Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes, Tony Robinson ISBN: 1-85089-730-1 Publisher: Isis Audio Pub. Date: January, 1994 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 8 List Price(USD): $69.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.43 (42 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: History Repeating
Comment: "History is simply the propaganda of the victors."
"History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second
time as farce." Barnes indirectly explores these and other maxims
about history in this wonderful "novel."
"Novel"
in quotes because this book is not truly a novel in the way some
readers might expect, it is perhaps better characterized as a
collection of prose pieces with interlocking themes and motifs,
similar in a way to John Barth's "Lost in the
Funhouse."
Barnes writes: "We make up a story to cover the
facts we don't know or can't accept, we keep a few true facts and spin
a new story round them. Our panic and our pain are only eased by
soothing fabulation; we call it history." Barnes clearly
understands that history, or what we perceive as history, is really
only an interpretation, frought with as much difficulties and
inaccuracies as the interpretion of any text. To illustrate and
explore this idea, Barnes uses an oblique approach: 10 1/2 chapters of
loosely interconnecting stories running from "Genesis" to
"Revelations."
Barnes' "Genesis" is the first
chapter, and is basically a comic, revisionist telling of Noah and his
Ark narrated by a woodworm stowed away on the Ark. In Barnes' world,
Noah is a drunken lout who lost and/or ate some of the animals he was
supposed to save (the griffon, the unicorn, etc.). Barnes'
"Revelations" chapter is about a dream of Heaven where all
wishes are fulfilled, and Hell is simply "necessary
propaganda." Part of the delight in this book is the way Barnes
attacks and deconstructs stories from the Bible, pointing out the
fundamental (pun intended) error in relying on the Bible as an
historically accurate text.
In between these are chapters about
woodworms placed on trial for eating a bishop's throne; a hostage
crisis aboard a cruiseliner (a thinly veiled retelling of the Achille
Louro incident); a trek to Mount Ararat to locate the Ark's remains;
an analysis of the sinking of the Medusa and Gericault's painting
depicting the impending rescue of the survivors, and others.
References to Noah's Ark or ships' voyages figure in practically every
story, as Barnes "spins new stories" around "a few true
facts."
Many of the chapters explore the ways in which history
is recorded as subjective experience. For example, Barnes uses
historical records to illustrate that Gericault's painting likely left
out and changed certain historical details to heighten the emotional
and allegorical nature of the painting. These few pages are one of
the best fictional meditations on the connections between life and art
I have read anywhere.
The structure of the novel serves a specific
thematic purpose here. The various chapters are often narrated by
different characters, and Barnes also shifts back and forth between
first- and third-person narrative. This is done to draw the readers'
attention back to one of Barnes' central themes: history is narrative,
and like all narrative, it all depends on where you're standing. The
idea of reaching true understanding based on memory/narrative/history
is a theme Barnes has explored in many of his books, from
"Flaubert's Parrot", to "Talking it Over," but
never has he more perfectly molded form to function as he does
here.
It is also beatifully written, clever, and funny. Barnes
shifts effortlessy back and forth between extremely diverse authorial
voices, and while certain chapters are more enjoyable, there really
isn't a dud in the bunch. The chapters on the shipwreck in 1816 of the
Medusa, and Gericault's painting on that subject are fascinating and
engaging, and the chapter on the woodworm trial is hilarious.
Barnes explicitly addresses some of his themes in the half-chapter,
"Parenthesis" (more than two-thirds of the way through), yet
lets the reader connect the dots between the chapters, which, for me,
was half the fun of the book. This is a truly original, rewarding and
thought-provoking work, and one that is even more rewarding upon
rereading.
Àÿ
Rating: 5
Summary: Read it more than once to do it justice....
Comment: I studied this book as an A level text, and at first I hated it - I found it to be a confusing disjointed book about woodworm and arks with an extremely unsatisfactory ending :"I dreamt I woke up - it's the oldest dream of all and I've just had it." But upon reading it a second time out of necessity, I realised just what a gem of a book it was. Julian Barnes is an extremely intelligent and sensitive writer, with a brilliant sense of humour. All the books are linked, with themes and motifs, which are cleverly hidden throughout the book. The book is a satire of traditional history books, under a comically incongrous title - it is impossible to say every part of the world's history in 10 1/2 chapters! He deals with weighty subjects - love, survival, history, and tries to teach us our previous misdemeaners in a manner such as to prevent us from doing them time and time again.(ref. the holocaust.) I loved this book, and I read it time and time again. With every chapter comes a new idea, a new slant on an old idea and I hope others will see what I saw in it. Persevere in reading this book right to the end and it will reward you.
Rating: 5
Summary: Highly recommended
Comment: I thought this book was weird when I had to read it for a college course, but I have since referred to it in nearly every other course I have taken, as well as numerous papers and occasionally even in conversation. The theme of the dominant narrative is one not mentioned by other reviewers. The various chapters address how what contemporary society knows of history is what the strongest wanted the story to be. Barnes says that the strongest, the "winners," are also the most ruthless, and therefore the least moral and least fit to write history...and yet that is the way of the world. Very interesting. Very thought provoking.
 |
Title: Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0679731369 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
 |
Title: England, England by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0375705503 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 11 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: Love, etc. by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0375725881 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 11 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
 |
Title: Metroland by JULIAN BARNES ISBN: 0679736085 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 October, 1992 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
 |
Title: Talking It Over by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0679736875 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 October, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
