What kind of interpretation, you ask? A seemingly absurd, highly experimental one, at that. Not unlike his other fiction, for that matter. Let’s proceed, therefore, with some problematic ‘conclusions’, rather than ‘narratives’ – this being, ambivalently, one of the solid recurring concepts and features of Barnes’s fiction.įirst: that Elizabeth Finch is, in and of itself, an act of interpretation. But all you need to know on that front is that she is one very idiosyncratic lecturer and intellectual, teaching Culture and Civilisation – no less! – and made known to the reader through one of her adult students, Neil. Him? Isn’t it Elizabeth Finch’s story? Well, yes, it is. (Too much of him might also be the thing to note here.) Why? Because I genuinely had every intention not to particularly like Elizabeth Finch – Part Two! Why put your devoted readers through Part Two? – but there is just so much Barnes for the Barnes reader that it still ends up being irresistible. You really do know what you’re doing, don’t you? This is beyond annoying – at one level. It is truly a balm for our times.īarnes, Barnes, Barnes. It's a moment to reflect and to gently explore our own theories and assumptions. It's a loving tribute to philosophy, a careful evaluation of history, an invitation to think for ourselves. And underpinning them all is the story of J - Julian the Apostate, her historical soulmate and fellow challenger to the institutional and monotheistic thinking that has always threatened to divide us.
Her ideas unlock the philosophies of the past, and explore key events that show us how to make sense of our lives today. With careful empathy, she guided her students to develop meaningful ideas and to discover their centres of seriousness.Īs a former student unpacks her notebooks and remembers her uniquely inquisitive mind, her passion for reason resonates through the years. And that task becomes the more urgent when the past cannot be corrected.'Įlizabeth Finch was a teacher, a thinker, an inspiration - always rigorous, always thoughtful. 'The task of the present is to correct our understanding of the past. We invite you to take her course in Culture and Civilisation.īut she will change the way you see the world. We'd like to introduce you to Elizabeth Finch.
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