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The tension between form and contingency: the ‘if–then–perhaps’ framework in Ian McEwan’s Lessons.

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Τίτλος: The tension between form and contingency: the ‘if–then–perhaps’ framework in Ian McEwan’s Lessons.
Συγγραφείς: Tang, Yili1 (AUTHOR) milkytang2008@126.com
Πηγή: Textual Practice. Aug2026, p1-18. 18p.
Θεματικοί όροι: *Possibility, *Literary interpretation, *Narration, *British authors, *Historical fiction, *Fiction
People: McEwan, Ian, 1942-
Περίληψη: In Lessons, contemporary British author Ian McEwan traces the life of the protagonist Roland Baines from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic, weaving historical events into the characters’ fates through an ‘if–then–perhaps’ framework. The novel initially constructs an if–then causal chain through which Roland connects his personal trauma to geopolitical crisis, producing a consoling order that transforms contingency into necessity. However, this logic begins to collapse with the failure of his poem ‘Glamis’, exposing the fundamental tension between the desire to shape his life narrative into an orderly form and the contingent details of lived struggle. Furthermore, a pivotal turn occurs when Roland reads Alissa’s novel Her Slow Reduction, leading him into an epistemic and ethical openness signified by ‘perhaps’. Through this framework, Lessons demonstrates literature’s capacity to create a unified aesthetic whole that can simultaneously capture the contingency of human existence. In doing so, McEwan encourages readers to confront life and history with openness and ethical awareness in a world filled with uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Βάση Δεδομένων: Academic Search Index
FullText Text:
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  Data: In <italic>Lessons</italic>, contemporary British author Ian McEwan traces the life of the protagonist Roland Baines from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic, weaving historical events into the characters’ fates through an ‘if–then–perhaps’ framework. The novel initially constructs an if–then causal chain through which Roland connects his personal trauma to geopolitical crisis, producing a consoling order that transforms contingency into necessity. However, this logic begins to collapse with the failure of his poem ‘Glamis’, exposing the fundamental tension between the desire to shape his life narrative into an orderly form and the contingent details of lived struggle. Furthermore, a pivotal turn occurs when Roland reads Alissa’s novel <italic>Her Slow Reduction</italic>, leading him into an epistemic and ethical openness signified by ‘perhaps’. Through this framework, <italic>Lessons</italic> demonstrates literature’s capacity to create a unified aesthetic whole that can simultaneously capture the contingency of human existence. In doing so, McEwan encourages readers to confront life and history with openness and ethical awareness in a world filled with uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/0950236x.2026.2716139
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: McEwan, Ian, 1942-
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Possibility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Literary interpretation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Narration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: British authors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Historical fiction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fiction
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The tension between form and contingency: the ‘if–then–perhaps’ framework in Ian McEwan’s <italic>Lessons</italic>.
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            NameFull: Tang, Yili
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          Dates:
            – D: 15
              M: 08
              Text: Aug2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0950236X
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            – TitleFull: Textual Practice
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