Theme of memory in A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the theme of memory and its impact on how we tend to re-create and perceive history, as reflected in the book A History of the World in 10 and ½ Chapters. The goal is to interpret each chapter and make a plausible inference as to what the author intended to communicate concerning the postmodernist view of history. The theoretical groundwork of the thesis draws primarily on Hayden White's Metahistory; Paul Ricœur's La mémoire, l'histoire, l'oubli and Temps et Récit. Tome I. Other sources include interviews with Julian Barnes, Conversations with Julian Barnes by Vanessa Guignery; an essay by Frank Kermode, Stowaway Woodworm and of course the novel itself. Key words: theme of memory, history, post-modernism, Julian Barnes, Grand Narrative/metanarrative, metahistory, historical imagination