-Corruption document

Barnes’s 1998 novel England, England, like A History of the World in 10½ Chapters,
has predominantly been interpreted as ‘a typical postmodernist’ text due to its playful
deconstruction of the boundaries between reality and illusion, authenticity and replica.840 Its
title and central plot have assured that, unlike A History, such critical
focus has been directed towards issues of national identity, namely, the extent to
which Englishness has become an empty signifier open to (commercial)
appropriation. But Barnes also uses this national lens to satirise postimperial nostalgia
and, with more originality and political potency, neocolonial revival.841 In other
words, England, England approaches contemporary Englishness not only from a
postmodern perspective, interested in the play of national signs and signifiers, but also
a postcolonial one, interested in the material realities as well as discourses of
territorial (dis)possession: ‘theft, conquest and pillage’.842 In this way, Barnes
provides a critique not only of the culture of commerce but also of colonial histories,
presents, and futures; indeed, these two critiques are intertwined. The final section of
the novel necessitates a significant shift in the emphasis of my argument. With
reference to Nick Bentley’s critical comments on (the absence of) race in the novel, as
well as to various theorists of whiteness, I will attempt to ‘see the specificity of
whiteness, even when the text itself is not trying to show it […] doesn’t even know
that it is there to be shown’.843 This critical attention to whiteness, and the ‘eloquent silence’
of race,844 will help to qualify Barnes’s postcolonial criticality and thus build
towards my explication of his partial postcoloniality in the final section on Arthur &
George .

The quotation also pinpoints Barnes’ satirical approach toward

today’s consumer society in which “human beings are valued for
reasons other than their ‘humanity,’ say their exchange value” (Lane
66). Money, or “carrots” in Sir Jack’s words, is the most dominant
currency for this exchange-value, and a sufficient amount renders
nearly everything, including people, purchasable. According to Sir
Jack, the omnipotence of money (Barnes 86) makes the realization of
the project possible. This is also true later in the novel when Martha,
together with her lover Paul, divests Sir Jack of his control over
England, England by means of sexual blackmail and he acquires it
back by bribing Paul. As the project is about the commercialization of history, Dr. Max questions
some English people about their historical knowledge and finds out that: […] the national ‘echo-
chamber’ supposedly ringing with voices and traces of the past is curiously hollow, consisting at best
of names, dates or meaningless catchphrases. Any attempt at forging a national identity therefore has
to reckon with elusive memories, lack of knowledge, and highly distorted patriotic views of history.
(Nünning 66)ù
The Conflict Between Martha Cochrane and Jack Pitman
Martha Cochrane encounters the second conflict with Jack Pitman. Martha
wants to stay in the island and keep her job. On the other hand, Jack Pitman wants
to fire Martha without any notice, as mentioned in the quotation below:
Now this Project is up and running I don’t need a barrelful of whingers and
moaners trying to drag it down. ... You’re fucking fired, you two, and if you
can’t get your things packed by the time the morning ferry leaves I’ll throw
all your shit in the harbour personally
(Barnes, 2012: 175)
In response of his threat, Martha tries to repress Jack Pitman’s dictatorship
by blackmailing him for his sexual activities. Martha gets what she wants
temporarily; she can stay on the island longer and repress Jack Pitman by limiting
his duty only for ceremonial activities instead of the executive decision. However,
Jack Pitman is able to remove the evidence of his past. In addition to that, Martha
has failed to resolve a problem with the rebels on the island. Martha has to take
consequences for her action, namely being permanently fired from her position as
the CEO and being expelled from the island by Jack Pitman.

The Conflict Between Martha Cochrane and Paul Harrison

The third conflict is the conflict between the main character, Martha
Cochrane, and Paul Harrison. Martha does not believe in England, England
project, in contrast, Paul believes in it like Jack Pitman. Paul becomes her trusted
confidant; she tells him her past and private matters. However, at the end of
chapter two, Paul starts to be contrary in spite of their relationship, “She couldn’t
bear his tone, which seemed pedantic and self-righteous. ‘Look, Paul, this has
turned into an argument already...” (Barnes, 2012: 192). Paul still has a moral
duty for his employer; consequently, he always defends Jack in every argument.
At the end of their argument, Martha has lost someone who takes her side because
Paul does not have the same vision as her.