Landscapes of History in the Novels of Lawrence Norfolk

Ladislav Nagy
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Abstract

Abstract This article deals with novels by Lawrence Norfolk which are read with a focus on their visual quality and the way they depict history. It is argued that Norfolk’s historical novels are unique in their portrayal of “landscapes of history”, large canvases in which individual characters play marginal, or a rather insignificant role. This approach distinguishes Norfolk from much of contemporary historical fiction, albeit at times this strategy might not be wholly satisfactory from a critical perspective. However, the article claims that Norfolk’s novels are intellectually inspiring since, similar to landscape, they invite a certain gaze, yet deny us the possibility of naming, of conceptualising. They provide readers with impressive vistas on history, which is seen as something too large to understand and penetrate. In this the novels are anti-humanistic. Individual characters (and their actions) are insignificant, or significant only to such an extent that they subscribe to some mythical framework, as Norfolk shows in, arguably, his best novel, In the Shape of a Boar (2000).
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劳伦斯·诺福克小说中的历史景观
摘要本文主要从劳伦斯·诺福克小说的视觉品质和历史描写的方式入手。有人认为,诺福克的历史小说在描绘“历史景观”方面是独一无二的,在这些大画布中,个人角色扮演着边缘或相当微不足道的角色。这种方法将诺福克与许多当代历史小说区分开来,尽管有时从批评的角度来看,这种策略可能并不完全令人满意。然而,这篇文章声称诺福克的小说具有启发性,因为与风景相似,它们吸引了某种凝视,但却否认了我们命名和概念化的可能性。它们为读者提供了令人印象深刻的历史远景,而历史被视为难以理解和穿透的东西。在这一点上,小说是反人道主义的。个人角色(和他们的行为)是微不足道的,或者只是在某种程度上重要,以至于他们符合某种神话框架,正如诺福克在他最好的小说《猪的形状》(2000)中所表现的那样。
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