- Waterland (novel)
Infobox Book
name = Waterland
title_orig =
translator =
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author = Graham Swift
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country =England
language = English
series =
subject =
genre =Novel
publisher =William Heinemann
release_date = 1983
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardcover )
pages = 310 pp
isbn = ISBN 0434753300
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followed_by ="Waterland" is a
1983 novel byGraham Swift , made into a1992 movie starringJeremy Irons . It is considered to be the author's premier novel and was shortlisted for theBooker Prize (a prize Swift finally achieved withLast Orders ).Plot introduction
"Waterland" follows the narrator, a history teacher, in a non-chronological sequence through his teen years, late years, and through the lives of some of his ancestors.
It encompasses a love story, a tragedy, a murder and a social history.
Major themes
"Waterland" is concerned with the nature and importance of history as the primary source of meaning in a narrative. For this reason, it is associated with
new historicism . The title of the novel refers to its setting inThe Fens inEast Anglia .Major themes in the novel include storytelling and history, exploring how the past leads to future consequences.
The plot of the novel revolves around loosely interwoven themes and narrative, including the jealousy of his brother for the narrator's girlfriend/wife, a resulting murder, the abortion the girl undergoes, her subsequent inability to conceive, resulting in depression and the kidnap of a baby.
This personal narrative is set in the context of a wider history, of the narrator's family, the Fens in general and the
eel .External links
* [http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-waterland/ Waterland Study Guide by Graham Swift]
* [http://www.thecore.nus.edu.sg/post/uk/gswift/wl/wlov.html Graham Swift's Waterland]
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