Explore ways McEwan presents obsession in Enduring Love

Explore ways McEwan presents obsession in Enduring Love Exploring the ways McEwan presents obsession can be seen to be extremely obvious yet that is not the case. We see the obsession at the surface of for example Jed with Joe. Yet there could be deeper obsessions such as Clarissa with children or even Keats. When looking at Jed's obsessive personality with Joe we can see the way it that it never changes and newer weakens. "What we could do...is pray together?" With Jed it is never the case of "do you want to?" this focus towards Joe shows us a way in which McEwan presents obsession to us the reader. At the very end of the novel in the appendix we also still see strong signs of Jed's obsession and even three years after the tragic event "Thank you for loving me" it is almost now as this obsession has now become delusional and in need of more medical help. McEwan presents this obsession to show how even after everyone has moved on such as Joe and Clarissa adopting a baby and putting it behind them, Jed still can not seem to do this. McEwan again shows this obsession through the language of Jed and even Joe and Clarissa. We know that Jed is obsessed with Joe. Through the language he uses it can reinforce this to the reader. "We don't know...we have to...we can" the sheer amount of times Jed uses the word "we" shows us how almost Joe is a part of him as well. McEwan presents

  • Word count: 859
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Enduring Love includes one of the most celebrated fictional catastrophes in contemporary British fiction. The ballooning accident which opens the novel is pacey, tense and intelligently told.

Enduring Love includes one of the most celebrated fictional catastrophes in contemporary British fiction. The ballooning accident which opens the novel is pacey, tense and intelligently told. A man dies horribly and his death, and dead body are described with the customary McEwan taste for horror amidst the everyday. However, McEwan is not an author who wishes to shock and then, once the effect has worn off, shock us again. He takes this initial event and weaves more challenging material from its intensity. For here our hero discovers that he has a secret gay admirer who doesn't like to keep his admiring that secret. McEwan explores the repercussions of catastrophe. How people deal with the afterwards, the aftermath. So we have a tale of stalking, a tale with gender implications. For, rather like a tale of male rape, having a male victim at least makes one half of the population feel more vulnerable than they otherwise might. McEwan, in his more mature work has sought to write about issues that have undoubted contemporary relevance, issues we read about in today's newspapers. So, in The Child in Time, he treats the subject of child abduction; in Black Dogs it's the fall of the Berlin Wall and in Enduring Love stalking. But where the newspapers will concentrate on grief and revolution while it still sells McEwan explores the causes and the coming to terms with the event that

  • Word count: 1963
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How effective do you find the opening to enduring love? What do you find interesting about McEwan's style?

How effective do you find the opening to enduring love? What do you find interesting about McEwan's style? The opening to Enduring Love is designed to draw us into the book and keep us reading on for more information. McEwan claimed that he wrote the opening chapter in a way that would give effects similar to a "highly addictive drug", always trying to keep the reader involved and addicted to the events unfolding. The key word here is "addictive". To make the opening addictive McEwan needs to utilize techniques that make the reader "addicted" to the novel, after reading the opening chapter I think to an extent he has achieved this. However I would hardly say the opening is anywhere near as addictive as a "highly addictive drug", nevertheless without using chemicals this is about as addictive as books come. Tension is commonly used in books to make them more exciting. Tension is used to good affect throughout the opening chapter to get the reader "addicted", this is a very important element for the opening to contain. Tension is built up in various styles in the opening. From the very first line, "The beginning is simple to mark" tension is present. This line implies that the beginning is simple to explain and understand, while it also implies by saying this that the middle and end will be slightly harder to ingest. This is effective because it builds up tension for the

  • Word count: 1605
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and contrast the presentation of Joe and Jed up to the end of chapter 12 in 'Enduring Love'.

ESSAY: Compare and contrast the presentation of Joe and Jed up to the end of chapter 12. Joe Rose and Jed Parry are two of three main characters in 'Enduring Love'. McEwan presents the two characters in many similar ways, as well as differently. From the beginning of the novel, the reader learns a lot about the personalities and traits of the characters, through Joe Rose's speech and thoughts (as he is the first person narrative) and through Jed's speech and actions. McEwan's presentation of the two men changes throughout the chapters in the novel. From the very beginning, we learn that Joe Rose is a 'complicated simpleton', a very rational man, who has a love for science, evident through his scientific jargon and language and the accuracy of his descriptions and accounts of events. "... Barely a neuronal pulse later came other thoughts in which fear and instant calculations of logarithmic complexity were fused." (Chapter 1) Jed on the other hand is a very passionate man... passionate about religion, and also about Joe's acceptance of religion. McEwan vaguely presents Jed in the beginning of the novel, in chapter 1 as more of his character is revealed in chapter 2. Jed is physically, merely described as: "He was twenty-eight, unemployed, living on an inheritance in Hampstead". (Chapter 1) In chapter 3, we learn through Joe, that he is feeling trapped, and

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Discuss the Progress of Jed Parry’s Obsession and Joe’s Awareness of It In the First Four Chapters of the Novel.

DISCUSS THE PROGRESS OF JED PARRY'S OBSESSION AND JOE'S AWARENESS OF IT IN THE FIRST FOUR CHAPTERS OF THE NOVEL. McEwan introduces the character of Parry in Chapter 1 in the midst of a tragic event. Despite the seriousness of what happens in the balloon, the narrator provides crucial hints about Jed's significance, such as "even then he was more interested in me."? McEwan creates in Jed a character who is opposed to Joe in terms of his background and his beliefs. This helps to add to our interest in Parry as we follow the effects of their interaction on Joe's life. Our understanding of Parry's character is limited. We only see the character of Parry through Joe's eyes. This is a second-hand source but it shows significant changes in his character from fairly harmless to very dangerous. The reader is encouraged to accept Joe's views about the threat posed by Parry but we are provided with an alternative outlook in the views of Clarissa. The first time Jed Parry's name is mentioned is very early on in the first chapter alongside John Logan. This indicates they must be important to be mentioned so early and McEwan gives us a hint that this character is one to be noted of as Joe picks him out, "knowing what I know what I know now, it is odd to evoke the figure of Jed Parry". "As for Jed Parry my view of him was blocked by the balloon", this is intriguing as you look back after

  • Word count: 1024
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What are our impressions of the narrator in the opening section of

What are our impressions of the narrator in the opening section of "Enduring Love." In the section of "Enduring Love," by Ian McEwan, our impressions of the narrator are formed by the use of language that he employs and the emphasis he places on his own actions and thoughts as well as those of Clarissa. I will show by analyzing his observations and attitudes as they arise in the passage. Our initial impression on reading through the passage is that the narrator is speaking as though he is giving evidence to a court. He is using language that is often pompous and sometimes judgmental; this is mostly directed against Clarissa. The passage opens with a rhetorical question; "What was Clarissa doing?" This question is automatically accusing and straight away gives a negative impression of the narrator. He then continues by writing; "She said she walked quickly towards the center of the field." This sentence is again accusing the "She said," particularly making it sound as though the narrator is in some doubt as to whether what Clarissa says is true. This gives us the impression that he readily doubts those he is supposedly close to. Immediately after this we see another negative aspect of the narrator's personality. "I don't know how she resisted the urge to run." This statement could be taken in two ways. Firstly the narrator could be implying that the incident he is about

  • Word count: 706
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Enduring Love". One of the first things we learn about Jed Parry is that he seems to be un-phased by the accident he had just witnessed

Jed Parry One of the first things we learn about Jed Parry is that he seems to be un-phased by the accident he had just witnessed and was more interested in Joe Rose, ‘even then he was more interested in me.’ The reader could assume that this is not normal behaviour as all the other witnesses were highly disturbed by the dead body. This could indicate that Jed had a very different mentality to the other characters and is the first sign of his obsession with Joe Rose. We also learn that Jed is a devout believer and has a very strong faith in God. He is labelled by Clarissa early on in the book as a ‘Jesus Freak’ as he is the complete opposite to Joe who is a strong believer in science. Jed reveals his belief in God by asking Joe to pray with him, 'what we could do… is to pray together?’ This demonstrates how Jed turns to God in his times of need and also advises it to Joe. Joe refuses to pray however ‘Parry wasn’t giving up.’ This is the first hint that we get of Parry’s very persistent and pestering personality. Parry is a very motivated character and constantly tries to get his way. Another occasion he harasses Joe is when he is trying to convince him to meet him. ‘Just see me this once, just once hear me out and you’ll never have to hear from me again.’ This desperate plea is very convincing and shows us how dedicated Jed is to getting close to

  • Word count: 601
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Character Development In Mr Jed Parry.

Chapter 20 Summary A second letter from Jed Parry to Joe handed to him in person when Joe returns from the Logan residence. The letter reveals that Jed has been reading Joe's published articles and he goes on to express his views on what he has read. Consequently he then recites most of his philosophies on religion, science, Joe's career and Joe himself. He briefly digresses on a school trip to Switzerland that he attended and finally Jed emphasises his hatred of being 'ignored'. Character Development In this chapter we learn a lot about Mr Jed Parry and our perception of him may well change by the end. Parry's mood and reasoning behind the letter have changed somewhat from previous writing and he now appears to have adopted a new found hatred for Joe from reading his articles and the phrase 'I hated you' appears often. He is also becoming gradually more frightening and is now continuously implying threats, some physical some not. There is what he said to Joe in the previous chapter and now little phrases that seem to empower Parry like 'you must never...' and 'take a swing at me - if you dare', (p138) the last statement almost taunting Joe. The most frightening statement of all, however, has to be a section of the letter where he tells Joe of the morning cap ride to his apartment. He says: 'I wanted to hurt you. Perhaps even more than that. Something more, and God will

  • Word count: 1527
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Ian McEwan commit the reader to the rest of the novel in the first chapter?

By LuCy AtweLL Ms. Buggins How does Ian McEwan commit the reader to the rest of the novel in the first chapter? Ian McEwan said himself, "The first impressions of a book, are the most crucial", I strongly agree with his statement. The first chapter/introduction is the decider; it allows the reader to initially decide if this book is for them. Therefore it has to be the most effective to lure the reader in. There are many different types of novel openings; openings with a dramatic scene, character introduction, diary form, starting with the ending of the story, spoken in past, present or future tense and many more. Ian McEwan has used character introduction and starting the novel with a dramatic event in Enduring Love. He begins the novel with a quick pace, so therefore it builds suspense for the reader immediately. He makes the pace quick or slow by sentence structure, (the smaller the sentence structure the faster the pace). The novel opening is written in past tense and in third person narrative. The reader discovers that the narrator is also a character called Joe. His tone is regretful and concise. This tells the reader that the effect of an event has changed or marked his life somehow. "This is the last time I understood anything at all". This straight away starts to trigger off questions in the readers mind and increases curiosity. The opening scene involves

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How Important are the Appendices in the Novel? "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan

Helen Moth How Important are the Appendices in the Novel? "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan is a modern day novel written and set in the 1990's. It is written mainly in the first person narrative, from the viewpoint of Joe Rose (the narrator). The novel is based around one event, a ballooning accident that brings two men together whether they like it or not. Throughout the novel there is one main plot, that of the "stalking" of Joe by Jed Parry. However there are two other sub plots, Joe and Clarissa's relationship and the relationship of Jean and John Logan. And also not as obvious is that of "who let go first?". This is referred to many times in the novel by Joe because he feels guilty for what happened. All of these plots are resolved within the appendices or the novel itself except one, we don't find out who was the first to let go of the rope. I feel that McEwan intends the ballooning accident to be looked at on a social level, that when one person or group slips in society, everyone falls, it doesn't matter who! Also if we did find out who let go first, it would take the focus away from the main plot. In terms of Joe and Clarissa's relationship, it starts by being very strong. This is shown in the very first chapter of the book when Joe and Clarissa share a reunion after she has been away working. Also another incident in the novel that shows the strong connection

  • Word count: 828
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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