ipl-logo

How Has Regeneration Enabled Pat Barker To Enter The English Literary Canon

662 Words3 Pages

Westman asserts that ‘Regeneration’ has enabled Pat Barker to enter the English literary canon. The English literary canon is a group of texts that are considered to be ‘valuable’ , ‘universal’ and timeless’ Whilst the exact nature of the canon has been continually debated by critics and authors, there are a number of criteria which are generally agreed on as giving a book the literary status associated with the canon. These include ‘complexity and unity’ of plot, structure, language and ideas. In addition, the reception that a literary text receives can be used to determine the value and status of a text.and the ‘Regeneration’ trilogy has won the Guardian Fiction Prize, Northern Electric Special Arts Prize, Booksellers' Association Author of the Year Award. Barker has as a result been awarded the CBE. Had her novel not been worthy of the canon, could she really have won all these awards?
The complexity and unity of the plot and structure of ‘Regeneration’ are revealed from the onset of the novel. ‘Regeneration’ is a central metaphor that is repeated throughout. Although the obvious content of the novel is about brutalised soldiers regenerating back to their previous …show more content…

The lineage of gentlemen has vanished and these men who were once worlds apart have all succumbed to similar fates but with individual stories to tell. Barker says “regeneration is never complete”. However the journey to this change faces much questioning. The returning soldiers are puzzled of the changes in the country: whilst in the muddy trenches fighting and reduced to vulnerability by the control of their superiors, unsuspectingly their homes are being refurbished. Women have been given more opportunities and hold the jobs the men once did, their financial stability has also meant that their attitudes have changed (illustrated in Sarah Lumb’s character). Prior notices this

Show More
Related

How Did Women's Rights Change Australia

653 Words | 3 Pages

Through this, society was shown the capability of women and their desire to succeed. As society has changed, women in the workforce have changed as well. Women are now seen in a lot more key positions, but not as much as

Read More

Why Is Flappers Important In The 1920s

672 Words | 3 Pages

In doing so, these working women began to have the ability to support themselves, and, therefore, tended to rely less on men. However, these women not only defied the workplace’s principles, but also condemned society’s gender

Read More

American Revolution Dbq Essay

690 Words | 3 Pages

However, women experienced a considerable amount of change in society. In all, America didn’t experience many changes in the economic field, but they did experience political and social

Read More

Negative Effects Of Political Machine

298 Words | 2 Pages

There are a vast amount of negative effects that are caused by the political machine in both history and today's modern society. One problem that is present throught both history and now is corruption. As shown with Boss Tweed in the 1800s and most politcs today, politicians can use the political machine for their own financial wants and needs. As an example, Boss Tweed used the political machine to create fake leases and vouchers to increase his wealth, which, as a result, financially drained New York City. Another problem is that political machines will often be negative for canidates not involved in the machines.

Read More

Summary Of Shiloh By Bobbie Ann Mason

139 Words | 1 Pages

The twentieth century was a substantial era of change and prosperity. Before this time, the predominant force were men, whether that be in the workplace, at home, and so on. Women were lower in rank and/or status, and many females accepted this as the “societal norm.” However, not every woman was satisfied with the ideology of females being put second to men. Bobbie Ann Mason, one of countless women willing to stand up against the patriarchal belief and oppression faced by females, used her writing to advocate for social change, in spite of the traditional beliefs that were held beforehand.

Read More

John Steinbeck's All Quiet On The Western Front

1089 Words | 5 Pages

The war has annihilated an entire generation of men, leaving them “lost”—physically and

Read More

Analysis Of George Saunders 'Where Soldiers Come From'

1367 Words | 6 Pages

To start off, the veterans feel a sense of disconnect from their families as a result of the war. “Home” depicts Mikey feeling unloved and neglected by his mother and Harris to the point where he threatens arson upon their house, planning to “at least make the first motions of torching the place, to get their attention, to make them act their age” (Saunders, 11). When Dom is relieved of duty in “Where Soldiers Come From”, he states how his family treats him in a very different way post-war but “not in a “you just got back from college” sort of way” (Courtney), instead a way where they act uncomfortable around him. For both examples, it is shown how their interactions with family have changed for the worse after their war experiences, hindering their ability to rebuild meaningful connections with family. Continuing on, the works depict veterans having difficulty with their love lives post-war.

Read More

Women's Rights Dbq Essay

1605 Words | 7 Pages

The purpose of this document is to show that women are helping in duties outside the household. This is important because this was unconventional at the time. Additonally, there is a chart that shows that there was a significant increase in jobs held by women in professional fields such as clerical, professional, service, and sales workers which shows that women were climbing up the ladder in terms of jobs. This increase in women in the workforce is further confirmed with the drop in jobs such as household, factory, and farm workers (Doc 3B). Women are now taking on more professional jobs that were typically for men and that alone is a significant change.

Read More

Jim Brogan Women In The 1930's

438 Words | 2 Pages

In contrast with the previous decade, when women have just begun to stand up for their rights, the following period was not much of a favorable. As the 1930’s began with the depression, millions of American citizens, among them women were homeless and hungry. Some of them, avoided the stark deprivation, however still struggled to get by - “We didn’t go hungry, but we lived lean.” – as people often said during those hard times. Women received a clear message from the media – as getting a job was enormously hard, and so was its keeping, they were supposed to stay at home, not in the workplace. Female individuals, who had a job, were viewed as stealing it from men.

Read More

Stereotypes Of Women In This Time Article By Maria Shriver

704 Words | 3 Pages

This Time article is about the changes that have occurred with women in society since 1972. It mostly talks about women’s increase in the work force and how it might continue to grow and if it needs to grow and continue to change. In forty years, women have made major changes with their numbers in the work force. In about every division of labor, they have increased tremendously.

Read More

America During The 1920s Research Paper

1170 Words | 5 Pages

This period challenged traditional gender norms and paved the way for acceptance of women in the workforce, contributing to economic empowerment and independence. Furthermore, showing change in society’s views on women and their traditional

Read More

Title Lx Effect On Sports

1489 Words | 6 Pages

Sense Title lX women have been more active and outgoing speaking there mind and taking jobs in higher

Read More

Theme Of Healing In Regeneration

1441 Words | 6 Pages

The novel Regeneration by Pat Barker is a historical fiction anti-war story based on the beliefs of masculinity and duty without going into the battlefield. Through characters like Siegfried Sassoon, Dr. W. H. R. Rivers, and Billy Prior, the author is able to explore complex themes about a World War that is usually told through the eyes of soldiers living in the trenches. Besides the politics that went along with such a large scale war, Barker is able to delve into the difficult boundaries of mental illness and the process of psychological healing during a time in which mental illness was largely put off as being cowardly. The overall theme of healing is apparent throughout the novel with patients successfully leaving Craiglockhart War Hospital and returning to the warfront while others were deemed unfit for further combat.

Read More

Women And Their Rights In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

791 Words | 4 Pages

During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.

Read More

Sexism In The Workplace Essay

1213 Words | 5 Pages

Women. Women’s involvement in the working world have contributed to many items that would be missing from the world today; if they had not been allowed to work.. Women have struggled with sexism in the workplace since before they were even given the chance to try to work. They were taught from a young age that their job was to provide children, cook, and clean for their husbands, while the husband worked and provided the money. What men did not know however was that women were capable of so much more(Jewell, Hannah).

Read More

More about How Has Regeneration Enabled Pat Barker To Enter The English Literary Canon

Related Topics

Open Document