Barnes' The Sense of an Ending - A Postmodern Criticism

The novel The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes, has the characteristics of a postmodern text. The characteristics of a postmodern text are intertextuality, juxtaposition, fragmentation, discontinuity, inability to face the real world and ambiguity.

Intertextuality: The Sense of an Ending has intertextuality. Intertextuality means 

the echo of one text into another. Intertextuality usually uses devices like an epigraph. Though this novel does not have an epigraph, its title is taken from Frank Kermode’s book The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction. Kermode’s book aims to make sense of the way human beings try to make sense of their lives. The Sense of an Ending echoes the theme of Kermode’s book. The protagonist of this novel, Tony Webster, tries to make sense of the lives of his and his friends.

Juxtaposition: The Sense of an Ending has juxtaposed past and present of Tony’s life. For example, after getting the photocopy of his letter to Adrian and Veronica, the aged Tony feels guilty for not accepting their relationship and for writing such hurtful words in his youth. Tony says-

All I could plead was that I had been its author then, but was not its author now (Barnes 91).

This juxtaposition shows how a person’s view of life changes with time and age. It also shows how a person’s past has an influence over his present.

Fragmentation: The Sense of an Ending is fragmented. The events of the novel are not chronologically told. These are presented in a disjointed way through the stream of consciousness style. For example, in part ‘One’, the narrator tells that Veronica does not dance, but in part ‘Two’, he tells that Veronica has danced with him. Again, in part ‘One’, the narrator tells that he has seen the Seven Bore without Veronica, but in part ‘Two’, he tells that Veronica has been with him in that event.

Discontinuity: The Sense of an Ending has discontinuity or abrupt beginning and ending of a text. For example, the novel begins abruptly with a list of bits of the narrator’s memory. And the novel ends abruptly with the narrator’s realization of Adrian’s situation when he has committed suicide, but without any resolute explanation.

Inability of Face the Real World: The Sense of an Ending shows the narrator’s inability of face the real world. For example, Tony says in the beginning of part ‘One’-

I’m not very interested in my school days, and don’t feel any nostalgia for them (Barnes 4).

The above line shows that Tony tries to escape from the reality that his friend Adrian is dead by repressing the memories.

Again, Tony’s clique used to wear their watches with the face on the inside of the wrist. This shows that they have tried to escape time or reality.

Ambiguity: The Sense of an Ending has ambiguity. For example, the novel does not reveal what Adrian has written in his diary after “So, for instance, if Tony: (Barnes 81)”. Tony as well as the readers is not sure whether Adrian has blamed Tony for his situation and suicide like Veronica or not. There is also an ambiguity about the reason why Veronica’s mother dislikes her so much to destroy her love relationships.

In fine, I would like to mention again that the novel The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes, is a postmodern novel as it has all characteristics of a postmodern text.