Re is a
Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses 12 (1999): 19-36
Pos mode nis Na a i e: In Sea ch o an Al ema i e.
B ian C ews
Uni e sidad de Se illa
ABSTRACT
The de elopmen o he no el o m is an explo a ion o he possibili ies o ealis ic
ep esen a ion which is inc easingly in o med by an unde s anding ha dis o ion and
ab ica ion a e ine i able consequences o he media ing p ocess o
na a i e.
The sea ch
o al e na i es o con en ional modes o ep esen a ion as a way o de amilia izing his
s a e o a ai s d aws a en ion
o
he ac ha he o de ed human cons uc s ha compose
knowledge a e
ic i ious
sys ems ha ine i ably
in ade
eali y.
A
numbe o con empo a y
au ho s, h ough a a ie y o s a egies emphasize he ine i able dis o ion in ol ed in
ep esen a ion. The wo ld is always ansposed, eali y is always amed in e ms o he
con en ions we know and becomes an un amilia absence con inually de e ed by he
ic i ious cons uc we cali knowledge. Ma in Amis, Angela Cá e and Ian McEwan a e
jus a ew o he au ho s who ques ion exis ing ealisms and posi al e na i es bu in he
knowledge ha eali y is always o he han wha we make i .
Pos mode nism is eally all abou o ms o ep esen a ion and he ways in which we depic
and come o e ms wi h wha we cali eali y (no ma e he médium in ol ed); o e en i
we can alk abou eali y o u h a all. J.F. Lyo a d sugges s ha all o ms o
ep esen a ion ely upon na a i e in o de o alida e hemsel es, and i could be said ha
all knowledge is p ima ily na a i e as, no ma e hei médium, all a is ic and cul u al
ep esen a ions equi e some me ana a i e o explain, alida e o jus i y hem (1984: 7).
This in i sel sugges s a clea dis inc ion be ween eali y and ou knowledge o i and we
can ace a cons an ly changing awa eness ega ding he ela ionship be ween o ms o
ep esen a ion and he de eloping eali y hey a e supposed o depic . F ede ic Jameson
explains his in e ms o he his o y o he sign be ween he eigh een h cen u y and he
p esen
day:
om he ealis ic ei ica ion o he sign we ha e mo ed h ough he mode nis
20 Re is a Alican ina
de
Es udios Ingleses
up u e
o
he ela ionship be ween
he
sign
and i s
e e en (al hough
he
belie
in
some
ela ion s ill emained),
o he
p esen
day
"p i e
and
andom play
o
signi ie s which
we
cali pos mode nism" (1987:222). I is cu ious o no e ha he pe iod desc ibed by Jameson
coincides wi h he beginnings and he de elopmen o he English no el, and we migh say
ha he no el
no
only mi o s his changing ela ionship be ween signi ie
and
signi ied,
bu
has
con inually been p eoccupied wi h
he
p oblem
o
ep esen a ion
and has
shown
a cons an desi e
o be
ealis ic
in
his ega d h oughou
i s
his o y.
In
ac ,
he
no el
has
de eloped p ecisely because
o i s
e o s
o
become mo e ealis ic.
Discussions abou pos mode nism o en cen e
on
na a i e,
and a
poin ha ough
o
be made
is
ha we can posi an analogous ela ionship be ween no el and pos mode nism.
I
is
much mo e han ha many ins ances o pos mode nism occu
in he
no el o m.
I is
mo e han
a
coincidence,
and he
basis
o
his ela ionship es s
on he
ac ha bo h
he
no el
and
pos mode nism
can be
conside ed
as
opposi ional discou se,
as
bo h in ol e
a
ela ionship,
o a
a ie y
o
ela ionships
o
an agonism
o
opposi ion owa ds al eady
exis ing o ms o ep esen a ion which a e conside ed and conside hemsel es o be alid,
au hen ic, au ho i a i e,
o
e en ealis ic. When
we
conside
he
pos mode nis no el
in
his ligh ,
we can
sugges ha
i
exis s
as he
esul
o
de elopmen s
in he
no el
i sel , o
is made possible
by i s
na u e, al hough his has been in o med
by
ideological change
oo.
Mo eo e ,
as
opposi ional
discou se,
many ea u es ha
a e
conside ed
o
be pos mode nis
in na a i e a e al eady
o be
ound in he no el o m. We could say ha he pos mode nis
no el akes ad an age
o
possibili ies
in he
no el o m i sel
o
push
i in new and
di e en di ec ions, al hough
i
s ill emains
a
no el and bea s some ela ion wi h i s pas .
In his sense i
is
he
con inua ion
o
a
de eloping
mode,
and he e a e a numbe o ea u es
ha allow
us o
sugges his.
F om
i s
beginnings,
he
no el appea s
o
eac
o
o he , pa icula ly li e a y o ms
o
na a i e,
and,
since hen,
has
always been open
o he
assimila ion
o a
g ea a ie y
o
modes o discou se. The no el
is,
he e o e,
a
hyb id, open gen e which can ake ad an age
o al eady exis ing o ms
o
ep esen a ion,
and, a
imes, does
so
c i ically
and
ques ioningly. E en du ing
i s
ealis ic phase,
i can be
conside ed
as
explo ing
i s own
possibili ies
o
ep esen a ion
in
o de
o
pe suade
i sel , as
well
as he
eade ,
o i s
e isimili ude. We ha e been old igh ly
no o
conside he ealis ic no el
as a
pa adigm,
bu
as a
s age
o
de elopmen
in a
sel - e lexi e adi ion which has always in o med
he
no el (Hu cheon
1984: 38). In
his sense,
i has
always been inno a i e,
and a
b oad
a ie y
o
dis inc cul u al codes
and
o ms
o
exp ession, bo h li e a y
and
non-li e a y,
con inually come in o con ac wi h each o he (Holquis
&
Reed 416).
No
only ha ,
bu
i , as
Malcolm B adbu y
has
s a ed, each no el
is a
unique
se o
a iables
(1973:
289),
his
can be
conside ed
as he
pa icula use
o
al eady exis ing possibili ies, linguis ic
and
na a i e, whe e
he
choices made wi hin di e en ca ego ies
o
discou se
can
p oduce
a
a ie y
o
e ec s
and a e, in
ac , de e mined
by and
sugges i e
o
dis inc a i udes
owa ds exis ing ealisms.
I is
possible
o
isola e mo e
o
less con en ional endencies
in
he no el,
bu i s
de elopmen
can
almos always
be
seen
in
e ms
o
i s pa icula
use o
a ailable ma e ials, al hough
i
should also
be
s a ed ha
he
no el s eals, bo ows
and
cobbles bi s
on
om o he media ha a e no necessa ily li e a y
in i s
a emp s
o
con ain
eali y (Johnson 1973: 16-17).
The
pos mode nis no el
is
inno a i e
in he
same
way.
Pos mode nis Na a i e: In Sea ch o
an
Al e na i e 21
Speaking o o he media, i is wo h conside ing he emphasis on he isual aspec in
he no el e en un il modemism and beyond:
. . . by an ini ial i e he w i e mus i s ans o m he eal in o a pain ed objec (a
amed one); a e which he can unhook his objec , pulí i ou o
his
pain ing, in a wo d
de-pic i All o
his
opens up
a double
p oblem.
Fi s o
all,
whence and when began
his p eeminence o
he
pic o ial code
in
li e a y mimesis? Why has i disappea ed? Why
did w i e s' d eam o pain ing die? (Ba hes S/Z in Thihe 1)
This d eam o isual ep esen a ion may ha e come o an end because o he
appea ance o isual media (cinema and ele isión) which could do he job much be e ,
which le he no el o ge on wi h wha i could do bes (see Johnson 1973). A any a e,
wha is clea is ha mimesis o ealism in na a i e has o en been associa ed wi h his
kind o isual elemen (landscape, se ing, phy sical appea ance and so
on),
which has been
in luen ial in he way in which cinema, ele isión and e en ideo ha e g adually become
an in luence on ce ain na a i e ex s. As we sugges ed, his is so because he no el has
always been a kind o in es iga ion o he possibili ies o ep esen a ion, as Robe Al e
poin s ou :
The ealis ic en e p ise has been eno mously complica ed and quali ied by he w i e 's
awa eness ha ic ions a e ne e eal hings, ha li e a y ealism is a an alising
con adic ion in e ms. I mode n philosophy can be said o begin wi h Deca es's
me hodological skep icism, his making on ology essen ially p oblema ic, a whole
adi ion o
he no el as he
pa adigma ically mode n na a i e
gen e,
is in o med by ha
same c i ical philosophical awa eness, beginning abou hal a cen u y be o e Deca es
wi h Ce an es. On ological c i ique, mo eo e , is ca ied on ypically no
as
discu si e
exposi ion bu as a c i ical explo a ion h ough he manipula ion o he e y o m ha
pu po s o ep esen eali y. (1975: x)
The idea o on ological c i ique is usually associa ed wi h he pos mode n and
me a ic ion, bu i is no exclusi e o i . The no el has always explo ed i s possibili ies
al hough a g owing awa eness o he na u e o he médium, he ac o media ion and he
ine i abili y o manipula ion a e undamen al in wha we see as i s de elopmen . In ac ,
we could say ha he his o y o he no el is a his o y o i s a emp s o a oid, dissimula e,
and la e emphasize media ion and manipula ion. Bu his is only one aspec o he
ques ion:
Con inually demanding a enewal o i s ealism, he no el accen ua es he ambigui ies
o li e a y ep esen a ion. On he one hand, he objec s ep esen ed ( oads, coins,
u ni u e, bodies, pe sons) a e gi en an au onomy om he dominan seman ic ield o
he na a i e; hey signi y, bu on a di e en le el o plañe. On he o he hand, he
médium o ep esen a ion (poin o
iew,
na a i e oice, p ose s yle, he p in ed page)
calis a en ion o i s in e media y ole; i d ama izes i sel
as
he bea e o signi icance.
The s a egies o such an accennia ion a e di e se, bu he no el is a special use o wha
semio ics calis a s agge ed sys em. I is in his sense, in i s adical displacemen s o
22 Re is a Alican ina
de
Es udios Ingleses
signi ie and signi ied, ha
T is am Shandy is he
mos ypical no el
o
wo ld li e a u e,
as Shklo sky claimed.
In i s
cul i a ion
o
imbalance,
i is he
s agge ed sys em
pa
excellence. (Holquis
and
Reed 418)
Once
he
no elis 's d eam
o
pain ing dies,
i is he
sel -conscious awa eness
o he
in e media y ole ha becomes uppe mos
in
much na a i e, which begins
o
in es íga e
he p ocess o media ion and e en ques ions he possibili y o ep esen a ion: wha can
we
signi y
o
e e o;
and he
no el
has
de eloped
in
his sense also, once emphasising
he
wo ld beyond
he
ex ,
o ,
mo e ecen ly, sugges ing ha
we can
only e e
o
o he signs
and o he ex s.
The ealis ic no el
as i
is conside ed adi ionally a emp ed
o
pe suade
he
eade o
i s u h ulness, o en in ol ing
" he
ep esen a ion
o
expe ience
in a
manne which
app oxima es clea ly
o he
desc ip ion
o
simila expe ience
in
non-li e a y ex s
o he
same cul u e" (Lodge
1977: 25).
This e e ence
o
wha
is he
possibili y
o
adap ing
exis ing modes
o
ep esen a ion
o
ic ional na a i e d aws a en ion
ye
again
o he
ques ion o media ion, and
i
should be ob ious ha his p eoccupa ion s ems om he ac
ha he e
is no
possibili y
o
unmedia ed eali y
in
na a i e,
o
e en elsewhe e
o
ha
ma e . Some hing mus always
ge in he way o i and
his
is
wha
has led
some c i ics
o con as na a i e wi h d ama
and o
conside na a i e
as
somehow less ealis ic.
Ob iously, he e
can be no
such hing
as a
uly d ama ic na a i e ex , al hough
we may
be ela i ely unawa e
o
he p esence
o
he na a o ,
he
exis ence
o a
ame,
o
e en
o
he
ac o
na a ion
i sel .
Al hough
we may be
pe suaded
o
o ge abou
he
na a o ,
he
unc ion o na a ion always akes
place.
No elis s ha e always known his al hough some
c i ics ha e been slowe o app ecia e
i , bu i
migh also
be
a gued ha
he
no el
is
mo e
ealis ic
o
ha e y eason. Ka e F iedemann a gües:
" he na a o "
is he one who
e alua es,
who is
sensi i ely awa e,
who
obse es.
He
symbolizes
he
epis emological
iew,
amilia
o us
since Kan ha
we do
no app ehend
he wo ld in
i sel ,
bu a he
as
i
has
passed h ough he médium
o
an
obse ing mind.
In pe cep ion,
he
mind sepa a es he ac ual wo ld in o subjec
and
objec .
(In
S anzel
4)
I
is
because
o
his ha
he
no el
is so
p eoccupied wi h wha ha e become
pos mode nis conce ns,
bu
hese ha e always been
he
conce ns
o
he no el.
The
ac
ha he obse e always changes wha
he
obse es
and
ha he e
is no
objec i e eali y
is
wha
he
his o y
o he
no el
is
abou . Gene e makes
i
clea ha na a i e
is no a
"weakened, a enua ed mode
o
li e a y ep esen a ion" (1982:130),
bu
is mo e mime ic
han d ama i sel p ecisely because
he
na a o does embody
he
epis emological iew.
The de eloping awa eness
o
his s a e
o
a ai s
has
been e lec ed
in he
de elopmen
o
he no el owa ds pos mode nism.
In
he
ligh
o
wha has been said,
he
pos mode nis endency owa ds me a ic ion
in
some cases can be conside ed as
"an
exagge a ion o he ensions
and
opposi ions inhe en
in
all
no éis:
o
ame
and
ame b eak,
o
echnique
and
coun e - echnique,
o
cons uc ion
and
decons uc ion
o
illusion" (Waugh
14). Le us say
ha
he
no el
Pos mode nis Na a i e: In Sea ch o an Al e na i e 23
con inúes o do wha i has always done al hough we also ind "shi s o emphasis,
es uc u ings and e asions ... o accommoda e and make ole able con empo a y eali y
and he mode n expe ience in gene al" (S e enson 1992: 15). Wha S e enson says he e
abou mode nism is ue o he no el a many s ages o i s de elopmen as i compensa es
o , e lec s o a oids he changes ha ake place a ound us. The endency o ques ion
exis ing a i udes owa ds ealism has always in o med he de elopmen ha has aken
place in he no el, and he same applies o ecen de elopmen s in pos mode nis na a i e.
As opposi ional discou se, he no el exis s in a eia ion o opposi ion o o he modes,
adi ions and con en ions, as well as o al e na i e conside a ions o ealism, e en
o e ing hese al e na i es
i sel .
While he no el is s ill some imes guil y o compounding
he ealis ic allacy, i has also de eloped in eac ion o i , which is he same as saying ha
he pos mode nis no el eac s in he ligh o he allacies o accep ed ealism, as i is
pe u bed by he eady accep ance o con en ion and he con en ional. Fo hese easons,
he no el is an i- adi íonal, al hough his o y has con inually na u alized i s changes and
inno a ions ega ding o ms o ep esen a ion. Bu he changes con inué, pa icula ly wi h
ega d o a i udes owa ds eali y and ealism, which con inually leads he no el in sea ch
o al e na i e modes o p esen a ion in i s a emp s o be mo e ealis ic.
The way in which o he modes ha e been assimila ed in o he no el sugges s ha i s
a emp s a ealism oppose li e a u e a e a ashion ha pos mode nism con inúes. Michael
Holquis and Wal e Reed see he no el as being "essen ially ied o ealism whene e
ealism is concei ed as mo e eal han li e a u e since he no el always ope a es in eac ion
o li e a u e" (1988: 417). This is ue o many no éis which appea a e mode nism,
which also opé a e in eac ion o o he o ms o ep esen a ion wi hin ou cul u e, in such
a way ha he no el, as li e a u e, can now be concei ed as a emp ing o be mo e ealis ic
o o e ing an al e na i e no only o li e a y modes o ep esen a ion, bu e en o hose
non-li e a y o ms ha pu po o ep esen eali y in con empo a y cul u e. Holquis and
Reed go on:
The so-called ealism o he no el is an open-ended se ies o ealisms . . . in which
na a i e codes ha a e adi ional o con en ional in he con empo a y ins i u ion o
li e a u e con on na a i e codes ha
a e
pe cei ed
as
ex a-li e a y No single code
is gi en i s ull au ho i y and he claim o each is con es ed in he pa icula esolu ion
o he ex . (418)
By all accoun s, hey could be alking abou he pos mode nis no el he e, whe e he
idea o ins alling and con es ing con en ions as well as o e ing al e na i es o he
au ho i a i e ex can be conside ed ai ly accep ed ea u es o his kind (Hu cheon 1989:
1-2). I would seem ha he no el has always done his in an a emp o enew i s ealism
as i mo es om adi ional ealis ic na a i e, h ough mode nism o pos mode nism,
al hough, as we sugges ed, he e has always been a adi ion, pe haps beginning wi h
S e ne, i no Ce an es, whe e he no el has d awn a en ion o he ambigui ies and
médium o ep esen a ion.
Some hing ha migh lead us o a be e unde s anding o he analogous eia ion
be ween pos mode nism and no el is wha Shklo sky says abou he his o y o na a i e.

24 Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
He sees i as a con inual making s ange o de amilia iza ion, which has b ough abou he
cons a ó enewal o he o m (Lemon & Reis 1965:57). Bakh in sha es a simila iew, bu
sees na a i e as de amilia izing di e en ways o alking abou he wo ld
(1981:
5-38).
In some ecen ic ion, bo h he wo ld and ways o alking abou i a e de amilia ized, and
he endency is no simply o expe imen wi h ways o ep esen ing eali y, bu ha eali y
i sel is shown o be un amilia .
Bakh in d aws a en ion o he ac ha he no el has been in o med by a di e en
concep o
ime,
whe e he openended p esen becomes he ocus. This is opposed o he
sense o wholeness o comple eness a o ded by epic o o he li e a y
kinds.
We could say
ha he no el deals wi h con empo a y his o y, al hough we ough
o
conside ha concep
as e e ing o some hing ongoing, a eali y which con inually ecedes in he p esen .
Bakh in ells us ha he no el
de eloped as a gen e ha had a new way o concep ualizing ime. The absolu e pas
adi ion, hie a chical dis ance played no ole in he o ma ion o he no el as a gen e.
... The no el ook shape p ecisely a he poin when epic dis ance was disin eg a ing .
. . when he objec o a is ic ep esen a ion was being deg aded o he le el o a
con empo a y eali y ha was inconclusi e and
luid.
(1981:
38)
This di ec con ac wi h p esen -day eali y and he lack o any no ion o an absolu e
pas make he no el he no el, as, wi h pos mode nism, i e u ns once mo e o a sense o
inconclusi eness and incomple eness in
an
e e - eceding and e e -changing p esen which
is much mo e adically pa o ou con empo a y awa eness. This con ac wi h he p esen ,
i s con empo a y na u e, is wha allows he no el o de elop wi h g ea e eedom, bu
cu iously becomes o inc easing hema ic signi icance as he no el de elops owa ds
pos mode nism, whe e in a pos -Eins einian wo ld we canno help bu be in luenced by a
new way o concep ualizing ime.
In he isual a s we ha e seen how mode nis endencies ha e led o an ob ious
de amilia iza ion o he objec (making i some imes un ecognizable), o o su ealism
which sugges s a d eam o in isible eali y which elies o en on he mode nis de ices o
my h o symbol in o de o be unde s ood. This was so because he con en ional
ep esen a ions o ealism ailed o conside eali y a all, igno ing he ac ha he
con en ional o ms hey used ep esen ed a con en ional o amed wo ld, subjec o he
dis o ion ine i ably b ough abou by he p ocess o media ion. This would la e
be
called
he ealis ic allacy. The in oduc ion o al e na i e modes o composi ion which we e
accompanied by e en g ea e dis o ion e ec i ely d ew a en ion o he con en ions
hemsel es which had been igno ed. Howe e , his has always been
a
p eoccupa ion in he
no el as "[no éis] a e always awa e o he opaci y o cul u al ca ego ies which o ealis s
look like Windows ( ealis s o ge hey a e looking h ough some hing)" (Holquis & Reed
417).
Bu he no el seems o ha e become p eoccupied wi h he di icul y o con inuing
o de amilia ize eali y, and his, no only in he no el, bu in ilm, pho og aphy, and o he
á eas,
o pos mode nism is a majo p eoccupa ion. Once e e y hing becomes all oo
amilia one possible eac ion is his:
Pos mode nis Na a i e: In Sea ch o an Al e na i e 25
In eply o an enqui y, i was explained ha a sa is ac o y no el should be a sel -e iden
sham o which he eade could egúla e a will his deg ee o c eduli y... . Cha ac e s
should
be
in e changable
as
be ween
one
book and ano he .
The en i e
co pus o exis ing
li e a u e should
be
ega ded as
a
limbo om which disce ning au ho s could d aw hei
cha ac e s as equi ed, c ea ing only when hey ailed o ind a sui able exis ing puppe .
The mode n no el should be la gely
a
wo k o e e ence. Mos au ho s spend hei ime
saying wha has been said be o e — usually said much be e . (O'B ien 1967: 25)
In his o m o esponse, he no el becomes a commen a y on i s p edecesso s, on he
ic i ious cons uc s and p ocesses o ep esen a ion ha a e a ailable o he w i e , and by
using o playing wi h wha is al eady amilia o some o
us,
Flann O'B ien de amilia izes
a numbe o adi ional modes o ep esen a ion. Wha s ikes us a i s as a b eak wi h
adi ion (and i is in a sense), u ns ou o be a mo e ex eme mani es a iqn o he no el
as opposi ional discou se, whe e he ela ion be ween he con empo a y na a i e and i s
li e a y pas , because o he pa odie na u e o he wo k, can clea ly be conside ed as such.
Ano he pos mode nis au ho , his ime om he 60s, ollows O'B ien's Une, bu in a less
play ul manne :
The
no elis canno legi ima ely o success ully embody p esen day eali y in exhaus ed
o ms.
. . . P esen day eali y is changing apidly, i always has done, bu o each
gene a ion i appea s o be speeding up. No elis s ha e o e ol e (by in en ing,
bo owing, s ealing o cobbling om o he
media)
o ms which will
mo e o
less con ain
an e e changing eali y. (Johnson 1973: 17)
The cu ious hing abou Johnson's wo k, howe e , is he way in which he delibe a ely
cou s ailu e. He builds his house o ic ion in o de o knock i down; goes o g ea
leng hs o c éa e a sense o e isimili ude and hen, in an a bi a y ashion, e u es i ,
always d awing a en ion o he ine i able dis o ion and manipula ion in ol ed in any
na a i e. In his no éis he ins alls and con es s a wide ange o exis ing modes o
ep esen a ion, bu his play ul in en i eness in ol es a a he melancholy i ony: each
s a egy which a emp s o b ing us close o eali y d aws a en ion o i sel as jus ha ,
and he p ocess o media ion becomes e en mo e appa en . In he quo a ion, by alluding
o "bo owing, s ealing and cobbling," Johnson sugges s ha o he mos pa he
con empo a y au ho canno a oid alluding o exis ing o ms, unde lining he ac ha ou
unde s anding o eali y is ied o con en ional models o ep esen a ion. In en ion, o
ecall O'B ien's commen , is an al e na i e o be made use o only when no app op ia e
sou ce is ound. So, in o de o de elop wi h his imes and o keep up wi h he e e -
changing na u e o con empo a y eali y, he au ho 's al e na i es, o wo o hem, a e o
anno a e exis ing sou ces o o in en , bo ow and s eal; bu he no el, up o a poin , has
always done his anyway, and i is signi ican o no e ha Johnson e e s he e o e olu ion
and no
a
b eak wi h he pas . The pos mode nis no el emains opposi ional discou se, bu
hese a i udes sugges a changing a i ude owa ds he no el o m, o a g ea e awa eness
o he na u e o na a i e ep esen a ion in gene al. How na a i es a e composed and
cons uc ed and hei ela ion wi h eali y becomes a ea u e o he con empo a y no el
26 Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
leading o a numbe o mo e pa icula conce ns ha achie e g ea e emphasis in mo e
ecen imes.
Among pos mode nis s, he endency is o see all o ms o ep esen a ion as limi ing
and dis o ing ou isions o eali y, so ha pos mode nism is essen ially sub e si e in i s
desi e o make his ine i able dis o ion o eali y and expe ience clea . Ra he han
conside ing eali y as some hing ep esen able, i is now seen as a ic ional cons uc
dependen on he ideologies implici in exis en modes o ep esen a ion. So, he ques ion
becomes whe he we a e able o concei e o eali y a all, o i all we know and ecognize
a e he o ms, adi ions and con en ions o a numbe o al eady exis ing
ealisms.
We can
say ha pos mode nism ep esen s an ex eme s age o hough in he de elopmen o
a i udes owa ds he ela ion be ween eali y and ep esen a ion. Nowadays, he e a e s ill
adi ionaV ealis ic mani es a ions o ep esen a ions o li e and expe ience on he ma ke ,
bu hese ha e begun o be conside ed as ob ious ic ions, p oducís o a socie y ha ades
in images o simulac a, whe e u h is jus one mo e ma ke able commodi y. Fic ions
pu po ing o be he u h compe e wi h one ano he , and eali y
ecedes.
In a con empo a y
si ua ion whe e i seems ha we ha e los sigh o he u h and e en o eali y
i sel ,
wha
we ind in some pos mode nis na a i es is a endency o p oduce agmen a y, ob iously
ic i ious cons uc s lacking in dep h o signi icance. The e usal o signi y o he ailu e
o signi y, admissions o limi a ions and o igno ance ha e subs i u ed he signi ican
e e en ial ex . In he same way, pos mode nism ends o be sub e si e in he way i
ejec s he con en ions ha gi e au ho i y o he ex , o en p esen ing i sel in hyb id
o ms (like he no el i sel ) ha sel -c i ically d aw a en ion o hei own limi a ions o
inabili y o ep esen any hing.
As Ma ei Calinescu sugges s, i is now admi ed ha we canno cons uc eali y, only
possible wo lds (1987: 203), possible in acco dance wi h he modes o con en ions ha
a e used. We cons uc con en ional wo lds, no eal wo lds, because con en ion and
consensus a e also necessa y in o de o come o e ms wi h e en possibili y. Some hing
o conside in his espec is ha consensus sugges s, o migh sugges , a leas nowadays
and a he pa adoxically, a kind o eluc an al hough olun a y accep ance. In his s o y
"Tlon, Uqba , O bis Te ius," Bo ges ells an anecdo e abou Hume ema king ha
Be keley's a gumen s we e i ep oachable bu ha hey did no inspi e he leas con ic ion
(21):
we assen o he o ganized sys em bu i does no ha e o be ue. When al e na i es
a e ound o exis ing con en ion hen we ha e an al e na i e sys em, an al e na i e
possibili y, an al e na i e eali y, an al e na i e wo ld, bu i does no necessa ily ha e o
be ue. I is his awa eness o wha has always been he case ha in o ms much
con empo a y na a i e and Bo ges an icipa es he eac ion o some no elis s in some o
his s o ies which become commen a ies and anno a ions o wo ks which, hen, did no
exis . As he says in he p ologue o his Ficciones, "a be e p ocedu e is o p e end ha
hese books al eady exis and o e a summa y, a commen a y" o ex s ha o e
al e na i e sys ems o hose ha go e n he ic ional wo lds we inhabi (1985:12; he e and
elsewhe e Bo ges is eely ansla ed).
Bo ges shows us ha we can and do build wo lds, some hing which is possible due o
he on ology o language and discou se. I has been said ha " he c ea ion o sys ems ha
o de a wo ld [ ha in u n c éa e a wo ld] is a g a ui ous (bu necessa y) o m o play"
Pos mode nis Na a i e: In Sea ch o an Al e na i e 27
(Thihe 160) and his is wha Bo ges d aws a en ion o in a na a i e like "Tlón, Uqba ,
O bis Te ius." Language, whose ules a e a bi a y, i he sys em is consis en , cons i u es
wha is eal a any gi en ime and " he axonomic au onomy o language au oma ically
compels assen o i s o de s when hese o de s a e pe cei ed as igo ously consis en "
(Thihe 161). Cu iously, his olun a y accep ance would seem o s em om a basic
human desi e o ha o de . Bo ges' kind o na a i e shows ha he eali y we know is a
human cons uc , ha nowadays can be eplaced by ano he sui able model. The mass
media nowadays akes ad an age o his ac o pe suade and seduce us wi h mo e
ma ke able models con inually. O , pu ing i ano he way, eali y can only be a cons uc
dependen on a closed sys em.
In "Tlon, Uqba , O bis Te ius," Bo ges sugges s ha pe haps eali y is o de ed, bu
acco ding o di ine laws ha we do no pe cei e, which a e, he e o e, no he laws o
men. (35). Howe e , Tlon is a lc i ious wo ld designed by man, and, like ou own wo ld,
o he wo ld as we unde s and i , is ep esen ed acco ding o an o ganized sys em, which
he e o e makes i a possible wo ld. The sugges ion is ha ou wo ld, o ou concep ion
o i , is equally lc i ious, a man-made laby in h, jus like Tlon (35), and leads o he
conclusión ha all o de ed human sys ems, all o ms o ep esen a ion a e closed sys ems
which ha e no ela ion o eali y o u h. Tha ou knowledge o he wo ld is o de ed
implies, in
i sel ,
ha wha we know is a lc i ious cons uc . In his summa ies and
commen a ies o wo ks ha had no ye come in o exis ence, like ha o he s o y, Bo ges
i ually p esc ibes wha many pos mode nis na a i es ha e been doing o e a numbe
o
yea s,
as well as d awing a en ion o unde lying ideological conce ns which go e n he
endency owa ds al e na i e modes o composi ion. Wha Bo ges ells us abou Tlon is
a way o de amilia izing wha we ough o unde s and abou he na u e o ou own wo ld
and ou knowledge o i . In Tlon, he wo ld is a he e ogeneous se o independen ac s,
successi e, empo al, bu no spacial, and, as me e is only "becoming," nouns do no exis
(21).
Mo eo e , he ea lie amisión o Hume can, and does, ake us beyond his idea o
sugges ha pe haps only quali ies can be expe ienced, which is u he ein o ced by he
ac ha in he language o one hemisphe e o he plane only adjec i es a e used. In he
o he , he wo ld is a succession o men al p ocesses ha ake place successi ely in ime;
o explain o judge some hing is an ac which uni es ha ac o ano he which, in Tlon,
is a pos e io s a e o he subjec which canno a ec o illumina e he p e ious s a e.
The e o e, e e y men al s a e is i educible and canno be educed o in e p e ed, which
means ha he ac o naming o classi ica ion means alsi ica ion (23). The philosophe s
o Tlon know ha any sys em simply means he subo dina ion o e e y hing o one single
ace o he uni e se, and i is possible, he says, o e en deny he exis ence o ime. The
p esen is inde ini e, he pas is eal only as p esen memo y and he u u e only exis s as
a p esen hope (24). All h ee exis he e o e in an inde ini e eceding p esen (in Ficciones
1985:
13-36; he ex has been eely pa aph ased once mo e).
The example o Tlon d aws a en ion o he ac ha man is he c ea o o possible
wo lds which in ade eali y: e en his o y and philosophy a e man-made sys ems which
in ade eali y in he same way. This e lec s he way in which a i udes owa ds he
ela ion be ween sys ems o modes o ep esen a ion and eali y has changed. I would
appea ha he na u e o eali y is he na u e o eali y as we know i . I becomes pa o
34 Re is a Alican ina de Es udios Ingleses
a sea, and e e y hing ha eally happens happens o
me"
(1985:102; again he ansla ion
is my
own).
Again he emphasis is on he ac ha only he p esen momen exis s, ha he
pas only exis s as pa o he p esen and all expe ience culmina es in he subjec i e he e
and now. Howe e , when Yu Tsun disco e s ha he laby in h he seeks, he ga den o
o king pa hs, in ol es a bi u ca ion in ime and no in space, his a i ude de elops e en
u he .
In all ic ion, each ime a man con on e a a ie y o al e na i es, he chooses one and
elimina es he o he s; in ha o he almos inex icable Ts'ui P8n, he op s,
simul aneously, o all o hem. He c ea es in his way se e al u u es, se e al imes
which also p oli e a e and bi ú ca e. (111-2, my ansla ion)
This clea ly con es s he idea o he single s uc u e and he eeling o ine i abili y ha
he adi ional no el depends upon o i s sense o e isimili ude and i is p ecisely his
kind o plu ali y ha we ind in Amis' O he People. This no el ends as i begins.
epea ing he e y same opening in o de o sugge s how he same plo migh be, o e en
mus be, ewo ked in any numbe o ways. Remembe , he au ho can only cons uc
possibili ies and hese a e múl iple.
In a simila ein, Bo ges' s o y o Tlon begins by elling us ha mi o s a e mons ous
because hey mul iply he numbe o
men.
Angela Ca e 's no el o
D .
Ho man p o ides
us wi h " e lec ions in b oken mi o s" and i is mons ous because i mul iplies he
numbe o e sions o eali y and he im nanences which lead o in ini e dis o ions. The
p esen momen , like ime and eali y
i sel ,
is múl iple.
I migh be conside ed ha he no el is simply playing wi h possibili y in his ega d
bu hese na a i es e lec a eal awa eness ha he con en ional concep ion o ime is
inadequa e. The poin is ha man-made o de ed sys ems a e ei he ic i ious o gi e only
a pa ial isión o he u h. They ail o conside ha ime is a iable, and no only
because o he way i changes subjec i ely. In The Child in Time, Ian McEwan o e s a
a ie y o subjec i e app ecia ions o he passage o ime anging om he slowed down
ime expe ienced du ing a ca c ash o a mys ical expe ience ha pu s oge he
simul aneously e en s ha ook place many yea s apa . As well as ep esen ing hem as
pa o he na a i e, he e is a didac ic passage which in ol es a discussion be ween he
p o agonis and a iend o
his,
who is a physicis . A ew ex ac s om wha Thelma ells
S ephen Lewis a e enligh ening:
Wha e e ime
is,
he commonsense, e e yday e sión o i as linea , egula , absolu e,
om le o
igh ,
om pas igh h ough he p esen
o
he u u e, is ei he nonsense o
a iny ac ion o he u h. . . . Time is a iable. We know i om Eins ein . . . . In
ela i i y heo y ime is dependen on he speed o
he
obse e . Wha a e simul aneous
e en s o one pe son can appea in sequence o ano he . The e's no absolu e, gene ally
ecognised "now." (117-18)
I is p obable ha he e is a highe o de o eali y which we do no ye unde s and, an
o de ha "could begin o ake subjec i e expe ience in o accoun " (120) and explain

Pos mode nis Na a i e: In Sea ch o an Al e na i e 35
he mys ic's expe ience o imelessness, he chao ic un olding o ime in d eams, he
Ch is ian momen o ul ilmen and edemp ion, he annihila ed ime o deep sleep, he
elabó a e ime schemes o no elis s,
poe s,
dayd eame s, he in ini e unchanging ime o
childhood .. .
... he slow ime o
panic.
(120)
The limi a ions o con en ional modes o ep esen a ion and hei na u e as ic i ious
sys ems o o de is clea ly sugges ed he e, bu a he same ime na a i e i sel is able o
o e al e na i e s a egies which d aw a en ion o o allude o a eali y which
con en ional sys ems a e unable o ep esen .
Pe haps one o he mos s iking hings is he sense o s angeness o e en o eignness
ha pe ades some o he wo ks we ha e men ioned. We a e li e ally aken in o ano he
wo ld whe e we disco e o he people, al hough, i onically, i u ns ou ha hese o he
people a e ou sel es, and ha ou wo ld is o he han wha we belie e i o be. Amis and
Cá e a e like many au ho s who il eali y in o de o u he he necessa y p ocess o
de amilia iza ion. In spi e o he na u aliza ion o many o
i s
s a egies he pos mode nis
no el con inúes o con es no only con en ional, bu e en uncon en ional ways o seeing
in such a way ha we econside he e icacy o exis ing modes o ep esen a ion.
To ansg ess he ules, o go beyond he limi s o he single s uc u e, o modi y he
uses o ca ego ies o discou se, pa icula ly wi h ega d o ime, oice and pe spec i e, is
whe e he pos mode nis no el is able o seek al e na i es and con inué i s de elopmen
ega ding he possibili ies o he de amilia iza ion o ways o ep esen ing eali y.
Howe e , while i se s i sel up in opposi ion o exis ing modes o p esen a ion in i s sea ch
o al e na i es, he inhe en scep icism o he pos mode nis no el o bids i om gi ing
au ho i y o any, esigning i sel o he conside a ion o eali y as an ine i able, and
pe haps i e ie able, absence.
Rew i ing his o y (pe haps in 10 1/2 chap e s), disloca ing ime and oices, de o ming
he eal, highligh ing he absu di y o logic and sys em, de amilia izing he in e media y
ole o na a i e and exagge a ing he immanence ha p ojec s and imposes human desi es
and s uc u es on eali y, hese a e only some o he al e na i es o his opposi ional
discou se o unbelie which d aws a en ion o he ic i ious na u e o he eal.
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