Slipping through the nets of interpretation : a reading of Flanagan's Gould's book of fish

Abstract

Richard Flanagan's most recent publication, Gould's Book of Fish (2001), has aroused interest in the literary field mainly because of its inventive and complex nature. The various textual strategies employed by Flanagan problematize the reader's task of interpretation. This dissertation focuses on three aspects that contribute to this novel's ambiguity and seeks to unearth the significance behind the techniques used. The first chapter explores the treatment of time as achronological and provides an appreciation of the importance of this specific aspect in relation to the thematic concerns of the novel. The second chapter seeks to show how Flanagan reinforces his visions of time through the formal techniques and strategies used. Attention is focussed particularly on the effectiveness of the afterword and its effect upon the reader. Finally, the third chapter concerns the highly intertextual fabric of this novel and deals specifically with the notions of history and the power of the written word that are integral issues in Flanagan' s Gould's Book of Fish.