, such as time and its irreversibility, the emotional quest and the

subsequent oscillations, as well as the deceitful memories. Like many Barnesian novels, this

too has been inspired by real events that changed the writer’s life, and the analysis follows

such examples of real and fictional mixture.

When he wrote The Only Story, Barnes used the idea of an outrageous relationship

between a younger man and a much older married woman, a reference to Adrian Finn’s

relationship with Veronica’s mother. This book is also rooted in memories and recollections,

and consequently the literary endeavour can be compared to an introspection with many

Desperado features, due the novel’s deconstructive character. The last two subchapters focus

on two interrelated novels, Talking it Over and Love, etc, describing the love triangle Gillian,

Stuart and Oliver. Like the previous novels, they enlarge upon the topic of failed relationship,

betrayal and divorce, but the uniqueness of this work is determined by the chatty style and

the monologues that constitute the corpus of the novels.

We have proved that Barnes provokes the readers because he exposes his characters

to endless debates, inner turmoil and reckless decisions. He is harsh with his creations, turns

them into the targets of his ironic attitude and creates special situations, which either present

them as hopeless and defenceless people, or as determined and courageous human beings.

We can often describe the events using the Bakhtinian concept of carnivalization or the

crowning and decrowning of a king during a carnival festivity.

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In chapters II, III, IV and V, we have identified the situations and the ironic devices

employed by Julian Barnes. The constant use of satire, parody and sharp irony confers him

unlimited narrative powers and a certain versatility, often acknowledged as the Barnesian

style. His rhetoric is different from that of his fellow novelists because he uses a familiar tone

and indulges in a ceaseless analysis of the characters’ ability or inability to rely on their

memories. Sometimes, he addresses the reader directly, on a friendly voice, like in Talking it

Over and Love, etc intruding into the reader’s private life, asking awkward questions that

lead to an inconvenient truth. Many of his novels could be categorised according to

Aristotle’s classification of rhetoric. Novels like The Porcupine, Staring at the Sun, The Man

in the Red Coat and The Noise of Time are examples of judicial rhetoric because they refer

to the past and the discourse aims to justify a series of actions. Other novels like The Only

Story and The Sense of an Ending are a mixture of epideictic rhetoric and judicial rhetoric,

as they allude to the present, they criticise certain characters and they want to find

explanations for the events.

We have concluded that Barnes pleads for narrative deconstruction, and adapts the

non-linear pattern to his own style. The reader may describe The Porcupine as a short novel,

but it is in fact a journalistic novel with parodic and satirical influences. Foretold by

Barnes’s article Candles for the Living, a radiography of the Bulgarian society in the early

1990s, The Porcupine incorporates aspects of cruel reality, narrated with the objectivity of

the outsider. The article triggered a hail of criticism and disapproval because it was written

by a westerner and in the Bulgarians’ opinion he could not understand the unclear economic

situation or the transition from one regime to another. The research highlighted that he was

completely aware of this literary danger, but he did not capitulate and refused to change the

structure of his novel, even when the pressure was unbearable. He showed the same

perseverance when a lawyer accused him of defamation, and manipulated Barnes’s ironic

situations in order to describe them as causes for libel. The lawyer presented a long list of

potentially offended famous people, including the Queen of England, Raisa and Mikhail

Gorbachev, Nancy and Ronald Reagan or Frank Sinatra. These allegations did not

discourage the novelist, who insisted that they should publish the book, highlighting the

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difference between reality and fiction. For him, irony is synonymous with narrative, and his

sarcasm is the basis of many novels.

England, England, a representative satirical work, abounds in verbal and situational

irony. The characters are the embodiment of the carnivalistic features, so they become the

exponents of Postmodernism and all their flaws are satirised and parodied in the utmost

Barnesian style. These burlesque characters indulge in a moral debauchery and succumb to

Sir Jack Pitman’s financial rewards, accepting all the immoral practices. What surprises the

reader is the series of exaggerated actions: beginning with Sir Jack’s megalomaniac parades,

continuing with his parodic island embedded in a utopic nation, and ending with the dystopic

Anglia, whose isolationism and return to pre-industrialism reflect auto-sufficiency. Barnes

uses irony and sarcasm in order to ridicule the isolationist behaviour, the propensity for

consumerism, the negative consequences of the excessive English pride, and the

omnipotence of greed caused by the lack of morality. He rightly states that he foresees events

and wants to be ahead of his time. The novel confirms Bakhtin’s theory that the carnival

cancels the social boundaries, the rules and restrictions, consequently enabling the impossible

to become possible: the King and Queen of England abandoned their country in exchange

for money, and tourists accepted the simulacrum, favouring the replica to the detriment of

the original. The burlesque transformations continue with England’s downfall or

‘decrowning’, according to Bakhtin’s theory, and with the subsequent switch of roles: Sir

Jack’s island becomes England, England and the old country returns to its Latin name,

Anglia.

As if following the Poststructuralist pattern, Julian Barnes does not want to state his

deconstructive side, although he tangoes with the literary genres, reshaping them and

imposing his will. At first glance, Staring at the Sun follows the life of an ordinary woman,

but due to the deconstruction process, he metamorphoses this realism, endowing it with ironic

and sarcastic connotations. The narrator describes a series of misunderstandings that lead to

ironic situations, and which become the reflection of verbal and situational irony. He reshapes

the apparently bildungsroman, endowing it with irony and sarcasm, according to each

character’s personality. Jean is not an ironic person, but the novelist settles the atmosphere

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for verbal and situational irony, emphasising her need to enjoy life. Unlike her, Gregory is

the perfect postmodernist character, prone to seclusion and introversion, who dislikes society

and the trips abroad, so Barnes endows him with sarcasm.

If the readers scan the text and the book cover of Barnes’s latest novel, The Man in

the Red Coat, they will be tempted to say that it is a monotonous analysis of the nineteenth

century, stuffed with numerous images depicting famous novelists, actors, actresses,

scientists, aristocrats or eccentric representatives of that age. The list could continue with

other professionals, but what bewilders the readers is the panoply of names, ranks or

occupations, amalgamated to produce the most striking visual effect. In this confusing and

exaggerated world, Barnes makes the first step towards his goal: to deconstruct and mock the

reality of the Belle Époque. Once again, he is the master of the narrative and orchestrates

every situation, influencing the readers and guiding them on this unknown path. He is

renowned for his French indebtedness, but this novel is more than a presentation of Dr.

Pozzi’s life, it is a biographical work combined with intertextuality, irony and social analysis.

The beginning is actually a variation on six options that might stand for the opening

paragraph, and which take the readers to six different locations. This is in fact an obvious

reverberation of deconstruction and irony, and how else could he mark another break from

the traditional. The narrator focuses on the re-enactment of dandyism, alluding to Oscar

Wilde, Count Robert de Montesquiou, Jean Lorrain and many other controversial figures.

The novel follows the life of Dr. Samuel-Jean Pozzi in the broader context of the Parisian

social life, with references to the French high society. Barnes describes their eccentricity

from an ironical perspective, portraying them as a group of gossipy people, whose main

interest is to criticise, chatter and display their expensive clothes. Their connection with Pozzi

is determined not only by the doctor-patient relationship, but also by his fervent desire to be

a member of the upper classes. Ironically, his death is as tempestuous as his entire life,

because a displeased patient shoots him. Barnes focuses on the consequences of his sudden

death, analysing different reactions, such as his family’s behaviour, his mistress’s grief and

the general sadness caused by his disappearance, resorting to excerpts from diaries, personal

letters or newspapers.

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The Sense of an Ending is another example of hybridisation, and once again, Barnes

reshapes the stream of consciousness technique, relating it to the irreversibility of time and

arbitrariness of memories. Both collective and personal memory are subject to oblivion or

mystification, but the difficult part is to perceive them as the basis of a reliable reconstruction

process. Tony Webster attempts to reconstruct his past, and he soon realises that there is a

strong connection between his past deeds and his friends’ lives. He struggles to explain this

interconnection, as well as the entanglements and irreversible consequences: he remembers

funny situations, painful separations and inconclusive facts. The novel is in fact an

introspection, an analysis of ironic events and blurred memories, which culminates in a

shocking discovery.

Following a similar pattern, The Only Story is a derivative of the previous novel, with

a tripartite structure, and a narration based on the protagonist’s endless quest for his only

love. Paul wonders whether love is a legal drug, bearing in mind his strong connection with

Susan, a married woman who was twice his age. An unexpected encounter is the catalyser of

their love, and the first part is sprinkled with the unmistakable Barnesian ironies. In these

three parts, the narrator switches from the first to the second and third person narrative,

attempting to retrieve the past and to forget it when needed. By the end of the novel, feelings

and memories overwhelm Paul, who chooses to escape, thus avoiding the past and returning

to the present. The pervasive ironic spirit is replaced by sadness and hopelessness. This novel

is another proof that Barnes deconstructs the narrative, adjusting it to his focal point, namely

the character’s feelings.

Talking it Over and Love, etc are hybrids belonging to a different literary style, or

better said a combination between the novel and the play. These interconnected novels tackle

the topic of failed relationships, highlighting the anxiety of the deserted partner and the

emotional turmoil. The characters address the readers directly, asking questions, offering a

coffee or a cigarette, complaining whenever necessary, thus transgressing narrative

boundaries. As usual, the novelist does not express his contempt for literary conventions, but

exhibits his unconventional nature when he combines humour with tragedy. Mostly due to

these mixed feelings, there are critics who believe that Talking it Over is ‘a farcical tragedy’

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(Childs 2015: 86) and the love triangle Stuart, Gillian and Oliver acquires carnivalesque as

well as tragic features mostly because there is a constant game of interchangeable emotions

and unexpected events.

Our research started from the premise that the controversies aroused by Julian

Barnes’s novels are rooted in his unique style, characterised by a fusion of irony and tragedy.

This mesmerising dichotomy triggers unexpected memories and does not appeal to all

readers. Some of his novels can be easily analysed using Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of

carnivalized literature, and the burlesque characters like Sir Jack, Dr. Max, Gregory, Oliver,

Gordon Macleod or Jean Lorrain are only a few figures who represent the embodiment of

farcical aspects. Baudrillard’s theory of the simulacrum provided the opportunity to

understand the enigmatic England, England with Anglia’s dystopian society and England,

England’s claims to acquire an independent status, so that it can become a proper country.

This novel is the exact representation of Baudrillard’s theory and belief that hyperreality

replaces reality, creating a symbol for an inexistent situation. Barnes captures the

quintessence of the definition, transforming the recreated country into the epitome of

commercialism, thus emphasizing the power of the duplicate over the original. Another

controversial particularity is Barnes’s ability to reshape the modernist narrative and

deconstruct it according to his own will. Consequently, we have analysed his novels using

Poststructuralist methods, beginning with Derrida’s deconstructive theory. The Man in the

Red Coat reunites narrative deconstruction, carnivalesque characters, intertextuality and

biographical features under the umbrella of social analysis and irony.

G. Research methodology

The study is structured into two parts: the theoretical part with the embedded theories,

and the text analysis, based on the applied methods, the identification of literary patterns and

structures. During the research, we have used methods that focus on Post-structuralism and

comparative analysis. We have also relied on Derrida’s deconstructive theory and its

subsequent transformations. Furthermore, the research is based on Bakhtin’s concept of

‘carnivalization’, and its gradual evolution in Ihab Hassan’s work Toward a Concept of

Postmodernism and in Linda Hutcheon’s studies on Postmodernism. In their opinion,

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carnivalization becomes a major postmodernist characteristic, presenting it as one of the

eleven features of postmodernism. We have also reviewed the mainstream literature,

emphasizing the most important aspects of critical theory.

H. Corpus

The study focuses on Julian Barnes’s work, out of which we have selected six novels:

The Porcupine, England, England, Staring at the Sun, The Man in the Red Coat, The Sense

of an Ending, Talking it Over and Love, etc. The texts represent different stages in Barnes’s

literary career: Staring at the Sun is his fourth novel, while the Man in the Red Coat is his

latest book, the common denominator being the propensity for irony. Thus, the study is

carried out using the following volumes:

Barnes, Julian. 2014. Staring at the Sun. London: Vintage Books.

Barnes, Julian. 2009. Talking it Over. London: Vintage Books.

Barnes, Julian. 2014. The Porcupine. London: Penguin Readers.

Barnes, Julian. 2012. England, England. London: Vintage Books.

Barnes, Julian. 2002. Love, etc. New York: Vintage International

Barnes, Julian. 2011. The Sense of an Ending. London: Vintage Books.

Barnes, Julian. 2018. The Only Story. London: Jonathan Cape.

Barnes, Julian. 2019. The Man in the Red Coat. London: Jonathan Cape

The research is also based on volumes of literary criticism, Socratic philosophy and

literary analysis that broadened the perspective on this topic. The novelist is by all means,

a rhetorician, a man of letters who combines personal experience with narrative techniques

in order to persuade the readers with his unique literary work. Undoubtedly, Barnes is the

master of the sparkling dialogue, who includes ironic remarks, jokes and funny situations.

His rhetorical abilities are the result of his propensity for philosophy and the need to

understand the human behaviour.