The News from Ireland | Not Noticing History: Two Tales by William Trevor
In this essay, Bonaccorso illustrates how Trevor
employs his characters to evoke the author’s view of
historical truth.
What is history? Is it a kind of truth that transcends our individual lives, and, essentially, our understanding? Or is it our creation, an external manifestation of our lives together, of relationships that begin at the level of intimacy? Here, at this base point, we often find the wisdom of fiction.
A prevalent device for the revelation of truth in William Trevor’s fiction is his characters’ evasion or subversion of it. When these characters are seen in their social contexts, it is historical truth that often emerges like an uninvited guest, insinuating itself into...
[The entire page is 2315 words long]
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