Similarities and Differences

In the novels Regeneration and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, both Barker and Louis De Bernieres use historical characters to challenge traditional views of society. Barker uses Sassoon and Rivers; De Bernieres uses Mussolini, Metaxas and Carlo. De Bernieres uses Carlo to represent how the pressure of society can affect someone. He presents Carlo as someone alienated and shunned. Furthermore, both Sassoon and Carlo hide their homosexuality. The authors have done this to show how society can silence people through the strong expectations of males.

Louis De Bernieres is more open in presenting historical characters as being homosexual to challenge society’s views whereas Barker uses a more subtle way and only suggests homosexuality. An example of this is when Sassoon wants to go back to the war because he wants to help his men (theme of ‘love between men’) whereas Carlo wants to go to the war to find a partner. A more obvious example is De Bernieres choice of chapters ‘L’Omossesuale’ which means the homosexual in Italian which is a direct way of talking about his homosexuality in contrast with Barker who only hints the historical characters homosexuality.

Louis De Bernieres openly mocks historical characters. In chapter two, Mussolini’s dramatic monologue is used to present him as a stupid, arrogant and self centered character. However, Barker presents Rivers as a compassionate and nurturing “male mother”. This clearly shows the different styles in the treatment of historical figures between the two authors.