Alterity and History in Micheal Ondaatje’s "The English Patient"
Autor: Saskia Lührig
Número de Páginas: 21
Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 3,0, University of Cologne, course: Contemporary Canadian Novel, language: English, abstract: In Michael Ondaatje’s novel The English Patient, the notions of alterity and history play an important and interconnected role. It is set in the last days of World War II and is full of historical hints. The characters in the novel spend the last days of the war in a villa in Italy. Hana, the Canadian nurse, and her patient, whose identity is unknown at first as he is deformed after a plane crash, form an alternative community. Caravaggio, who worked for British Intelligence in North Africa, and Kip, an Indian Sikh and sapper in the British army, are the other two members of this community. The author himself stated in the acknowledgements that “characters who appear are fictional, as are some of the events and journeys” (322). Now the question arises, to which extent these characters and events are based on “true” historical facts. But parallel with this the question of “historical truth” is raised. Hence, this paper will discuss in which way and why Ondaatje...