“[A] Novel Should Be the Biography

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1、CHAPTER2“[A]NovelShouldBetheBiographyofaManorofanAffair,andaBiography,WhetherofaManoranAffair,ShouldBeaNovel.”FordMadoxFordandModernistExperimentsinBiographyMaxSaundersInarecentdiscussionofFordMadoxFord’snovelTheGoodSoldier(1915),CatherineBelseydrawsuponJean-FrançoisLyotard’sessay“A

2、nsweringtheQuestion:WhatisPost-modernism?”toprofferFord’sslynovelasanexampleofthecategoryLyotardproposes:aformofpost-modernismwithinmodernism.WithTheGoodSoldier,saysBelsey,Fordhadwrittenapostmodernnovel.1ShenotesthatwhenLyotardpub-lishedhisessayintheFrenchjournalCritique,itappearedw

3、ithafoot-note,droppedfromtheEnglishtranslation,inwhichhespeltout“whatisatstake...inpostmodernistart.”2“Histarget,”sheexplains,“istheM.Saunders(*)DepartmentofEnglish,King’sCollegeLondon,22Kingsway,LondonWC2B6LE,UKe-mail:max.saunders@kcl.ac.uk©TheAuthor(s)201739L.BoldriniandJ.Novak(ed

4、s.),ExperimentsinLife-Writing,PalgraveStudiesinLifeWriting,DOI10.1007/978-3-319-55414-3_240M.SAUNDERSretreatfromexperimentation,theslidebackintothereassuringlapofrealism”:Lyotard’sobjectiontorealismwasitspropensitytoprotectconscious-nessesfromdoubt.Whetherinvisualartorinwriting,hear

5、gued,realismassumesthatwerecognize–orcanbecoaxedtorecognize–analreadyexistingreality.Perspectivepaintingstabilizestheobjectdepicted,placesitinsuchawaythatitisintelligibletothespectatorfromagivenpointofview,andinvestsitwithasigniicancethatis–orcanbemade–evidenttoeveryone.Therealistno

6、velsimilarlyinvitesrecognitionofaworldseenasgiven....Bythismeans,Lyotardcontinues,realismencouragesthereadertoarrivewithoutdificultyatavalidationofhisorherownidentityinthecourseofexperiencingthegratifyingconirmationofanunderstand-ingsharedwithothers.Communicationtakesplace:headsnod.

7、Howeversurprisingtheeventsorthecharactersmaybe,howeverdesolatetheout-come,theperceivingsubjectandtheobjectsperceivedareintheirproperplacesasevidencethattheworlddepictedispossible,plausible,convincingasareplicaofreality,theactualityweknowasourown....Modernism,meanwhile,responds,hesay

8、s,to“thewithdrawalo