Perspectives

In this part of the study guide, we will focus on current issues, literary period, and works that are similar to Bernie McGill's “No Angel”. These aspects will help you put the text in perspective.…

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Current issues

“No Angel” takes place in contemporary Northern Ireland and it explores the deep scars left by the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The story shows that while the modern middle-class in Northern Ireland does not want to get caught in the rival rhetoric of Catholics and Protestants, there are stil…

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Literary period

The short story is an example of postmodernist fiction. The postmodernist literary period spans over the last 70 years or so and has often been described as a response to Modernism. Postmodernist authors are concerned with the lives of the average person (anti-hero) and explore issues connected with post-industrial society. In this case, the author explores social issues related to Northern Ireland from the 1980s onwards.

Some of the narrative techniques preferred by Postmodernist writers which are also used by Bernie McGill in “No Angel” are fragmentation, unreliable narrator, fabula…

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Works with the same theme

For the themes of death and versions of reality explored in a postmodernist style, we recommend the short story “The North London Book of the Dead” by Will Self. The plot follows a man who finds out that his dead mother is living in another area of London. After meeting his dead mother, he finds out that death does …