Laurence Sterne and Salman Rushdie: The Function of Whatsitsname

Abstract

<p>This thesis examines the function of memory in both Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy and Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. I establish two applications of memory to writing, the first being a linear recording of events while the second is more digressive. The narrator in each of the novels professes the first approach but he is continually frustrated in his attempts to capture reality. The implications of memory for writing and reading are a link between the two works. By examining the techniques both Sterne and Rushdie use to apply memory to the writing of their novels, I will provide new perspectives on each novel.</p>