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Abstract
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Old age has emerged as a fascinating theme in contemporary literature. Since the late twentieth century, numerous writers have decided to depict elderly characters with their own complexities in their literary works. The focus on the elderly in literature has increased in recent years due to the factors such as the growing population of older individuals and advancements in ageing theories. This heightened interest has led to the development of vollendungsroman as a new literary genre, concentrating on the complexities of later life. Examining contemporary literary works with elderly protagonists reveals a unique portrayal of ageing in this era compared to earlier periods. The representation of old age in the literature of this time is intertwined with themes of retrospection, reminiscence, memory, identity, and ego deconstruction. In these works, old age is depicted as a fresh chapter in life where individuals gain a new understanding of themselves and (re)discover new aspects of life. This study has selected three contemporary novels written after 2000: Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses, Henning Mankell’s Italian Shoes, and Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending. These novels encompass all the characteristics mentioned earlier about the representation of old age in contemporary literature. Also, these selected literary works share many similarities, including elderly protagonists, comparable plots, and concepts. In this study, I intend to utilize theories from Ageing studies and Memory studies by various scholars to analyze the concepts of old age, retrospection, and identity in Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses, Henning Mankell’s Italian Shoes, and Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending.
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