Temporal and spatial dilemmas,chaotic struggles and collective disarray: Memory narratives in Henry Green’s Party Going

Abstract

Henry Green’s novel Party Going Presents a microcosm of the social transformation in Britain during the two World Wars. By narrating the experiences of a group of affluent young people stranded at London’s Victoria Station, the novel reveals the societal issues of class conflict, ethical decay and cultural upheaval behind the impending war and the decline of the empire. This narrative triggers the author’s contemplation on the disappearance of the collective memory, represented by the wealthy class. Green seamlessly intertwines individual and collective memories, unveiling the crises of stagnant individual lives and confrontations within the community over time and space constraints. During this period, the wealthy class attempts to escape reality through distorted recollections and futile physical practices. Addressing this predicament, the author elucidates the unreliability of individual memory, exposing the failure of collective memory when confronted with war and death. Through the plot and character descriptions, Green profoundly expresses the challenges faced by British society in a specific historical period, along with a continuous concern for collective identity and historical memory.