History of Narrative and Interpretation in Graham Swift's Waterland

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to introduce some of the most significant characteristics of historiographic metafiction through the narrative of Graham Swift’s Waterland. Relying on two books by Linda Hutcheon – The Poetics of Postmodernism and The Politics of Postmodernism - I plan to examine Waterland’s treatment of History, of mystery, of grand narratives, of historical representations and interpretations, while also paying attention to the novel’s perception of historical knowledge and of its limitations. My main goal is to reach to the conclusion that Waterland is not an ideological novel, which seeks to “persuade their readers” (Poetics 180) about one truth only. Instead, it makes the readers “question their own […] interpretations” (180) about History, events and facts.