John Banville, Eclipse

Pietra Palazzolo (University of Essex)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.4: Irish Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Paul Delaney (Trinity College Dublin), Anne Markey (Dublin City University), Ian Campbell Ross (Trinity College Dublin), Sinéad Sturgeon (Queen's University Belfast)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2000

Places

Ireland, Republic of (Eire) (Country of Origin)
United Kingdom (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Described by Robert MacFarlane in The Observer as Banville’s “boldest book” for its little plot (MacFarlane, 2000:1), Eclipse (2000), Banville’s eleventh novel,has engendered contrasting opinions by both reviewers and literary critics.While some praise Banville’s stylish and elegant prose, others lament the lack of plot and characterisation. Indeed, the narrative in Eclipse does not follow in chronological order, but sends us back and forth in its protagonist’s troubled life, by means of digressions, twists, and turns. In interview with Arminta Wallace in the Irish Times, commenting on the lack of plot in his novels, Banville expresses the wish to have “the world itself reflected in the …

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3411 words

Citation: Palazzolo, Pietra. "Eclipse". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 October 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5446, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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