Clare invites Jessie to explain the reading of Briony further and the following is the result of their collaborative discussion.
The character of Briony Tallis in Atonement frequently annoys my A-level students. From the opening pages of the novel, Ian McEwan builds a picture of an indulged daughter and sister, the baby of the family (although she’s 13, on the cusp of puberty) whose self-absorbed behaviour and need for attention are described at length and in merciless detail. In his article ‘Briony’s Stand Against Oblivion’, Brian Finney describes Briony as ‘shaped by a lurid imagination’ (Finney 2002) and this trait leads to an awful event that seems to validate the reader’s view of her as a character who is more villain than hero. (There is more to this characterisation than meets the eye, of course, which we only discover towards the end of the novel. I have chosen not to reveal the twist in this article.) I found Jessie’s alternative and more sympathetic take on Briony both convincing and refreshing, so I asked them to elaborate on it.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
