Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, including social isolation, poverty and the difficulty of overcoming drug addiction. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 50-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Irvine Welsh
• Presentation of Trainspotting
• Summary of Trainspotting
• Character study
  • Mark/Renton
  • Simon/Sick Boy
  • Danny/Spud
  • Begbie
  • Tommy
• Analysis of Trainspotting
  • Choice
  • Community
  • Empiricism

About Trainspotting

Trainspotting tells the story of a group of working-class men and women in Edinburgh as they live aimless, meaningless lives. Many of them struggle with heroin addiction, while others are afflicted by similar compulsions to drink and commit violence, and their existence is blighted by growing poverty and the emerging AIDS crisis.

The novel is now considered a cult classic and is particularly remembered for the main character Mark Renton’s famous “Choose life” diatribe. Its popularity was further boosted by Danny Boyle’s 1996 film, which is consistently ranked as one of the best British films of the 20^th century.

About Irvine Welsh

Irvine Welsh is a Scottish novelist, short story writer and screenwriter who is best-known for his 1993 novel Trainspotting. He grew up in Edinburgh and initially worked as an electrician, before sustaining an injury that led him to quit the trade. He then moved to London, where he was active in the counter-cultural punk scene, before returning to Edinburgh. It was here that he found some old diaries which served as the basis for what would become Trainspotting. Much of his other fiction deals with similar themes to this novel, and he has also turned his hand to screenwriting.