AQA (A): Paper 1 Love through the ages
Symbolism in books is like ‘garlic in cooking’: it ‘should be used sparingly’. This is the, perhaps surprising, view of L. P. Hartley, the author of The Go-Between, which is one of the most symbol-laden novels of the twentieth century. Hartley seems to want to have it both ways. In his author’s introduction, Hartley (1962) acknowledges that ‘The Go-Between is pregnant with symbols’ but that ‘in a realistic or semi-realistic novel you can easily have too much’ symbolism. This article considers one of Hartley’s most striking symbols and explores some of the ways in which it fascinates and puzzles readers.
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