The Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes, a novelist, essayist, and short story writer born in 1946, is known for his exploration of time, death, and friendship. With its fragmented narrative and exploration of memory, The Sense of an Ending echoes themes favored by modernist and postmodernist writers.

Modernism spanned from roughly the early 20th century to the 1940s, and include authors such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. Like The Sense of an Ending, modernist literature features fragmented narrative. Modernists “rebelled against clear-cut storytelling and formulaic verse from the 19th century. Instead, many of them told fragmented stories which reflected the fragmented state of society during and after World War I” (“What Is Modernism?” utoledo.edu).

Like modernist novels, The Sense of an Ending focuses on the protagonist’s interiority rather than on plot and straightforward storytelling. Tony Webster narrates the novel from present-day England (circa 2011) and grapples with the themes of class distinctions, personal responsibility, and the burden of the past. The action occurs mainly in London and its suburbs, where Tony Webster spends his formative years in the 1960s and 1970s, a time of cultural unrest. Barnes probes the lingering impact of that unrest on the psyche of Tony and others of his generation, who face the ending of their lives in a restless spirit.

Modernist literature also emphasizes a “quest for meaning” (“Postmodern Literature Guide: 10 Notable Postmodern Authors.” Masterclass.com). In contrast, postmodernism, which is exemplified by authors such as Don DeLillo and Samuel Beckett, eschewed this quest after the horrors of World War II. Writers leaned in to fragmented narrative even more; they “began to feel as if meaning was an impossible quest, and that the only way to move forward was to embrace meaninglessness fully” (“Postmodern Literature Guide: 10 Notable Postmodern Authors.” Masterclass.com).

The Sense of an Ending’s open-ended conclusion reflects the postmodern idea that reality is ambiguous. The novel probes the human tendency to rewrite and reinterpret memories to suit personal narratives and provide comfort. Contemplating the nature of time, existence, and the elusive nature of truth, Barnes challenges the reliability of memory and explores how one’s perspective of past events can differ from that of others.

The novel’s title alludes to the idea that people tell themselves stories to understand and, often, misunderstand their lives. Barnes also reflects on the inevitability of death, and on the ethics of suicide.