The play of dysfunctionality and ordinariness in Ian McEwan

Abstract

This dissertation aims to examine the dysfunctional behaviour of the characters presented in selected novels of the contemporary British writer Ian McEwan. McEwan's earlier works are characterised by a conscious desire to shock and repel the reader, whereas his later works appear to be more socially conscious, in a way which seems to expose the chaotic and fragmented state of the modem world - a cultural wasteland. Consistently, however, McEwan explores a vast array of examples of dysfunctionality, including elements of incest, murder, regression and stalking, which appear to be both reflections of the world in general and of the specific environments in which they occur. Remarkably, throughout his portrayal of dysfunctional behaviour McEwan maintains a sense of the ordinary, and his art manages to subvert the reader's expectations of what is normal and what is abnormal. This dissertation will examine how these issues are reflected in McEwan's novels with particular reference in its last chapter, to Enduring Love, and show how these novels examine dysfunctional lifestyles that are created and encouraged by contemporary society.