Download or read book A Self-conscious Art written by Akane Kawakami and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A Self-Conscious Art' deals with the formal complexities of Modiano's work, by reading 'against the grain' of his self-professed ingenuousness. A detailed examination of his narratives shows the deeply postmodern nature of his writing. Parodying precursors such as Proust or the nouveau romanciers, his narratives are built around a profound lack of faith in the ability of writing to retrieve the past through memory, and this failure is acknowledged in the discreet playfulness that characterises his novels.