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In the Cave: Lawrence Norfolk Rewrites Paul Celan
Journal
Modern Language Review
ISSN
0026-7937
ISSN-Digital
2222-4319
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2013-07
Author(s)
Abstract
Lawrence Norfolk's historical novel In the Shape of a Boar explores truth and authenticity in representations of the past by incorporating a postmodernist, epistemological scepticism which regards the past as inaccessible or un-narratable. Its plot turns on analogies conveyed by intertextual and intratextual allusions: between events in ancient and Nazi-occupied Greece, and between its protagonist, Samuel Memel, and Paul Celan. This article highlights the novel's overlooked German dimension, assesses the cogency of Norfolk's asserted likenesses and metaphorical correspondences, and considers problematical aspects of counterfactual invention in what masquerades, in Part ii, as a realistic roman-à-clef
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Modern Humanities Research Association
Publisher place
London UK
Volume
108
Number
3
Start page
745
End page
762
Pages
18
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
227599