Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of Scandal
Martin Amis’s choice of topic for Time’s Arrow seems to confirm his reputation as a controversial figure and to turn the novel into material for explosive debate. By proposing a highly visual fictional account of the Shoah, the novel engages frontally with polemical critiques of artistic attempts at...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée
2013-10-01
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| Series: | Études Britanniques Contemporaines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/ebc/603 |
| _version_ | 1818162659652009984 |
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| author | Diane Leblond |
| author_facet | Diane Leblond |
| author_sort | Diane Leblond |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Martin Amis’s choice of topic for Time’s Arrow seems to confirm his reputation as a controversial figure and to turn the novel into material for explosive debate. By proposing a highly visual fictional account of the Shoah, the novel engages frontally with polemical critiques of artistic attempts at representing Nazi crimes.Beyond outraged assessments of visual representation where the Shoah is concerned, however, the novel invites us to question the notion of outrage itself, in its demand for verbal and ethical clarity. In its opacity, Time’s Arrow relinquishes the expression of outrage—a tone perhaps better suited to essays—to elicit scandal. Its denial of epistemological and linguistic transparency erects a stumbling block which threatens to anihiliate our faith in liberal humanist values, in time, and in language. Yet it does not simply turn us into anaesthetised spectators: visually reminding us of our responsibility as political and historical beings, fiction relies on its own devices to create an ethical experience of reading. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:37:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2cba84c29ee4c52a6a5162b4887d4aa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1168-4917 2271-5444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:37:11Z |
| publishDate | 2013-10-01 |
| publisher | Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Études Britanniques Contemporaines |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2cba84c29ee4c52a6a5162b4887d4aa2022-12-22T00:58:25ZengPresses Universitaires de la MéditerranéeÉtudes Britanniques Contemporaines1168-49172271-54442013-10-014510.4000/ebc.603Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of ScandalDiane LeblondMartin Amis’s choice of topic for Time’s Arrow seems to confirm his reputation as a controversial figure and to turn the novel into material for explosive debate. By proposing a highly visual fictional account of the Shoah, the novel engages frontally with polemical critiques of artistic attempts at representing Nazi crimes.Beyond outraged assessments of visual representation where the Shoah is concerned, however, the novel invites us to question the notion of outrage itself, in its demand for verbal and ethical clarity. In its opacity, Time’s Arrow relinquishes the expression of outrage—a tone perhaps better suited to essays—to elicit scandal. Its denial of epistemological and linguistic transparency erects a stumbling block which threatens to anihiliate our faith in liberal humanist values, in time, and in language. Yet it does not simply turn us into anaesthetised spectators: visually reminding us of our responsibility as political and historical beings, fiction relies on its own devices to create an ethical experience of reading.http://journals.openedition.org/ebc/603contemporary British fictionMartin AmisShoahvisual representationoutragescandal |
| spellingShingle | Diane Leblond Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of Scandal Études Britanniques Contemporaines contemporary British fiction Martin Amis Shoah visual representation outrage scandal |
| title | Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of Scandal |
| title_full | Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of Scandal |
| title_fullStr | Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of Scandal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of Scandal |
| title_short | Martin Amis and ‘the Nature of the Offence’: from Expressions of Outrage to the Experience of Scandal |
| title_sort | martin amis and the nature of the offence from expressions of outrage to the experience of scandal |
| topic | contemporary British fiction Martin Amis Shoah visual representation outrage scandal |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/ebc/603 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dianeleblond martinamisandthenatureoftheoffencefromexpressionsofoutragetotheexperienceofscandal |