Exploring Trainspotting: Between Addiction and Social Critique

Irvine Welsh and the 90s

Irvine Welsh is a ''Traisnpotting'' represents the cult book and symbol/description of the 90s from the perspective of drug addicted--> deals with new generation (which started its development in the 50s, and during this period teenagers were seen as negative), drug addiction -new drugs invented- spread of HIV and social issues in general.
The work contains autobiographical parts: the book tells the story of the portagonist Mark Renton, a drug-addicted.

The writer Irvine Welsh was a heroin addicted in his twenties, too: managed to stop taking drugs after 18 months--> then completely dedicated to writing.

- Dark comedy: description of horrifying events and comedy--> negative aspect because people are going to die and positive events, belonging to a new genre:

- Meaningless of a drug addict’s life, but they go on with drugs anyway (trainspotters are those who watch trains passing and record their numbers; anyway, trains can be seen as opportunities to stop the drugs and leave his friends, but he does nothing, except at the end where he took his chance, and chose the train (of life)

-Structure: the work is divided into 46 chapters-->different character perspectives (influence of Post Modernism) → disjointed narrative: lots of stories put together. Fast-paced, shocking, amoral.

Meaning of the title: ‘’Train’’ Spotting’’=was a usual game played in the 90s: consisted in watching trains passing and writing the number--> useless game, like Mark Renton’s life.

-Language: Scottish (slang, belonging to the poor) vs ‘posh’ English accent = used by Mark Renton ‘junkie’, the narrator, who personifies Welsh. In the UK there is an unemployment salary: since he did not want to work, he started to have interviews for jobs in order to get that salary=he decided to use the English accent to make himself look superior for that kind of job he was applying for: he could not be a waiter, because he had an English accent= the distinction between these two kinds of languages is important.

-Setting: Near Edinburgh (Leith=Irvine was born there and knew its inhabitants), end of the 80s. All the characters want to escape society’s rules by taking drugs, each in his own way (e.g. psychopath Francis Begbie). They refuse to integrate the universal mode and the consumer society, much more despaired than they are.

Mark Renton (Irvine Welsh) oscillates between being really cool and in control of everything, and socially inept.