A History of the World in 10½ Chapters
Encyclopedia
A History of the World in 10½ Chapters is a novel by Julian Barnes
published in 1989. It is a collection of short stories in different styles; however, at some points they echo each other and have subtle connection points. Most are fictional but some are historical.
— the subject of the first chapter — which plays a dominant role in the Abrahamic religions
as an example of God's judgment. The woodworm
who narrates the first Chapter questions the wisdom of appointing Noah
as God's representative. The woodworm is left out of the ark, just like the other "impure" or "insignificant" species; but a colony of woodworm
manage to enter the ark as stowaways and thus to survive the Great Deluge. The woodworm goes on to become one of the many connecting threads, appearing in almost every chapter, implying processes of decay, especially of knowledge and historical understanding.
.
"The Survivor" is set in a world in which the Chernobyl disaster
was "the first big accident". There have been reports that the world is on the brink of nuclear war
. The protagonist escapes by boat to avoid a nuclear holocaust
.
The chapter "Shipwreck" is devoted to the analysis of Géricault's painting of the incident of The Raft of the Medusa. The first half narrates the incidents leading to the shipwreck and the survival of the crew members. The second half of the chapter analyses the painting itself. It describes Géricault's "softening" the impact of crude reality in order to preserve the aestheticism of the work, or to make the story of what happened more palatable.
The "Three Simple Stories" describe a survivor from the RMS Titanic, the Biblical story of Jonah
and the whale, and the Jewish refugee
s on board the St. Louis in 1939.
"Upsteam!" consists of letters from an actor who travels to a remote jungle for a film project similar to The Mission. His colleague is drowned in an accident with a raft.
The "half-chapter" is titled "Parenthesis" and is inserted between chapters 8 and 9. It is different in style to the other chapters: they are short stories but here a narrator
addresses his readers and offers a philosophical discussion on love. The narrator is called "Julian Barnes", but, as he himself states, we cannot be sure that his opinions are those of the author. A parallel is drawn with El Greco
's painting Burial of the Count of Orgaz, in which the artist confronts the viewer. The piece includes a discussion of lines from Philip Larkin
's poem An Arundel Tomb
("What will survive of us is love") and from W. H. Auden
's September 1, 1939
("We must love one another or die").
The chapter "Project Ararat
" tells the story of fictional astronaut Spike Tiggler, based on astronaut James Irwin
. The final chapter imagines New Heaven.
Julian Barnes
Julian Patrick Barnes is a contemporary English writer, and winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, for his book The Sense of an Ending...
published in 1989. It is a collection of short stories in different styles; however, at some points they echo each other and have subtle connection points. Most are fictional but some are historical.
Background
One of the many recurrent motifs in the book is the portrayal of ships. This alludes to Noah's ArkNoah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
— the subject of the first chapter — which plays a dominant role in the Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
as an example of God's judgment. The woodworm
Woodworm
A woodworm is not a specific species. It is the larval stage of certain woodboring beetles including:*Ambrosia beetles *Bark borer beetle / Waney edge borer *Common furniture beetle...
who narrates the first Chapter questions the wisdom of appointing Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
as God's representative. The woodworm is left out of the ark, just like the other "impure" or "insignificant" species; but a colony of woodworm
Woodworm
A woodworm is not a specific species. It is the larval stage of certain woodboring beetles including:*Ambrosia beetles *Bark borer beetle / Waney edge borer *Common furniture beetle...
manage to enter the ark as stowaways and thus to survive the Great Deluge. The woodworm goes on to become one of the many connecting threads, appearing in almost every chapter, implying processes of decay, especially of knowledge and historical understanding.
Plot
"The Visitors" describes the hijacking of a cruise liner, similar to the incident of the Achille LauroMS Achille Lauro
MS Achille Lauro was a cruise ship based in Naples, Italy. Built between 1939 and 1947 as MS Willem Ruys, a passenger liner for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd. It is most remembered for its 1985 hijacking...
.
"The Survivor" is set in a world in which the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
was "the first big accident". There have been reports that the world is on the brink of nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
. The protagonist escapes by boat to avoid a nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of the near complete annihilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is made uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars....
.
The chapter "Shipwreck" is devoted to the analysis of Géricault's painting of the incident of The Raft of the Medusa. The first half narrates the incidents leading to the shipwreck and the survival of the crew members. The second half of the chapter analyses the painting itself. It describes Géricault's "softening" the impact of crude reality in order to preserve the aestheticism of the work, or to make the story of what happened more palatable.
The "Three Simple Stories" describe a survivor from the RMS Titanic, the Biblical story of Jonah
Jonah
Jonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
and the whale, and the Jewish refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s on board the St. Louis in 1939.
"Upsteam!" consists of letters from an actor who travels to a remote jungle for a film project similar to The Mission. His colleague is drowned in an accident with a raft.
The "half-chapter" is titled "Parenthesis" and is inserted between chapters 8 and 9. It is different in style to the other chapters: they are short stories but here a narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
addresses his readers and offers a philosophical discussion on love. The narrator is called "Julian Barnes", but, as he himself states, we cannot be sure that his opinions are those of the author. A parallel is drawn with El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
's painting Burial of the Count of Orgaz, in which the artist confronts the viewer. The piece includes a discussion of lines from Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
's poem An Arundel Tomb
An Arundel Tomb
"An Arundel Tomb" is a poem by Philip Larkin, published in 1964 in his collection The Whitsun Weddings. It comprises 7 verses of 6 lines each, each rhyming abbcac....
("What will survive of us is love") and from W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
's September 1, 1939
September 1, 1939
"September 1, 1939" is a poem by W. H. Auden written on the occasion of the outbreak of World War II. It was first published in The New Republic issue of October 18, 1939, and was first published in book form in Auden's collection Another Time ....
("We must love one another or die").
The chapter "Project Ararat
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
" tells the story of fictional astronaut Spike Tiggler, based on astronaut James Irwin
James Irwin
James Benson Irwin was an American astronaut and engineer. He served as Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 15, the fourth human lunar landing; he was the eighth person to walk on the Moon.-Early life:...
. The final chapter imagines New Heaven.
List of chapters
- The Stowaway
- The Visitors
- The Wars of Religion
- The Survivor
- Shipwreck
- The Mountain
- Three Simple Stories
- Upstream!
- Parenthesis (unnumbered "half chapter")
- Project Ararat
- The Dream
External links
- Julian Barnes Website (A History of the World in 10½ Chapters, with extensive bibliography of translations and scholarly articles.
- Brian Finney Article
- The Search is All?: The Pursuit of Meaning in Julian Barnes’s Flaubert’s Parrot, Staring at the Sun and A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters by Wojciech Drag