G. (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: John Berger
- First Published: 1972
- Type of Work: Historical fiction
- Time of Work: The late nineteenth century through the beginning of World War I
- Setting: Italy, England, and Trieste
- Principal Characters: G., Laura, Beatrice, Jocelyn, Marika, Nusa
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Children, Philosophy or philosophers, Sex or sexuality, Twentieth century, Nineteenth century, Art or artists, England or English people, Reality, War, Legends, Austria or Austrians, Italy or Italians, Cubism
- Locales: England, Italy, Austria, Trieste, Austria
The Novel
Despite its assertive subtitle, “A Novel,” John Berger’s G. hardly seems a novel at all. Many of its pages are taken up with reports about historical events contemporaneous with the narrated fictional incidents in the life of the hero, and many more are occupied with the narrator’s reflections upon his own task as a writer: the difficulties he faces in telling the story, knowing how the plot will come out, grasping the innermost springs of his invented characters. The formal problem presented by this text is symmetrically opposite to that of Berger’s...
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