Kee p ing t he H isto ry f ro m Ob liv io n ：
Phys ica lit y a nd Repe t it io n in Ia n M cE wa n’s Sat urda y
F a c u l t y o f L a w, D e p a r t m e nt o f P o l i t i c s
Yo s h i ka t s u T S UJ I
1
Introduction
On 15th September in 2001, Ian McEwan commented on
9 / 11 i n t h e a r t i c l e o f T h e G u a r d i a n , e n t i t l e d " O n l y L o v e a n d T h e n
Oblivion:
Love
Wa s
All
They
Had
to
Set
against
Their
Murderers":
If the hijackers had been able to imagine themselves into
the thoughts and feelings of the passengers, they would
have been unable to proceed. It is h ard to be cruel once you
permit
yourself
to
enter
the
mind
of
your
victim.
Imagining what it is like to be someone other than yourself
i s a t t h e c o r e o f o u r h u m a n i t y. I t i s t h e e s s e n c e o f
c o m p a s s i o n , a n d i t i s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f m o r a l i t y.
In this article, McEwan insists on the significance of sympathy
to imagine oneself “into the thought and feeling of” the other.
R e f e r r i n g t o t h e a c t o f n a r r a t i n g i n c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h D a v i d Ly n n ,
he rephrases it as
“mapping out of other minds and the
invitation to the reader to step into those other minds ” (51).
Some critics paraphrase it in terms of “penetration” and McEwan
once remarked “penetration into other consciousness” in an
a r t i c l e , w h i c h i s n o t a v a i l a b l e n o w. 1
His use of “penetration” for sympathy is worth attention in
the sense that this word frequently means the sexual intercourse.
2
I n t h i s r e s p e c t , t h r e e o f M c E w a n ’s w o r k s , p u b l i s h e d b e f o r e a n d
a f t e r 9 / 11 , a r e n o t e w o r t h y. T h o s e w o r k s d e s c r i b e p e n e t r a t i o n s
into others in a literal sense, and it is significant that all
penetrations
Atonement
are
not
(2001),
accomplished.
Saturday
(2005),
T hese
and
three
On
works
Chesil
are
Beach
(2007).2
The remarkable point of the motif of penetration is that it
is represented as the sexual penetration between men and women
w h o b e l o n g t o d i f f e r e n t c l a s s e s : R o b b i e Tu r n e r a n d C e c i l i a Ta l l i s
in Atonement, Baxter and Daisy Perowne in Saturday, and
E d w a r d M a y h e w a n d F l o r e n c e P o n t i n g i n O n C h e s i l B e a c h . M e n ’s
s t a t u s i s a l w a y s l o w e r t h a n w o m e n ’s . R o b b i e i s a s o n o f a s e r v a n t
f o r t h e Ta l l i s e s . B a x t e r i s a s t r e e t g a n g s t e r, w h i l e D a i s y i s a n
Oxford-educated poet. Edward is a son of the headmaster of a
primary school, while Florence is a gifted violinist, whose father
is a prosperous businessman and whose mother is a lecturer in
p h i l o s o p h y.
In relation to the recurrent motif of penetration, “beach”
functions as the boundary between two spheres in all three works.
In
Atonement, one of the protagonists, Robbie, has bitter
experience on the beach of Dunkirk and goes across the Channel.
I n S a t u r d a y , a s w i l l b e r e f e r r e d t o l a t e r, M a t t h e w A r n o l d ’s
well-known poem entitled “Dover Beach” plays an important role.
As the title apparently shows, On Chesil Beach uses a seashore
as the setting
where
its principal
3
characters,
Edward and
Florence, spend their wedding night. Thus, these three works
f o r e g r o u n d t h e b o u n d a r y.
C o n s i d e r i n g M c E w a n ’s c o m m e n t a b o u t 9 / 11 , t h e s e t h r e e
works can be regarded as attempts to search for the possibil ity of
p e n e t r a t i o n i n t o o t h e r s b y w a y o f l i t e r a t u r e . H o w e v e r, t h e y c a n
also be regarded as a paradoxical depicting of the impossibility
in that they describe failures of physical penetrations. The
physicality is, of course, connected with the motif of sexual
penetrations, and is opposite to the menta l penetration, on which
M c E w a n i n s i s t s i n h i s c o m m e n t o n 9 / 11 .
J u s t b e f o r e 9 / 11 , M c E w a n ’s h i s n i n t h n o v e l , A t o n e m e n t , w a s
published, and it took four more years for him to publish his next
novel. Between these works, the Iraq war broke out. Thus his
preoccupation with “the core of our humanity” is condensed into
h i s t e n t h n o v e l , S a t u r d a y, w h o s e s c e n e i s s e t i n L o n d o n , w h e r e
people are in the grip of anxious fear of attacks by terrorist s. In
Saturday, we can see the dynamics of penetration that occurs in
the boundary between two opposite element, such as individual
a n d s o c i e t y, h u m a n i t i e s a n d s c i e n c e , r e a l i t y a n d f i c t i o n , a n d s o
on.
Saturday
is
the
story
of
Henry
Perowne’s
one-day
experience, and is narrated by an omniscient narrator in the
third person, in the present tense. This day can be identified as
15th February 2003, for a huge demonstration that took place
actually on the very day in London is described in the novel.
4
Henry Perowne is a neurosurgeon. This novel describes his off
d a y, w h i c h i n c l u d e s a r e g u l a r s q u a s h g a m e w i t h h i s c o l l e a g u e , a n
accidental encounter with a diseased thug, the family meeting to
c e l e b r a t e h i s d a u g h t e r ’s p u b l i c a t i o n o f a c o l l e c t i o n o f h e r p o e m s
entitled My Saucy Bark, and the intrusion into the party by
gangsters.
Entering the mind of others —or penetrating the wall of the
mind of other people —is a significant theme of Saturday. This
can be seen not only in the story but also in the narrative
s t r u c t u r e . A t t h e l e v e l o f s t o r y, P e r o w n e u n c o n s c i o u s l y t r i e s t o
imagine what others think, throughout the novel . Narrating in
the novel is the same act in this sense. While Perowne uses his
m e d i c a l k n o w l e d g e t o i n v e s t i g a t e o t h e r s ’ m i n d s , t h e n a r r a t o r ’s
l i t e r a r y d e s c r i p t i o n i s c a r r i e d o u t b y e n t e r i n g P e r o w n e ’s m i n d
a n d b y r e p o r t i n g w h a t h e i s t h i n k i n g . I t i s c l e a r t h a t P e r o w n e ’s
e n t e r i n g t h e m i n d o f o t h e r s a n d t h e n a r r a t o r ’s “ p e n e t r a t i o n ” i n t o
t h e p r o t a g o n i s t ’s m i n d c o n s t i t u t e t h e o p p o s i t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p
i n S a t u r d a y . H o w e v e r, a s m e n t i o n e d a b o v e , t h e p h y s i c a l i t y i s
a l s o s i g n i f i c a n t f a c t o r.
Considering not only the me ntal but also the physical leads
to bringing the hidden message of McEwan to light. The present
paper aims to investigate the meaning of the physicality and the
repetition, and it finally turns out to be the attempt to explore
the role of the novel for the history that is on the verge of
oblivion.
5
1 . P h y s i c a l i t y, I n t e r t e x t u a l i t y, a n d t h e Wa r s
The physical is the core of the world for Perowne and it
connects to his sense of value in literature:
They [Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary] had the virtue,
a t l e a s t , o f r e p r e s e n t i n g a r e c o g n i z a b l e p h y s i c a l r e a l i t y,
which could not be said for the so -called magical realist
s h e [ D a i s y ] o p t e d t o s t u d y i n h e r f i n a l y e a r. ( 6 7 )
In this passage, there is also a denouncement for the magical
realist, which is regarded as the opposition against the realist
who represents “a recognizable physical reality” in the novels.
Perowne describes the novels of magical realists as follows:
In more than one, heroes and heroines were born with or
sprouted wings —
a s y m b o l , i n D a i s y ’s t e r m , o f t h e i r
l i m i n a l i t y ; n a t u r a l l y, l e a r n i n g t o f l y b e c a m e a m e t a p h o r
for bold aspiration. (67)
The motif of “wings” is regarded as the representative of magical
r e a l i s m h e r e . Wi n g s e n a b l e “ h e r o e s o r h e r o i n e s ” t o f l y, n a m e l y, t o
b e a g a i n s t t h e l a w o f g r a v i t y.
G r a v i t y i n M c E w a n ’s w o r k i s i d e n t i c a l w i t h t h e p r i n c i p l e o f
r e a l i t y. F o r i n s t a n c e , P e t e r, t h e p r o t a g o n i s t i n T h e D a y d r e a m e r
6
(1994), invents a kind of weightless environment simulator in a
daydream, which is offered as a tale within the novel. As Peter
Childs points out, it is noteworthy that this novel is constituted
by seven interlinked stories of “out-of-body experience” (149).
Amsterdam (1998) also has a little reference to the weightless
e n v i r o n m e n t s i m u l a t o r. I t a p p e a r s a s t h e u n r e a l i z e d d e v i c e i n
the novel. In both novels, the weightlessness is connected to the
o p p o s i t i o n o f r e a l i t y. O n t h e c o n t r a r y, i n S a t u r d a y , t h e p h r a s e
“the iron weight of the actual” (168) confirms the connection
b e t w e e n g r a v i t y a n d t h e p r i n c i p l e o f r e a l i t y.
I n r e l a t i o n t o t h e w i n g s , f l y i n g , a n d g r a v i t y, h e i g h t i s a l s o
a n e s s e n t i a l m o t i f i n M c E w a n ’s w o r k s . F r o m t h e e a r l y p a r t o f t h i s
novel, height is connected to the omniscient or the fantastic.
S t a r t i n g t h i s n o v e l w i t h P e r o w n e ’s l o o k i n g d o w n o n t h e s q u a r e ,
McEwan sets the one-way relationship between the seer and the
s e e n . I t a l s o a p p e a r s i n o t h e r M c E w a n ’s w o r k s . F o r i n s t a n c e , i n
Atonement, the innocent Bryony on the first floor looks down on
the exchange between her sister Cecilia and Robbie, who a re in
the garden, and mistakenly regards it as a n assault upon Cecilia
by
Robbie.
Bryony
makes
up
the
story
based
on
the
misunderstanding, which sends Robbie to jail . Also at the end of
Saturday, Perowne stands beside the window and reflect s upon
h i s S a t u r d a y, w h i l e
[h]e feels himself turning on a giant wheel, like the Eye on
7
the south bank of the Thames, just about to arrive at the
h i g h e s t p o i n t – h e ’s p o i s e d o n a h i n g e o f p e r c e p t i o n , b e f o r e
t h e d r o p , a n d h e c a n s e e a h e a d c a l m l y. ( 2 7 2 )
This relationship between the height and the act of seeing is thus
presented both in the beginning and in the end of the novel .
Height in buildings forms a hierarchy in terms of the
i n n o c e n t . Ly n n We l l s s u g g e s t s t h a t “ [ t ] h e P e r o w n e h o m e i s s u b t l y
o r g a n i z e d t o r e f l e c t c e r t a i n s t r u c t u r e s o f p o w e r, b o t h p e r s o n a l
a n d p o l i t i c a l ” ( 1 2 0 ) . We l l s a n a l y z e s t h e t h r e e s t o r i e s o f t h e h o u s e ,
which are associated with each symbolic meaning : the upper
story
is
associated
with
“ P e r o w n e ’s
class
superio rity
and
culrural imperialism”; the basement is connected with the space
of “the traditionally feminine work ”; and the first floor of the
house
is
“the
middle
space
where
masculine
and
feminine
principles converges as the conflict between the bourgeois family
a n d t h e o u t s i d e r t a k e s p l a c e ” ( 1 2 0 ) . T h e P e r o w n e h o m e , h o w e v e r,
c o n s i s t s o f f o u r s t o r i e s i n f a c t . We l l s o v e r l o o k s t h e t h i r d f l o o r,
w h e r e P e r o w n e ’s s o n , T h e o , u s u a l l y s l e e p s . T h e t h i r d f l o o r o f
P e r o w n e ’s h o u s e s h o u l d b e r e g a r d e d a s a n i n n o c e n t s p h e r e .
A s t o t h e t h e m e o f h e i g h t , M a s a a k i Ta k e d a , r e f e r r i n g t o T h e
C h i l d i n Ti m e ( 1 9 8 7 ) a n d E n d u r i n g L o v e ( 1 9 9 7 ) , p o i n t s o u t t h e
structure that consists of the upper innocent world and of the
lower substantial world. He argues that, therefore, the contrast
“represents the harshness of the substantial world” and that the
8
fall as a motif in these novels “symbolically brings the end of an
innocent world into the work” (15, translation mine). In this
s e n s e , B a x t e r ’s t u m b l i n g d o w n f r o m t h e u p p e r f l o o r o f P e r o w n e ’s
house can be regarded as the embodiment of the fall motif in
S a t u r d a y . C e r t a i n l y, t h e i n t r u s i o n o f B a x t e r, d e s c r i b e d a s a n
“excited child” (223), comes to an end by falling. Thus, in this
n o v e l , l i k e P e r o w n e ’s t h o u g h t a b o u t r e a l i s m ,
physicality is
r e p r e s e n t e d a s a r e a l i t y.
As
the
physical
act,
a
sinking
body
into
the
water
foregrounds and highlights the boundaries in this novel. In the
f o l l o w i n g e p i s o d e w i t h h i s m o t h e r, L i l y, P e r o w n e a b h o r s t o f e e l
the boundary materially:
She [Lily] made him follow her into sinister green lakes
and the grey North Sea before season. It was another
e l e m e n t , s h e u s e d t o s a y, a s i f i t w e r e a n e x p l a n a t i o n o r a n
enticement.
Another
element
was
precisely
what
he
objected to lowering his skinny freckled frame into. It was
the division between the elements that hurt most . […]
(37-38)
L e d b y L i l y, w h o i s e x p e r t a t s w i m m i n g , P e r o w n e a t t e m p t e d t o
s i n k h i s b o d y i n t o t h e l a k e ; h o w e v e r, h i s b o d y w i t h s t a n d s t h e
boundaries.
As
“another
element”
that
9
is
alien
to
Perowne,
the
physicality of Baxter is an uncanny thing for him. For instance,
B a x t e r ’s e x i s t e n c e i s d e s c r i b e d a s f o l l o w s :
All day long, the encounter on Univers ity Street has been
i n h i s [ P e r o w n e ’s ] t h o u g h t s , l i k e a s u s t a i n e d p i a n o n o t e .
B u t h e ’ d a l m o s t f o r g o t t e n a b o u t B a x t e r, n o t t h e f a c t o f h i s
existence, of course, but the agitated physical reality , the
sour
nicotine
tang,
the
tremulous
right
hand,
the
m o n k e y i s h a i r, h e i g h t e n e d n o w b y a w o o l l e n c a p . ( 2 0 7 ,
emphasis added)
P r e v i o u s t o t h i s s c e n e , i n t h e i r f i r s t e n c o u n t e r, P e r o w n e a n d
Baxter experience the first physical touch, which seems to
Perowne “a sharp ridge, a shock wave” and carries “with it not so
much
pain
as
an
electric
jolt
of
stupefaction ”
(92).
It
is
n o t e w o r t h y t h a t t h e p h y s i c a l t o u c h i n t h i s s c e n e , B a x t e r ’s p u n c h ,
is compared with a “kick” in terms of intimacy: “A kick is less
intimate, less involving, than a punch, and one ki ck never quite
s e e m s e n o u g h ” ( 9 3 ) . C o n s e q u e n t l y, t h e i n t i m a c y o f B a x t e r ’s
punch is paradoxically expressed.
I n t h e s c e n e o f B a x t e r ’s i n t r u s i o n i n t o P e r o w n e ’s h o u s e , t h e
physical touch between Perowne and Baxter can be regarded as
suspended. There is no touch between them until the end of the
s c e n e o f t h e i n t r u s i o n : a f t e r l e a v i n g B a x t e r ’s c r o n y, P e r o w n e
s e i z e s B a x t e r ’s w r i s t w i t h b o t h h a n d s , f l i n g s h i m d o w n t h e s t a i r s
10
in cooperation with Theo, and thinks the “[c]ontact at last” (227).
Throughout
this
scene,
Perowne
continues
to
attempt
to
p e n e t r a t e i n t o B a x t e r ’s t h o u g h t . T h i s , h o w e v e r, d o e s n o t s u c c e e d .
I n r e l a t i o n t o t h e p h y s i c a l i t y o f B a x t e r, g e n e r a t i o n i s a
s i g n i f i c a n t t h e m e , b e c a u s e o f t w o n o t a b l e m o t i f s o f B a x t e r,
n a m e l y, h i s i n h e r i t e d H u n t i n g t o n d i s e a s e a n d h i s u n d i s c l o s e d
family name. The former would be brought to light definitely by
c o m p a r i s o n w i t h Vi r g i n i a Wo o l f ’s M r s D a l l o w a y ( 1 9 2 5 ) , w h i c h i s
often referred to and known as an inter-text of Saturday by
critics.3 The latter can be considered in the light of the sense of
continuity between generations .
I n c o m p a r i s o n w i t h Vi r g i n i a Wo o l f ’s M r s D a l l o w a y , t h e r e
are some prominent similarities and one noteworthy difference.
The
protagonists
of
Mrs
Dalloway
and
Saturday—Clarissa
Dalloway and Henry Perowne —belong to the middle-class; both
of
them
travel
around
London;
both
novels
depict
the
protagonists’ experience in a single day; and both protagonists’
c o u n t e r p a r t s , B a x t e r a n d S e p t i m u s Wa r r e n S m i t h , s u f f e r f r o m
disease.
H o w e v e r,
concerning
their
diseases,
the
difference
stands out. The difference of diseases from which Baxter and
S e p t i m u s Wa r r e n S m i t h s u f f e r i s n o t e w o r t h y : s h e l l s h o c k a n d
H u n t i n g t o n d i s e a s e r e s p e c t i v e l y. T h e s i g n i f i c a n t p o i n t i s t h e
difference of their backgrounds. On the one hand, shell shock is
a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f Wo r l d Wa r O n e ; o n t h e o t h e r h a n d ,
Huntington disease is attributed to a private and g enerational
11
cause. The former is caused by the war as a social and collective
incident; the latter has nothing to do with the public and the
collective. It is obvious that the difference of the causes of their
diseases between Mrs Dalloway and Saturday is correspondent to
the contrast between the social and the individual . This contrast
p u t s s t r e s s o n t h e f a c t t h a t B a x t e r i s a l i e n a t e d f r o m t h e s o c i e t y.
M o r e o v e r, t h e c o n t r a s t b e t w e e n t h e m e n t a l a n d t h e p h y s i c a l
in the two works is also inscribed here. Each intrusion of the
outsiders into the parties of Mrs Dalloway and in Saturday
c o i n c i d e s w i t h t h i s c o n t r a s t : S e p t i m u s Wa r r e n S m i t h p e n e t r a t e s
into
C l a r i s s a ’s
P e r o w n e ’s p a r t y
party
imaginatively
and
Baxter
invades
physically. This difference foregrounds the
c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e P e r o w n e a n d B a x t e r. A s S o n o k o H i r o t a
points
out,
the
relationship
between
Perowne
and
Baxter
“continues to be governed by physical fa ctors, which are entirely
absent
from
the
spiritual
connection
between
Clarissa
and
S e p t i m u s ” ( 7 1 ) . B e s i d e s , i n P e r o w n e ’s t h o u g h t , t h i n k i n g B a x t e r
and physicality are inseparable: “It may be the thought of him
[ B a x t e r ] t h a t m a k e s H e n r y f e e l s h a k y, o r t h e p h y s i c a l e f f e c t s o f
tiredness” (272).
This difference suggests that Baxter has only his body and
name. He does not have any collective, mental relationship. In
addition to this, he does not have the past. Disregarding the past
is represented as an inconspicuous but noteworthy motif: the
l a c k o f B a x t e r ’s f a m i l y n a m e . B a x t e r ’s u n d i s c l o s e d f a m i l y n a m e
12
is the other heritage from past generation s depicted in this novel.
I n t h e s c e n e o f t h e f e n d e r b e n d e r, w h e n P e r o w n e a n d B a x t e r
encounter for the first time, the conversation between them
takes place as follows:
‘Henry Perowne.’
‘ B a x t e r. ’
‘Mr Baxter?’
‘ B a x t e r. ’ ( 8 7 )
While Perowne gives his full name, Baxter appears to refuse to
give his family name. As Robert Eaglestone points out, Baxter is
“deprived of a first name” (76), and so are his cronies, Nigel and
Nark. Furthermore, regarding “Baxter” as his true name is
inappropriate.
In
this
respect,
the
following
conversation
between Perowne and Baxter is suggestive :
‘Is your real name Baxter?’
‘ T h a t ’s m y b u s i n e s s . ’ ( 9 6 )
This uncertainty functions as “an impenetrable barrier” both for
Perowne and for the reader (Amiel−Houser 132). Therefore, the
reader never know s his true name throughout the novel. This
conversation indicates that Baxter rejects both the concept of
generation and the generational bond by discarding his family
13
name, and that he lives as a street gang ster with the name
B a x t e r a l o n e a s h i s s o l e i d e n t i t y.
M o r e o v e r, t h r o u g h o u t t h e n o v e l ,
by
referring to other
literary works, McEwan foregrounds the significance of the name.
I n t h i s n o v e l , f o u r w o r k s a r e i m p l i e d o r r e f e r r e d t o : C o n r a d ’s
L o r d J i m ( 1 9 0 0 ) , To l s t o y ’s A n n a K a r e n i n a ( 1 8 7 7 ) , F l a u b e r t ’s
M a d a m e B o v a r y ( 1 8 5 6 ) , a n d B r o n t ë ’s J a n e E y r e ( 1 8 4 7 ) . P e r o w n e
does not think highly of a novel, probably Lord Jim, on the
ground that “seafaring, however morally fra ught, doesn’t much
interest
him”
(6).
Perowne
also
reads
Anna Karenina
and
M a d a m e B o v a r y ; h o w e v e r, “ h e w a s u n m o v e d ” b y g e n i u s “ i n t h e
detail” (67) of the two works. Daisy reads Jane Eyre as a first
n o v e l a t G r a m m a t i c u s ’s i n s i s t e n c e ( 1 3 3 ) . I t i s s u g g e s t i v e t h a t a l l
o f t h o s e w o r k s h a v e p e r s o n ’s n a m e i n t h e i r t i t l e s , a n d s o i s M r s
Dalloway,4 a precursor of Saturday. In addition to this list, the
novel for the epigraph of Saturday, Herzog (1964), forms another
intertextual relationship in this sense.
A n o t h e r o f S a t u r d a y ’s r e l a t e d w o r k s l e a d s t o e x a m i n i n g t h e
physicality in this novel . The name Baxter recalls Baxter Dawes,
w h o i s a c h a r a c t e r o f D . H . L a w r e n c e ’s S o n s a n d L o v e r s ( 1 9 1 3 ) . 5
In Sons and Lovers, Baxter Dawes appears as an opponent of the
protagonist, Paul Morel, and their hostile exchanges of blows
curiously promote their friendship .6 Given that Sons and Lovers
i s r e f e r r e d i n S a t u r d a y , t h e e p i s o d e i n w h i c h To n y B l a i r m i s t a k e s
Perowne for a painter in this novel can be taken to allude to Paul
14
Morel, the painter-protagonist in Sons and Lovers. It can be said
that the episode alludes to the reader that Paul Morel
is
correspondent with Perowne in the oppositional relationship.
Like between Baxter Dawes and Paul Morel, the curious
b o n d i s b o r n b e t w e e n P e r o w n e a n d B a x t e r. A f t e r e s c a p i n g f r o m
B a x t e r, P e r o w n e r e g a r d s B a x t e r w i t h f a v o u r t o s o m e d e g r e e :
In
fact,
he
[Perowne]
wouldn’t
mind
talking
to
him
[Baxter]. His case is interesting, and the offer of help was
sincere. (140)
Regardless of the fact that this feeling seems to come from
P e r o w n e ’s m e d i c a l i n t e r e s t , t h e b o n d b e t w e e n t h e m i s c e r t a i n l y
emphasized.
T h i s c u r i o u s b o n d f u n c t i o n s a s a n i r o n y f o r t h e I r a q w a r. A s
many critics regard Baxter as Saddam Hussein, the structure
b e t w e e n t h e We s t e r n w o r l d a n d t h e n o n - We s t e r n w o r l d i s s e t i n
S a t u r d a y . I n t h i s r e s p e c t , R o b e r t E a g l e s t o n e ’s p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t
the Huntington disea se in this novel can be regarded as an
allusion
to
Samuel
H u n t i n g t o n ’s
Crash
of
Civilizations
is
suggestive (The Contemporary Fiction , 85). Eaglestone says that
this allusion functions as the proleptic of crash of two different
cultures, and it takes place in the form of physical touch.
Furthermore, it can be connected to the last line of “Dover
Beach”: “Where ignorant armies clash by night .” In this sense,
15
the
i r o n y,
which
arises
from
the
oppositional,
hostile
r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n P e r o w n e a n d B a x t e r, i s t h e f a c t t h a t p e o p l e
can bear mutual understanding only through the violence. Thus,
Saturday is the novel about human communication in
the
t w e n t y - f i r s t c e n t u r y.
McEwan casts the same theme on the wars in the twentieth
c e n t u r y. T h e s i t u a t i o n i n w h i c h t h e I r a q w a r i s a b o u t t o b r e a k o u t
has connection to the wars in the last century by virtue of a
wartime tune referred to in this novel, whose lyric Perowne hums
t o h i m s e l f “ We ’ l l m e e t a g a i n , d o n ’t k n o w w h e r e , d o n ’ t k n o w w h e n ”
( 5 7 ) : i t i s Ve r a Ly n n ’s “ We ’ l l M e e t A g a i n ” r e l e a s e d i n 1 9 3 9 .
Furthermore, at the end of the novel, Perowne turns his thought
towards “a middle-aged doctor standing at the window in his silk
dressing gown” a hundred years ago and the looming shadows of
the
two
world
wars
(276).
Imagining
this
d o c t o r,
Perowne
w o n d e r s “ w h a t w a s t h e i r b o d y c o u n t , H i t l e r, S t a l i n , M a o ? F i f t y
million, a hundred” (276)? By referring to the number of corpses,
the relationship between the wars and the body is presented here.
T h e r e f o r e , M c E w a n ’s i n s i g h t i n t o t h e p h y s i c a l i t y i s i n t e n d e d t o
c o n s i d e r b o t h t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y a n d t h e t w e n t y - f i r s t c e n t u r y.
16
2 . R e p e t i t i o n , A l l e g o r y, a n d H i s t o r y
Not thinking highly of literature, Perowne is acquainted
with music. When he is working in the operating theatre, he
listens to classical music, “mostly piano works by Bach,” and
“[i]n a really good mood he’ll go for the looser interpretation of
Glenn Gould” (22). His opinion that the music is sup erior to
literature appears as follows:
S o f a r, D a i s y ’s r e a d i n g l i s t s h a v e p e r s u a d e d h i m t h a t
fiction
is
too
humanly
hit-and-miss
to
inspire
magnificence
of
human
flawed,
too
sprawling
and
uncomplicated
wonder
the
i n g e n u i t y,
the
of
at
impossible
d a z z l i n g l y a c h i e v e d . P e r h a p s o n l y m u s i c h a s s u c h p u r i t y.
(68)
Regardless of the fact that Daisy gives literary education to
Perowne, this results in confirming the presence of blots in
l i t e r a t u r e m o r e a n d m o r e . T h u s , a c c o r d i n g t o P e r o w n e ’s t h i n k i n g ,
m u s i c h a s a k i n d o f “ p u r i t y, ” a n d l i t e r a t u r e d o e s n o t h a v e i t .
P e r o w n e ’s
attitude
to
music
should
be
understood
by
investigating what is common between two musical genres,
classical music and the blues, which fascinate him and have
something to do with his life. A s Bach and Glenn Gould are
referred to, classical music is the essence of his taste, and the
17
blues, with which his son, Theo, is gifted, is also referred to in
this novel:
[ I ] s t h e r e a l i f e t i m e ’s s a t i s f a c t i o n i n t w e l v e b a r s o f t h r e e
o b v i o u s c h o r d s ? P e r h a p s i t ’s o n e o f t h o s e c a s e s o f a
microcosm giving you the whole world. […] When player
and listener together know the route so well, the pleasure
is in the deviation, the unexpected turn against the grain.
[…] [A]bsorbing variation on an unchanging the me. (27)
The blues is characterized by its repetitive structure, named
twelve bar blues, which consists of only three chords. A piece is
ordinarily constructed by repeating the basic pattern of twelve
bars. Under these features, as Perowne thinks, “the pl easure is
i n t h e d e v i a t i o n ” w i t h i n t h e r e p e t i t i o n ’s p a t t e r n . T h e r e f o r e , t h e
performance of the blues necessarily includes the repetition .
The quotes above about classical music and the blues have
the following parallel words: “looser interpretation,” “deviation,”
and “variation.” These words imply that the heart of these genres
is the deviation from the original or the standard , and it is
generated by repetition. In this sense, the frequent appearance
of these two phrases, “turn/run around” and “a dozen times”, is
suggestive.
These
are
used,
for
instance,
in
P e r o w n e ’s
denouncement for Henry James on the ground of his euphemistic
d e s c r i p t i o n i n c o m p a r i s o n w i t h Wi l l i a m J a m e s :
18
He
should
look
out
what
Wi l l i a m
Jame s
wrote
on
forgetting a word or name. […] James had the knack of
f i x i n g o n t h e s u r p r i s i n g c o m m o n p l a c e − a n d i n P e r o w n e ’s
h u m b l e v i e w, w r o t e a b e t t e r - h o n e d p r o s e t h a n t h e f u s s y
brother who would rather run round a thing a dozen
different ways than call it by its name. (58, emphasis
added)
Henry
J a m e s ’s
way
of
describing
resembles
the
repetitive
structure of the blues. The placards which say “Not in My Name
goes past a dozen times ” (72) can be given as another example.
These frequently appearing phrases shed light upon the presence
of the repetitive actions or repetition itself in Saturday.
Tw o t y p e s o f r e p e t i t i o n a r e p r e s e n t e d i n t h e n o v e l : t h e
repetition in classical music and the repetition in the blues. The
former is correspondent to the repetition related to the original;
in other words, it is correspondent to representation . The latter
is the repetition based on t he difference. The repetition in
classical music exists as an interpretation of the origi nal. For
instance, the perfo rmance of classical music is based on scores,
which were ordinarily written by legendary composers and are
treated as canons. It is usual but notable that the performance is
always more or less different from the original. Therefore, in this
type of repetition, the interpretations of the original by each
19
player are essential. On the one hand, the repetition in the blues
bears little relation to the original score. In this genre, its
repetitive structure functions as a limitation, and it can be
stated
that
the
pleasure
of
the
blues
arises
from
making
variations, improvisations, or the “deviation” within the form as
limitation. This pleasure arises from what Perowne regards as “a
microcosm giving you the whole world” and “absorbing v ariation
on an unchanging theme” (27).
In relation to these two types of repetition, these two
s c e n e s a r e s i g n i f i c a n t : T h e o ’s l i v e p e r f o r m a n c e , w h i c h e n t h u s e s
P e r o w n e , a n d D a i s y ’s r e c i t a t i o n o f M a t h e w A r n o l d ’s p o e m , “ D o v e r
B e a c h ” , w h i c h m o v e s B a x t e r. I t i s n o t e w o r t h y t h a t b o t h s c e n e s
a r e c o n c e r n e d w i t h P e r o w n e ’s t w o c h i l d r e n ,
7
and both
are
c o r r e s p o n d e n t t o t h e t w o t y p e s o f r e p e t i t i o n . M o r e o v e r, t h e t w o
types of repetition in music are foregrounded through the scene
in which the protagonists are affected.
T h e o ’s l i v e p e r f o r m a n c e i s r e g a r d e d a s a v a r i a t i o n o f t h e
r e p e t i t i o n i n t h e b l u e s . A f f e c t e d b y T h e o ’s p e r f o r m a n c e , P e r o w n e ,
a u s u a l l y c o o l - h e a d e d m a n , “ c o m e s a w a y f r o m t h e w a l l w h e r e h e ’s
been leaning, and walks into the middle of the dark auditorium,
towards the great engine of sound” (171). Before being affected,
“he discovers that the song is not in the usual pattern of a
t w e l v e - b a r b l u e s , ” a n d h e f i n d s t h a t “ [ t ] h e r e ’s m i d d l e s e c t i o n
with an unworldly melody that rises and falls in semitones ” (171).
The
word
“pattern”
confirms
20
that
T h e o ’s
performance
is
correspondent to the repetition in the blues, and it is obvious
that the deviation from the “pattern” or from its standard
literally moves Perowne.
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , D a i s y ’s r e c i t a t i o n c a n b e r e g a r d e d a s
the equivalent of the repetition in classical music. In the scene of
D a i s y ’s r e c i t a t i o n , t h e t e x t o f M a t h e w A r n o l d ’s “ D o v e r B e a c h ” i s
correspondent to a score in classical music. In other words, the
relation between Daisy and “Dover Beach” is identical w ith that
between a player and a score in classical music. This is the very
relation that the repetition in classical music postulates.
Neither the influence of the poetry itself nor the female
a t t r a c t i v e n e s s i s n o t t h e t r u e r e a s o n f o r t h e c h a n g e o f B a x t e r ’s
a t t i t u d e . H o w e v e r, D a i s y ’s r e c i t a t i o n a c t u a l l y t h w a r t s B a x t e r ’s
violence. Robert Eaglestone mentions that the text of “Dover
Beach” “had been learnt by rote by Daisy” (“The Age”, 364).
M o r e o v e r,
Rebecca
Carpenter
possibilities of such a
Carpenter
finds
out
points
out
that
scene a re multiply
the
male,
coercive
“the
feminist
undercut” (155).
power
in
D a i s y ’s
r e c i t a t i o n : t h e w o r d s o f t h e r e c i t a t i o n a r e n o t D a i s y ’s b u t t h o s e
written by one of “the great white men of the British literary
canon”, and in fact she is forced to read “Dover Beach rather than
her own poem.” “[H]er brilliant poet grandfather conceives the
plan to pretending read one of her poems;” t herefore, “Daisy is
largely reduced to the role of a brave actress in a drama scripted
f o r h e r b y o t h e r s ” ( 1 5 5 ) . H o w e v e r, t h i s p e r f o r m a t i v e p o w e r o f h e r
21
r e c i t a t i o n s h o u l d b e n o t e d . D a i s y ’s r e c i t a t i o n , w h i c h i s s i m i l a r t o
the repetition in classical music , makes Baxter realize the
continuity
of
h i s t o r y.
Stirred
by
D a i s y ’s
recitation,
Baxter
recalls “Folkstone,” where he grew up (96). It is obvious that
r e p e t i t i o n i n c l a s s i c a l m u s i c a n d B a x t e r ’s r e c o l l e c t i o n h a v e t h e
same
temporal
structure.
He
consciously
recollect s
his
b i r t h p l a c e a n d u n c o n s c i o u s l y f e e l s t h e o r i g i n a l , M a t h e w A r n o l d ’s
“ D o v e r B e a c h . ” T h e r e a s o n f o r t h e c h a n g e o f B a x t e r ’s a t t i t u d e i s
attributed to his sensibility to the temporal distance from the
original.
On the other hand, t he repetition in the blues brings
Perowne into the timeless condition, in which his mother Lily
a l s o l i v e s . E x p e r i e n c i n g T h e o ’s p e r f o r m a n c e , P e r o w n e f e e l s a
kind of utopia:
There are these rare moments […] when their [musicians’]
expression becomes as easy and graceful as friendship or
love. This is when they give us a glimpse of what we might
be, of best selves, and of an impossible world in which you
give everything you have to others, but lose nothing of
yourself. (171)
Feeling this utopian moment, Perowne realizes what his mother
Lily says: “you can go for a mile ” (167). Before saying these
w o r d s , L i l y, f o r w h o m “ [ e ] v e r y t h i n g b e l o n g s i n t h e p r e s e n t ”
22
because of her dementia (164), says that “[o]ut here [nursing
h o m e ] i t o n l y l o o k s l i k e a g a r d e n , A u n t y, b u t i t ’s t h e c o u n t r y s i d e
really” (167). In this respect, i t is intriguing that the place of
this nursing home is described as follows:
In the twenties and thirties, great tracts of agricultural
land
to
the
west
of
London
disappeared
before
an
onslaught of high-speed housing development. […] Each
n e a r - i d e n t i c a l h o u s e h a s a n u n e a s y, p r o v i s i o n a l l o o k , a s i f
it knows how readily the land would revert to cereal crops
and grazing. (158)
Considering this vision leads to regarding Lily intuiting the
place in the past or the place in the future in the present tense.
Therefore, it can be said that Perowne, realizing what Lily says,
plunges into timeless conditions in a utopian moment.
The similarity between Perowne and Lily as an old woman
appears inwardly in the form of movement . As mentioned above,
t h e u p - a n d - d o w n , v e r t i c a l m o v e m e n t i s s i g n i f i c a n t i n M c E w a n ’s
works, however a unique point in Saturday entails a horizontal
movement. A horizontal movement is described in the scene of a
nursing
home
where
P e r o w n e ’s
mother
Lily
lives,
and
of
P e r o w n e ’s v e h i c u l a r t r a v e l i n t h e c i t y. I n t h e n u r s i n g h o m e , a n
elderly lady named Annie, who also lives in the care house,
demonstrates the notable movement. Her movement is described
23
as follows:
S h e ’s s h u f f l i n g u n s u p p o r t e d t o w a r d s h i m a t s p e e d . W h e n
she reaches the end of the third sitting room she’ll turn
back, and keep moving back and forwards all day until
s h e ’s g u i d e d t o w a r d s a m e a l , o r b e d . ( 1 5 9 )
This repetitive shuttling movement is characteristic of a person
who loses the sense of time and is losing his or her past memories.
In this novel, the shuttling movement is attached to the loss of
t e m p o r a l i t y a n d o f m e m o r y. I t i s , t h e r e f o r e , c o n c e r n e d w i t h L i l y ’s
remark quoted above: “you can go for a mile” (167).
The contrast between Baxter and Perowne in terms of
temporality sheds light on that of each different movement.
C o n s i d e r i n g t h e h o r i z o n t a l m o v e m e n t s h e d s l i g h t o n B a x t e r ’s
falling, vertical movement. This contrast between the horizontal
and the vertical also appears in the contrast of illnesses in this
novel. For it is also correspondent with this contrast between
Huntington disease and flu , which is spread in the hospital
where Perowne works. The former is vertical in the sense that it
is inherited in terms of generation; the latter is horizontal in the
sense that it is shared by contemporaries. Thus, the temporal
contrast is described in multiple ways.
This timeless condition transfers into the lack of history:
t h e r e i s n o t a n y i m p r i n t o f Wo r l d Wa r Tw o . P e r o w n e a n d L i l y
24
dismiss the fact that the wars demolished the cities. In the early
part of the novel, the relation between the city and the wars is
inscribed:
That particular façade is a reconstruction, a pastiche –
wartime Fitzrovia took some hits from the Luftwaffe. […]
(4)
In spite of this passage, the wars fall into oblivion in the
timeless utopian condition. As mentioned in the former chapter
o f t h i s p a p e r, t h e w a r s i n t h e l a s t c e n t u r y a r e t h e o b j e c t o f t h i s
n o v e l ; m o r e o v e r, a t t h e s a m e t i m e , o b l i v i o n o f t h e m i s a l s o a
significant theme.
Oblivion is connected to and considered with the truth in
Saturday as follows:
[Q]uestions of misinterpretation are not often resolved.
Nor do they remain pressingly unresolved. They simply
f a d e . P e o p l e d o n ’ t r e m e m b e r c l e a r l y, o r t h e y d i e , o r t h e
questions die and new ones take thei r place. (156)
Suggesting
the
story
of
Atonement
by
referring
to
“misinterpretation” in this passage, McEwan appears to consider
the problem of history in the sense that the truth could be
misunderstood or ignored.
25
McEwan interconnects personal oblivion of old people and
h i s t o r i c a l , c o l l e c t i v e o b l i v i o n o f p e o p l e t o d a y. H i s r e f e r e n c e t o
oblivion
in
“Only
Love
and
Then
Oblivion”
is
n o t e w o r t h y.
M e n t i o n i n g t h e w o m e n ’s m e s s a g e f r o m t h e Wo r l d Tr a d e C e n t e r t o
her husband, McEwan states:
She said it [I love you] over and again before the line went
dead. And that is what they were all saying down their
phones, from the hijacked planes and the burning towers.
There is only love, and then oblivion . Love was all they
had to set against the hatred of their murderers.
This oblivion here designates the disappearance of individuals’
e x p e r i e n c e i n t h e s e n s e t h a t e a c h i n d i v i d u a l ’s e x p e r i e n c e i s
integrated into the nameless story about l ove. It is the very
situation for which McEwan criticizes the terrorists. For this
integration into the nameless and the terrorists’ ignorance of
thought and feelings of the passenger have the same structure in
the sense that both disregard the existence of each individual. In
this respect, the recurrent motif of name in Saturday has more
meaning. Thus, McEwan warns not only the loss of collective
h i s t o r y b u t a l s o t h a t o f i n d i v i d u a l h i s t o r y.
The experience of the twentieth century and that of the
twenty-first century are the principal issues of this novel. It is
clear that McEwan, from the beginning of this novel, writes
26
a b o u t t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y, s i n c e h i s e p i g r a p h
f o r t h i s n o v e l i s q u o t e d f r o m S a u l B e l l o w ’s n o v e l , H e r z o g , a n d
s i n c e M c E w a n m e n t i o n s t h a t B e l l o w ’s “ n o v e l s a r e n o t s i m p l y s e t
i n t h e 2 0 t h c e n t u r y, t h e y a r e a b o u t t h a t c e n t u r y ” ( “ M a s t e r o f t h e
Universe”). Quoting a passage from Herzog in Saturday, McEwan
d e a l s w i t h t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e t w e n t y - f i r s t c e n t u r y, o f c o u r s e ,
in the forms of the novel. The relation between the novels and
temporality is described as follows:
Novels and movies, being restlessly modern, propel you
forwards or backwards through time, through days, years
or even generations. (129)
By way of this temporal maneuvering , the novel can depict both
c o l l e c t i v e a n d i n d i v i d u a l h i s t o r y.
Given
that
the
intertextuality
in
this
novel
can
be
interpreted as a mixture of the repetition in classical music and
t h a t i n t h e b l u e s , M c E w a n ’s e x p l o r i n g t h e r o l e o f t h e n o v e l s i s
clarified. The repetition in music functions as an allegory of the
novel. The intertexuality with Sons and Lovers is close to the
repetition
in
the
classical
music ,
which
presupposes
the
existence of the original ; the intertexuality with Mrs Dalloway is
close to the repetition in the blues, which shares the common
form
and
setting
and
makes
variations
in
it .
In
order
to
f o r e g r o u n d t h i s a l l e g o r y, t h e a u d i t o r y i s p r i v i l e g e d i n t h i s n o v e l
27
and its repetitiveness is emphasized . In this sense, the following
s c e n e o f P e r o w n e ’s o p e r a t i n g o n B a x t e r, i n w h i c h a C D o f H e w i t t
is played, is suggestive:
We l l o v e r a n h o u r h a s p a s s e d , a n d H e w i t t i s a l r e a d y a t t h e
f i n a l Va r i a t i o n , t h e Q u o d l i b e t . [ … ] T h e l a s t e x u l t a n t
c h o r d s f a d e a w a y, a f e w s e c o n d s ’ s i l e n c e , t h e n t h e A r i a
returns, identical on the page, but changed by all the
variations that have come before . […] (254, emphasis
added)
Interpreting the “page”, which means a leaf of the score here, in
the literal sense confir ms the allegory set between music and the
n o v e l . R e a d i n g t h e n o v e l c h a n g e s t h e r e a d e r ’s s e n s e o f t h e
h i s t o r y, w h i l e t h e o t h e r t h i n g i s i d e n t i c a l . I n S a t u r d a y , b y u s i n g
t h i s a l l e g o r y, M c E w a n e x p l o r e s t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f f e e l i n g t h e
h i s t o r y, a n d i t i s t h e v e r y r o l e o f t h e n o v e l t h a t M c E w a n b e l i e v e s
i n t h e e a r l y p a r t o f t h e t w e n t y - f i r s t c e n t u r y.
28
Conclusion
The present paper has examined the physicality and the
r e p e t i t i o n i n I a n M c E w a n ’s S a t u r d a y i n t e r m s o f t h e s e n s e o f
h i s t o r y. T h e t h e m e o f p h y s i c a l i t y i n t h i s w o r k i s f o r e g r o u n d e d b y
considering
its
inter-texts,
n a m e l y,
Vi r g i n i a
Wo o l f ’s
Mrs
D a l l o w a y a n d D . H . L a w r e n c e ’s S o n s a n d L o v e r s . T h e d i f f e r e n c e
b e t w e e n B a x t e r i n S a t u r d a y a n d S e p t i m u s Wa r r e n S m i t h i n M r s
Dalloway in terms of the cause of disease indicates the fact that
B a x t e r i s a l i e n a t e d f r o m t h e s o c i e t y. T h e s i m i l a r i t y b e t w e e n
Baxter in Saturday and Baxter Dawes in Sons and Lovers sheds
light on the curious fact that the adversarial characters promote
friendship through physical contact. By juxtaposing the Iraq war
w i t h t h e w a r s o f t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y, M c E w a n o f f e r s t h e f a c t
that
people
can
bear
mutual
understanding
only
through
violence. This insight into human communication and history has
much to do with the theme of repetition in this novel. Repetition
is foregrounded by music which affects both Baxter and Perowne.
I n t h i s n o v e l , m u s i c f u n c t i o n s a s t h e a l l e g o r y o f t h e n o v e l . Tw o
types
of
repetition
are
correspondent
with
two
kinds
of
i n t e r t e x u a l i t y. W h i l e t h e t i m e l e s s u t o p i a n c o n d i t i o n i s d e s c r i b e d ,
McEwan explores the significance of feeling the history as the
alternative to it. McEwan obviously deals with oblivion as one of
the significant theme s of Saturday; therefore, he warns not only
t h e l o s s o f c o l l e c t i v e h i s t o r y b u t a l s o t h a t o f i n d i v i d u a l h i s t o r y.
29
McEwan demonstrates that the novel can depict both collective
and
individual
history
by
way
of
temporal
maneuvering
e x a m i n e d i n t h i s p a p e r.
Notes
1
Foe
example,
Arthur
Bradley
quotes
it
from
the
author
i n t e r v i e w i n R a n d o m H o u s e R e a d e r ’s R e a d e r s ’ G r o u p R e a d i n g
Guides and note that he accessed 5 December 2008 (24).
2 In his newer works, Solar (2010), this motif of failure of
p e n e t r a t i o n s i s v a r i e d i n t o t w o t h i n g s . O n e i s p r o t a g o n i s t ’s
principle that, though he has much intercourse with women,
he never impregnates them. He doesn’t impregnate his wife,
e i t h e r. T h e o t h e r i s h i s w o u n d e d p e n i s , f r o m w h i c h h e s u f f e r s
in the novel.
3 See, for example, Laura Marcus (95), who is a scholar of
modernism.
4 In this sense, finding connections between Saturday and
J o y c e ’s
Ulysses
(1922),
another
representative
modernist
novel, by some critics is not necessarily inappropriate. The
circularity
of
the
story
is
30
ordinarily
regarded
as
the
c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n t w o w o r k s . I n t h i s r e s p e c t , P a t r i c i a Wa u g h
p o i n t s o u t t h a t “ S a t u r d a y e n d s w i t h t h e l a s t l i n e o f J o y c e ’s
‘The dead’” (79). In relation to Ulysses, in terms of name, a
character
of
Amsterdam,
Molly
Lane,
who
had
sexual
intercourse with more than one person, seems to be based on
Molly Bloom.
5 O n l y M a r t i n Ry l e n o t i c e s t h i s i n t e r t e x u a l i t y. H o w e v e r, h e j u s t
gives a description of it in a footnote. According to Richard
B r o w n , i n t e r m s o f a n a l o g y t o a n e x i s t e n t p o e t ’s n a m e , B a x t e r
is correspondent with James K. Baxter (1926 −1972), who is a
well-known New Zealand poet and Perowne is correspondent
with
Vi c t o r
Ta i t
Perowne
(1897 − 1951).
Brown
states
“ P e r o w n e ’s b l i n d s p o t w o u l d a l s o , p r e s u m a b l y, p r e v e n t h i m
from being aware of the fact that he has his own poetic
namesake
in
the
minor
and
largely
forgotten
ea rly
t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y p o e t ” ( 9 0 - 9 1 ) . I n r e l a t i o n t o P e r o w n e ’s n a m e ,
Ly n n We l l s p o i n t s o u t “ P e r o w n e l i k e s t o i m a g i n e h i m s e l f a s
being like” Saddam, “surveying the crowd with satisfaction
from some Bagdad ministry balcony” and suggests that “layer
of complexity in the Perowne-as-Saddam comparison lies in the
c h a r a c t e r ’s h i s t o r i c a l n a m e s a k e , t h e d i p l o m a t S t e w a r t H e n r y
Perowne, who was stationed in the Middle East during and
a f t e r t h e S e c o n d Wa r, h e l p i n g t o s o l i d i f y B r i t i s h i m p e r i a l
i n t e r e s t s i n t h e r e l i g i o n ” ( 11 6 ) .
31
6 In the sense that the relationship between McEwan and D.H
Laurence is explored, it can be said that the female protagonist
of On Chesil Beach named Florence resembles D. H. Lawrence
in phoneme. Besides, On Chesil Beach is set in the year 1962,
which
is
one
year
before
when
the
ban
on
republishing
L a w r e n c e ’s L a d y C h a t t e r l e y ' s L o v e r ( 1 9 2 8 ) w a s r e m o v e d , a n d ,
in this work, Florence is described as a person who, in the
c o n t r a s t t o s t e r e o t y p e o f L a d y C h a t t e r l e y, a b h o r s s e x u a l t o u c h
and sexual intercourse.
7 In this context, it can be said that the family name of the
Perownes means Per — own(e), which can be interpreted as
individualist self-help, the concept of neoliberalism.
32
Wo r k s C i t e d
A m i e l − H o u s e r, Ta m m y. “ O t h e r n e s s i n I a n M c E w a n ’s S a t u r d a y . ”
C o n n o t a t i o n s . 2 1 . 1 ( 2 0 11 ) : 1 2 8 − 1 5 7 .
B r a d l e y, A r t h u r. “ T h e N e w A t h e i s t N o v e l : L i t e r a t u r e , R e l i g i o n ,
a n d Te r r o r i n A m i s a n d M c E w a n . ” T h e Ye a r b o o k o f E n g l i s h
Studies. 39.1/2 (2009): 20 -38.
Brown, Richard. “Politics, the Domestic and the Uncanny Effect
of the Everyday in Saturday.” Critical Survey. 20.1 (2008):
80-93.
C a r p e n t e r, R e b e c c a . “ We ’ r e N o t a F r i g g i n ’ G i r l B a n d : S e p t e m b e r
11 , M a s c u l i n i t y, a n d t h e B r i t i s h - A m e r i c a R e l a t i o n s h i p i n
D a v i d H e r e ’s S t u f f H a p p e n s a n d I a n M c E w a n ’s S a t u r d a y . ”
Literature
after
9 / 11 .
Ed.
Ann
Keniston
and
Jeanne
F o l l a n s b e e Q u i n n . L o n d o n a n d N e w Yo r k : R o u t l e d g e , 2 0 0 9 .
Print.
C h i l d s , P e t e r. T h e F i c t i o n o f I a n M c E w a n . B a s i n g s t o k e : P a l g r a v e ,
2005. Print.
Eaglestone, Robert. “‘The age of reason was over … an age of fury
w a s d a w n i n g ’ : C o n t e m p o r a r y F i c t i o n a n d Te r r o r. ” Te r r o r
and the Postcolonial. Ed. Elleke Boehmer and Stephen
Motron. Oxford: Blackwell, 2009. Print.
— — — . C o n t e m p o r a r y F i c t i o n : A Ve r y S h o r t I n t r o d u c t i o n . O x f o r d :
O x f o r d U P, 2 0 1 3 . P r i n t .
H i r o t a , S o n o k o . “ ‘ O n B e i n g I l l ’ : Wo o l f , D a r w i n , a n d t h e D i s e a s e d
33
M i n d i n I a n M c E w a n ’s S a t u r d a y. ” Vi r g i n i a Wo o l f R e v i e w
33(2013): 61-78. Print.
Ly n n , D a v i d . “ A C o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h I a n M c E w a n . ” K e n y o n R e v i e w
29.3 (2007): 38-51.
Ly n n ,
We l l s .
I a n M c E w a n . N e w Yo r k : P a l g r a v e M a c m i l l a n ,
2010. Print.
M a r c u s , L a u r a . “ I a n M c E w a n ’s M o d e r n i s t T i m e : A t o n e m e n t a n d
S a t u r d a y. ”
Ian
McEwan:
Contemporary
Critical
Perspectives. Ed. Sebastian Groes. London: Continuum,
2009. 83-98.
M c E w a n , I a n . “ M a s t e r o f t h e U n i v e r s e . ” T h e N e w Yo r k Ti m e s 7
April.2005. 2 December 2013.
< h t t p : / / w w w. n y t i m e s . c o m / 2 0 0 5 / 0 4 / 0 7 / o p i n i o n / 0 7 m c e w a n . h t
ml>.
— — — . “ O n l y L o v e a n d T h e n O b l i v i o n . L o v e Wa s A l l T h e y H a d t o S e t
against Their Murderers.” The Guardian, 15 Sept.2001. 2
Sept.2013.
< h t t p : / / w w w. t h e g u a r d i a n . c o m / w o r l d / 2 0 0 1 / s e p / 1 5 / s e p t e m b e r
11 . p o l i t i c s p h i l o s o p h y a n d s o c i e t y 2 > .
— — — . S a t u r d a y . L o n d o n : Vi n t a g e . 2 0 0 5 . P r i n t .
R o s s , M i c h a e l . L . “ O n a d a r k l i n g P l a n e t : I a n M c E w a n ’s S a t u r d a y
and
the
Condition
of
England.”
Tw e n t i e t h
Century
Literature 54.1 (2008): 75-96.
Ry l e , M a r t i n . “ A n o s o g n o s i a , o r t h e P o l i t i c a l U n c o n s c i o u s : L i m i t s
o f Vi s i o n i n I a n M c E w a n ’s S a t u r d a y . ” C r i t i c i s m 5 2 . 1 ( 2 0 1 0 ) :
34
25-40.
Ta k e d a , M a s a a k i . “ D e g u c h i n o N a i S e k a i : I a n M c E w a n n o J i k a n
K a n k a k u ” [ “ T h e Wo r l d w i t h o u t Wa y O u t : T h e S e n s e o f
Te m p o r a l i t y i n I a n M c E w a n ’s W o r k s ” ] . E i g o S e i n e n [ T h e
Rising Generation], 154(8), 2008: 14-16. Print.
Wa u g h ,
Patricia.
“Thinking
in
Literature:
Modernism
and
Contemporary Neuroscience.” The Legacies of Modernism .
E d . D a v i d J a m e s . C a m b r i d g e : C a m b r i d g e U P, 2 0 11 . P r i n t .
35