Generic multiplicity in Alasdair Gray's Lanark: a life in 4 books
Luis de Juan Hatchard
- Iss: 15, pp 109-122
TLDR
In this paper, the ontological multiplicity of Lanark: A Life in 4 Books is explored and the authors argue that the novel blurs the frontiers between dystopian and utopian writing as well as between fantasy and science fiction, and that such a melange is an effective way of providing a panoramic view of contemporary Western society.Abstract:
This paper begins by acknowledging the ontological multiplicity which characterises the fictional world(s) of Lanark: A Life in 4 Books, and suggests the need to complement this reading by looking into its generic multiplicity. In doing so, my analysis initially focuses on the opposition between the realistic and fantastic narratives, and the revitalising effect that such a relationship brings about; then it looks into how the novel blurs the frontiers between dystopian and utopian writing as well as between fantasy and science fiction, and contends that such a melange is an effective way of providing a panoramic view of contemporary Western society; finally, my analysis pays special attention to the Epilogue, which adds a metafictional dimension to the novel, and comments on the different interpretations that may be given to this display of narrative experimentation.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Sounding Postmodernity: Narrative Voices in the Radio Adaptation of Alasdair Gray's Lanark
TL;DR: In this article, a radio play adaptation of the novel Lanark: A Life in Four Books (1981) is presented, and the authors focus on the narratological category of "voice" and explore what happens when narrators and characters' voices are actualized in radio drama.
References
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Book
The Politics of Postmodernism
TL;DR: In this article, the postmodernist representation is de-naturalized the natural, Photographic discourse, Telling Stories: fiction and history, Re-presenting the past: 'total history' de-totalized, Knowing the past in the present, The archive as text.