Atonement Flashcards
Briony about writing (III, 2)
To enter a mind and show it at work, or being worked on, and to do this within a symmetrical design - this would be an artistic triumph.
Briony about the fountain scene (I, 3)
She could write the scene three times over, from three points of view.
Dramatic irony about the crime to come (I, 13)
Within the half-hour Briony would commit her crime.
Robbie’s last words (II, 6)
I promise, you won’t hear another word from me.
Briony dissociating 1 (III, 6)
She felt the distance widen between her and another self, no less real, who was walking back to the hospital.
Briony dissociating 2 (III, 6)
Perhaps the Briony who was walking in the direction of Balham was the imagined or ghostly persona.
Briony as God about writing (I, 1)
Writing stories not only involved secrecy, it also gave her all the pleasures of miniaturisation. A world could be made in five pages.
Last words of the fictional book (III, 6)
She knew what was required of her. Not simply a letter, but a new draft, an atonement, and she was ready to begin.
BT - London 1999
Briony about her attempt to atone (Coda)
The attempt was all.
Briony about Robbie and Cee (Coda)
I like to think it isn’t weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness, a stand against oblivion and despair, to let my lovers live and unite them at the end.
Briony perception > facts
I know it was him […] It was him. I saw him.
Briony writer finding excuses for herself through Robbie (II)
What was guilt these days? It was cheap. Everyone was guilty, and no one was.
About Dunkerque (II)
The retreat was a bloody shambles.
McEwan about realism
“I think the 19th century novel brought the form of perfection; in terms of creation of character, it is unsurpassed”.
