| dc.description.abstract | A striking pattern of recurring imagery in The English Patient (1992) is reminiscent of the style of paintings by the baroque artist, Caravaggio (1571-1610), who became a legend for his innovation called chiaroscuro, also known as tenebrism (from the Italian tenebroso or the "dark manner"). In the visual arts, chiaroscuro represents a single light source illuminating a central figure or figures against a dark background. Much of the imagery in The English Patient reflects this phenomenon, which is also manifest in Michael Ondaatje's previous novel, In the Skin of a Lion (1987). One of the characters, Caravaggio by name, appears in both novels, thereby strengthening my claim that the author has intentionally applied interartistic parallels to his prose fiction.
Such reappearance of the same characters from earlier works is a case of transtextuality, which is a form of intertextuality. In addition, there are innumerable other occurrences of intertextuality in The English Patient. The majority of the allusions are to classical literary works, which have symbolic significance. The most important of these intertexts are Kipling's Kim (1901), a classical story about the British colonial period in India, and Herodotus' The Histories, which provides the basis for the historical parallels in the book. Their relevance to the plot, genre and imagery are discussed. Besides purely textual allusions, other properties of works of art such as painting, music, sculpture and architecture are applied as intertexts in The English Patient. These are expressed through the form, style, imagery and genre.
The philosophy of Western humanism which originated during the Italian Renaissance, is examined and compared to the dissolution of humanist ideals at the close of the novel. Postcolonial issues in the plots, such as identity and marginalization are addressed, reflecting the life of the author who was born in colonial Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada in his youth. The author's background as a poet is mirrored in his prose which is extremely lyrical. The style is fragmented with many analepses and prolepses. Categorization of the novel as a modernistic or postmodernistic work is discussed. | nor |