“Life Was a State in Which a War Was On”: A.S. Byatt’s Portrayal of War and Norse Mythology in Ragnarok: The End of the Gods

Abstract

As a part of a series of works published by Canongate, A.S. Byatt’s Ragnarok enhances intertextual connections between the past and the present forged by myths and fairy tales, material in which Byatt has a long-standing interest. Drawing on critical perspectives on war literature and gender criticism, I examine how in Ragnarok, Byatt explores female identity and childhood experiences of the Second World War, reflected and transformed through the imagery, motifs and narratives of Norse mythology. Byatt’s novel challenges readers to revise their understanding of both myth and war, and questions the finality of war by projecting the possibility of life beyond.