On Violence Writing in Ian McEwan’s Saturday

Abstract

Ian McEwan is one of the most preeminent contemporary British writers. His masterpiece Saturday is longlisted for the 2005 Booker Prize. Revolving around the protagonist Perowne’s one-day life, the novel portrays a realistic picture of British society after the “9·11” terrorist attack. So far, scholars have interpreted Saturday from the perspective of space, trauma, intertextuality, culture, and ethics, while few studies have touched upon the violence writing in this novel. Therefore, this paper will explore the manifestations and roots of direct, structural and cultural violence in Saturday based on Johan Galtung’s violence triangle theory. The study of violence writing in the novel can reveal not only hidden violence problems in British society but also McEwan’s appeal for a harmonious society. Meanwhile, the solution to violence issues McEwan provides in the novel is also instructive for modern people to cope with violence dilemmas.