Venturing beyond entrapments postmodern innovations and the Caledonian Antisyzygy in Alasdair Gray's Lanark : a life in four books

Abstract

Social and personal entrapments form one of the main themes in Alasdair Gray's Lanark, but this thematic concern extends beyond the novel's characters to implicate its own construction. Literary innovation is a particularly controversial topic and Lanark is not exempt from such scrutiny. Tradition appears to restrict the novel's expression, in particular, overwhelming influences from the Caledonian Antisyzygy and postmodernism ostensibly dictate the work's energies. This paper seeks to explore potential entrapments containing Lanark as a novel with the aim of arguing that tradition cannot be simply said to be a form of containment for the work, but is also an avenue where postmodern and Antisyzygical discourses are blended together to bring outdated conventions back to the literary forefront.