The Role of Students' Psychological Exploration in Contemporary Literature: A Study of Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes
Abstract
This study explores the psychological themes of memory, guilt, and identity in Ian McEwan’s Atonement and Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending. Both novels delve into the malleability and unreliability of memory, examining how personal biases, emotional turmoil, and guilt distort characters' recollections of the past, thus shaping their identities. Through the characters of Briony Tallis and Tony Webster, the novels illustrate the profound psychological impacts of self-deception, regret, and the ongoing process of reconciling one’s past with their present self. This research analyzes how memory and guilt influence the characters’ actions and relationships, revealing that identity is not fixed but is instead an evolving narrative influenced by emotional and psychological revelations. By examining these themes, the study also highlights how contemporary literature can provide students with opportunities for psychological exploration and self-reflection.
References
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Arbués Caballés, C. (2022). The Rebirth of the Author: The Use and Abuse of Authorship in Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001) and Sweet Tooth (2012).
Arslan, G., & Allen, K.-A. (2022). Exploring the association between coronavirus stress, meaning in life, psychological flexibility, and subjective well-being. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 27(4), 803–814.
Barnes, J. (2011). The sense of an ending. Vintage.
Bartnik, R. (2021). From Unparalleled “Greatness” to Predictable Insularity. A Composite Sketch of “Warped Britishness” as Drawn in Selected Works of Contemporary English Fiction. Porównania, 30(3), 55–76.
Callus, I. (2024). Variations of decadence: reflections on Julian Barnes’ ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ????.
Dohan, A. M., & Shwein, H. N. (2022). Negotiating metafictional aspects of postmodern narrative in Ian McEwan’s atonement. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18.
Filimonova, A. P., & Mazhitayeva, S. M. (2023). Staged history: Concept of theatricality in the modern utopia (England, England by Julian Barnes).
Guild, E., Basaran, T., & Allinson, K. (2019). From Zero to Hero? An analysis of the human rights protections within the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). International Migration, 57(6), 43–59.
Hejaz, N., & Singh, R. (2023). The therapeutic power of poetry in Ian McEwan’s Saturday and The Children Act. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 36(1), 65–84.
Hill, C. E. (2020). Helping skills: Facilitating exploration, insight, and action. American Psychological Association.
Holm, L. (2022). Limits to Empathy: On the Motif of Failed Empathy in Julian Barnes. Rereading Empathy, 83.
Kundi, Y. M., Aboramadan, M., Elhamalawi, E. M. I., & Shahid, S. (2021). Employee psychological well-being and job performance: exploring mediating and moderating mechanisms. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(3), 736–754.
Liu, Y. (2023). A Study on the Psychological Trauma in the Novel The Sense of an Ending. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 6(19), 121–126.
Lothe, J. (2021). Dan Shen’s Theory of Dual Narrative Dynamics Linked to Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Style, 55(1), 100–105.
Makovcová, M. (2022). Violence, guilt and war in Ian McEwan’s selected novels.
Metallinou, M.-M. (2020). Emergence of and learning processes in a civic group resuming prescribed burning in Norway. Sustainability, 12(14), 5668. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.3390/su12145668
Mickalites, C. (2022). Contemporary Fiction, Celebrity Culture, and the Market for Modernism: Fictions of Celebrity. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Moseley, M. (2021). Julian Barnes from the Margins: Exploring the Writer’s Archives. Pennsylvania State University Press.
Mukarromah, W. R. U., Wibowo, S., Sudrajad, W., & Handayani, T. (2024). The Evolution of Colonial Legal Regulations in 19th Century Dutch East Indies Classical Literary Texts. International Journal of Sustainable Law, 1(2), 59–65.
Muttair, B. S. (2024). Memory and History in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending: A Postmodern Perspective. Journal of the College of Education for Women, 35(3), 1–23.
Ningrum, F. N. A. W. (2022). The main characthers ego development in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending. Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim.
Oishi, S., & Westgate, E. C. (2022). A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning. Psychological Review, 129(4), 790.
Piccolo, S. (2021). Petites Histoires, Meta-perspective: Meaning and Narrative in Julian Barnes. Papers on Language and Literature, 57(3), 275–323.
Poornima, M. (2022). EXPLORING GENDER DYNAMICS IN JULIAN BARNES’THE SENSE OF AN ENDING. A One Day National Conference on A Research from Text to Tech: Bridging Digital Tools and Literary Insights, 214.
Ross, S., Bratton, F., Keese, A., Binnie, G., Phillips, J., West, M., Cooper, S., Stringfellow, S., Rodríguez Martín, G. A., & Saunders, G. (2021). XIV Modern Literature. The Year’s Work in English Studies, 100(1), 933–1064.
Salman, D. F., Alhasan, G., & Al-Shara’h, M. (2023). Moral Stupidity in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Theory & Practice in Language Studies (TPLS), 13(8).
Savitz, R. S., Roberts, L., & Stockwell, D. (2022). The impact of analyzing young adult literature for racial identity/social justice orientation with interdisciplinary students. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 52(4), 264–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2022.2044933
Sudrajad, W. (2024). The Influence of Themes on Character Decisions in Pride and Prejudice Novel by Jane Austen. Musamus Journal of Language and Literature, 7(2), 319–325.
Syakur, A., Sudrajad, W., & Masruroh, M. (2023). POLITENESS STRATEGIES USED BY MAJOR CHARACTERS IN JANE AUSTEN’S NOVEL, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Language Literacy: Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Language Teaching, 7(2), 550–564. https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v7i2.8199
Tang, Y. (2021). Brain Text and Sphinx Factor: An Ethical Interpretation of Adultery in Julian Barnes’s Fiction. Kritika Kultura, 1(37), 25.
Tseng, C.-C. M. (2023). Memory Hacking: Remembering, Storytelling, and Unreliable Narrators in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending and The Only Story. In Memory Made, Hacked, and Outsourced: How the 21st Century Anglophone Novels Remember and Forget (pp. 69–92). Springer.
van Zyl, L. E., Gaffaney, J., van der Vaart, L., Dik, B. J., & Donaldson, S. I. (2024). The critiques and criticisms of positive psychology: A systematic review. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 19(2), 206–235.
Vlad, D. (2022). Literature and Journalism in Julian Barnes’“Letters from London.” Social Sciences and Education Research Review, 9(1), 184–188.
Wei, T.-A. (2023). Julian Barnes and the Subversion of the Sense of an Ending. Narrative, 31(1), 89–101.
Wen, N., Abai, D. S. A., Chan, S. L., & Isa, N. A. M. (2025). Analyzing Emotional Responses of Readers to Ian Mcewan’s Atonement: Insights from a Case Study on Wechat Reading Platform. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 5(2), e03654–e03654.
Yeh, H.-C., & Tseng, S.-S. (2019). Using the ADDIE model to nurture the development of teachers’ CALL professional knowledge. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 22(3), 88–100.
Yusuf, S. (2022). Metafiction and Narration in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Context/Контекст, 26, 97–104.
Arbués Caballés, C. (2022). The Rebirth of the Author: The Use and Abuse of Authorship in Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001) and Sweet Tooth (2012).
Arslan, G., & Allen, K.-A. (2022). Exploring the association between coronavirus stress, meaning in life, psychological flexibility, and subjective well-being. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 27(4), 803–814.
Barnes, J. (2011). The sense of an ending. Vintage.
Bartnik, R. (2021). From Unparalleled “Greatness” to Predictable Insularity. A Composite Sketch of “Warped Britishness” as Drawn in Selected Works of Contemporary English Fiction. Porównania, 30(3), 55–76.
Callus, I. (2024). Variations of decadence: reflections on Julian Barnes’ ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ????.
Dohan, A. M., & Shwein, H. N. (2022). Negotiating metafictional aspects of postmodern narrative in Ian McEwan’s atonement. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18.
Filimonova, A. P., & Mazhitayeva, S. M. (2023). Staged history: Concept of theatricality in the modern utopia (England, England by Julian Barnes).
Guild, E., Basaran, T., & Allinson, K. (2019). From Zero to Hero? An analysis of the human rights protections within the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). International Migration, 57(6), 43–59.
Hejaz, N., & Singh, R. (2023). The therapeutic power of poetry in Ian McEwan’s Saturday and The Children Act. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 36(1), 65–84.
Hill, C. E. (2020). Helping skills: Facilitating exploration, insight, and action. American Psychological Association.
Holm, L. (2022). Limits to Empathy: On the Motif of Failed Empathy in Julian Barnes. Rereading Empathy, 83.
Kundi, Y. M., Aboramadan, M., Elhamalawi, E. M. I., & Shahid, S. (2021). Employee psychological well-being and job performance: exploring mediating and moderating mechanisms. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(3), 736–754.
Liu, Y. (2023). A Study on the Psychological Trauma in the Novel The Sense of an Ending. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 6(19), 121–126.
Lothe, J. (2021). Dan Shen’s Theory of Dual Narrative Dynamics Linked to Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Style, 55(1), 100–105.
Makovcová, M. (2022). Violence, guilt and war in Ian McEwan’s selected novels.
Metallinou, M.-M. (2020). Emergence of and learning processes in a civic group resuming prescribed burning in Norway. Sustainability, 12(14), 5668. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.3390/su12145668
Mickalites, C. (2022). Contemporary Fiction, Celebrity Culture, and the Market for Modernism: Fictions of Celebrity. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Moseley, M. (2021). Julian Barnes from the Margins: Exploring the Writer’s Archives. Pennsylvania State University Press.
Mukarromah, W. R. U., Wibowo, S., Sudrajad, W., & Handayani, T. (2024). The Evolution of Colonial Legal Regulations in 19th Century Dutch East Indies Classical Literary Texts. International Journal of Sustainable Law, 1(2), 59–65.
Muttair, B. S. (2024). Memory and History in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending: A Postmodern Perspective. Journal of the College of Education for Women, 35(3), 1–23.
Ningrum, F. N. A. W. (2022). The main characthers ego development in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending. Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim.
Oishi, S., & Westgate, E. C. (2022). A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning. Psychological Review, 129(4), 790.
Piccolo, S. (2021). Petites Histoires, Meta-perspective: Meaning and Narrative in Julian Barnes. Papers on Language and Literature, 57(3), 275–323.
Poornima, M. (2022). EXPLORING GENDER DYNAMICS IN JULIAN BARNES’THE SENSE OF AN ENDING. A One Day National Conference on A Research from Text to Tech: Bridging Digital Tools and Literary Insights, 214.
Ross, S., Bratton, F., Keese, A., Binnie, G., Phillips, J., West, M., Cooper, S., Stringfellow, S., Rodríguez Martín, G. A., & Saunders, G. (2021). XIV Modern Literature. The Year’s Work in English Studies, 100(1), 933–1064.
Salman, D. F., Alhasan, G., & Al-Shara’h, M. (2023). Moral Stupidity in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Theory & Practice in Language Studies (TPLS), 13(8).
Savitz, R. S., Roberts, L., & Stockwell, D. (2022). The impact of analyzing young adult literature for racial identity/social justice orientation with interdisciplinary students. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 52(4), 264–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790195.2022.2044933
Sudrajad, W. (2024). The Influence of Themes on Character Decisions in Pride and Prejudice Novel by Jane Austen. Musamus Journal of Language and Literature, 7(2), 319–325.
Syakur, A., Sudrajad, W., & Masruroh, M. (2023). POLITENESS STRATEGIES USED BY MAJOR CHARACTERS IN JANE AUSTEN’S NOVEL, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Language Literacy: Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Language Teaching, 7(2), 550–564. https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v7i2.8199
Tang, Y. (2021). Brain Text and Sphinx Factor: An Ethical Interpretation of Adultery in Julian Barnes’s Fiction. Kritika Kultura, 1(37), 25.
Tseng, C.-C. M. (2023). Memory Hacking: Remembering, Storytelling, and Unreliable Narrators in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending and The Only Story. In Memory Made, Hacked, and Outsourced: How the 21st Century Anglophone Novels Remember and Forget (pp. 69–92). Springer.
van Zyl, L. E., Gaffaney, J., van der Vaart, L., Dik, B. J., & Donaldson, S. I. (2024). The critiques and criticisms of positive psychology: A systematic review. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 19(2), 206–235.
Vlad, D. (2022). Literature and Journalism in Julian Barnes’“Letters from London.” Social Sciences and Education Research Review, 9(1), 184–188.
Wei, T.-A. (2023). Julian Barnes and the Subversion of the Sense of an Ending. Narrative, 31(1), 89–101.
Wen, N., Abai, D. S. A., Chan, S. L., & Isa, N. A. M. (2025). Analyzing Emotional Responses of Readers to Ian Mcewan’s Atonement: Insights from a Case Study on Wechat Reading Platform. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 5(2), e03654–e03654.
Yeh, H.-C., & Tseng, S.-S. (2019). Using the ADDIE model to nurture the development of teachers’ CALL professional knowledge. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 22(3), 88–100.
Yusuf, S. (2022). Metafiction and Narration in Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Context/Контекст, 26, 97–104.
Published
2025-05-29
How to Cite
SUDRAJAD, wahyu.
The Role of Students' Psychological Exploration in Contemporary Literature: A Study of Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes.
Consilium: Education and Counseling Journal, [S.l.], v. 5, n. 2, p. 841-860, may 2025.
ISSN 2775-9466.
Available at: <https://www.unars.ac.id/ojs/index.php/consilium/article/view/6399>. Date accessed: 12 july 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.36841/consilium.v5i2.6399.
Section
Articles
