Consider the treatment of history in Julian Barnes's A History of The World in 10 1/2 Chapters

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Consider the treatment of history in Julian Barnes's
A History of The World in 10 1/2 Chapters

The title A History of The World in 10 ½ Chapters immediately conveys an ironic approach to history. The half chapter indicates that Barnes is mocking the idea of being able to encapsulate the world's history in one book. (The title perhaps refers to Sir Walter Raleigh's The History of the World, which also begins with the story of the Flood.) Barnes's non-conformist narrative structure differs from the chronological narrative typical of history books. The novel has many different narrative voices. This unconventional use of form indicates an unconventional view of history. Barnes is very selective in his reference to historical events. For example, he includes the Flood, Middle Eastern history and man's landing on the moon, but omits other equally significant events. Barnes by no means attempts to be comprehensive. His treatment of history is unconventional, ironic, satirical and irreverent.

In his half chapter, 'Parenthesis', Barnes directly addresses his treatment of the theme of history. Here he addresses the reader similarly to the way El Greco stares out of his own painting, 'Burial of The Count of Orgaz': with an 'ironical eye.' Barnes states clearly that 'History isn't what happened. History is just what historians tell us.' He communicates his belief that history is simply fabulation: 'You keep a few true facts and spin a new story round them.' Barnes also shows that 'Dates don't tell the truth'; the ones we remember aren't necessarily the most important. Barnes communicates his belief that 'The objective truth is not obtainable' and that history is not a 'God-eyed version of what "really" happened.'

In 'The Survivor' Barnes skilfully illustrates the idea of fabulation. Kath escapes in a boat to sea from an impossible relationship. There may or may not have been a nuclear war. At the end of the chapter it is unclear whether Kath is on an island and the men in her dreams are the fabulators or whether she is in a hospital and she herself is the fabulator. The illustration highlights how Barnes has used fabulation in other parts of his novel. For instance, in 'The Stowaway' Barnes takes the story of the Ark. He uses the same basic story. He also uses the same 'facts': the brothers Ham, Shem and Japheth are all present, the Ark is made from gopher wood, he refers to the Ark's measurements (three hundred cubits long). Around these data Barnes spins his own incredible story. Instead of the conventional historian's all-seeing eye he gives us the (wood)worm's eye view.

'Shipwreck', placed strategically after 'The Survivor', subtly shows how historical stories are not necessarily reliable accounts of the past. In part I Barnes recounts the story of the fatal 1816 expedition to Senegal. In part II he describes how Gericault transposed this historical event into art. Barnes describes in detail what Gericault decided not to paint. He describes how Gericault sacrificed truth and accuracy in favour of higher truths of art. Through this Barnes shows that artistic representations of the past go beyond supposedly objective documentary. This reflects back to part I of 'Shipwreck', which is, after all, art. It leaves the reader asking the questions: How much of part I is truth and how much is fabulation?

In 'The Survivor' Kath says, 'I hate dates. Dates are bullies, dates are know-alls', in relation to the mnemonic about the date Columbus discovered America. Barnes seems to share this opinion. In his history of the world there are very few dates; this staple of conventional history books is largely missing. In 'The Dream' Barnes exceptionally includes the dates significant to the history of Leicester City football team. It is ironic that he chooses to recount these historically insignificant dates and this conveys his negative opinion of dates in general. As he says in 'Parenthesis', 'we allow ourselves to be bullied by dates', 'Dates don't tell the truth.' Barnes's opinion is that dates give us a false impression of progression. His rejection of dates represents a rejection of the kind of history we have all been taught as schoolchildren.

In 'Three simple Stories' Barnes introduces the idea that history repeats itself and encapsulated in the first story is an illustration of 'Marx's elaboration of Hegel: history repeats itself, first time as tragedy, second time as farce.' Lawrence Beesley, who had escaped the sinking of the Titanic, years later sneaked on board the set of a film about the Titanic. Dressed in period costume and eager to appear in the film, he is ordered off the ship. For the second time he avoids going down. Barnes illustrates Marx's playful reading of Hegel on a broader scale in the novel. In 'The Mountain' and 'Project Ararat' Miss Fergusson tragically dies on the mountain. Spike Tiggler, in chapter nine, unwittingly finds her bones and farcically exclaims, 'We found Noah,' and 'Praise the Lord.'

However, in 'Upstream' the repetition of events brings tragedy a second time. The re-enactment of Firmin and Antonio's argument ends in tragedy when Matt is killed. Barnes does not believe that 'Marx's elaboration of Hegel' is right. In 'Parenthesis' he says that the idea is 'too grand, too considered a process.' Instead he argues that 'History just burps, and we taste again the raw onion sandwich it swallowed centuries ago.' This opinion of history is consistent with Barnes's repetition of the Ark and woodworm motifs throughout the novel; these too are 'just burps.'

'The Stowaway', 'The Mountain' and 'Project Ararat' are linked because they are directly related to the Biblical story of Noah. Their chronological order shows how fabulated history becomes part of the present, which in turn becomes history itself. Miss Fergusson's pilgrimage to Mount Ararat is initiated because of her belief in the Biblical story. Her belief, her pilgrimage and her death, in some sense, make the Biblical story true. When fabulated history is something that governs people's lives then fiction becomes reality and reality is modelled on fiction. Perhaps this is what Barnes means when, in chapter seven, he says, 'Myth will become reality, however sceptical we might be.'

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In 'The Visitors' Barnes makes fun of history enthusiasts. The passengers of the Santa Euphemia are interested in history, in Knossos' past and Minoan civilisation. However, they become actively involved in the political history of the Middle East, more involved than they would like to be! Barnes is implying that you cannot extricate yourself from history.

Throughout the novel Barnes's treatment of history is very ironic. He challenges the reader's expectations of an historical book. Barnes's combination of historical fact with pseudo-historical stories in the novel cleverly illustrates his argument regarding fabulation. This argument points out that historical narratives ...

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