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Thatcherism in the Contemporary British Novel, 1978-2012

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Thatcherism in the Contemporary British Novel, 1978-2012 UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-1-2020 Thatcherism in the Contemporary British Novel, 1978-2012 David Mowatt Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Repository Citation Mowatt, David, "Thatcherism in the Contemporary British Novel, 1978-2012" (2020). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 3932. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/19412136 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THATCHERISM IN THE CONTEMPORARY BRITISH NOVEL, 1978-2012 By David Mowatt Bachelor of Arts-German University of Southampton, England 1998 Master of Arts-English University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2010 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy-English Department of English College of Liberal Arts The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2020 Dissertation Approval The Graduate College The University of Nevada, Las Vegas March 26, 2020 This dissertation prepared by David Mowatt entitled Thatcherism in the Contemporary British Novel, 1978-2012 is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy-English Department of English Beth Rosenberg, Ph.D. Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D. Examination Committee Chair Graduate College Dean John Hay, Ph.D. Examination Committee Member Anne Stevens, Ph.D. Examination Committee Member Jeffrey Schauer, Ph.D. Graduate College Faculty Representative ii Abstract Thatcherism in the Contemporary British Novel, 1978-2012 David Mowatt This dissertation reveals a nuance to contemporary British texts that have thus far been almost homogenously categorized as contributing to a negative portrayal of the political, cultural, and social policies of the 1980s. A study of texts and criticism of the contemporary British novel highlights the disproportionate number of depictions that could be considered anti-1980s and, as a representation of that decade, in turn anti-Thatcherite. There is an apparent consensus in the damaging effects on almost all aspects of British society during the decade because of the many policies enacted by the Thatcher government. The continued negative depiction is as prevalent today as it was forty years ago. I strive to show that this understanding of the texts by critics does not match up with a close analysis of the authors works. As key examples, an analysis of texts by Martin Amis, Nick Hornby, Alex Wheatle, Caryl Phillips, Monica Ali, and Zadie Smith along with their accompanying criticism shows that there is more complexity than simply confining those texts to a group that is almost entirely critical. At first glance, these texts appear to share themes that make them easy to label as a damning indictment of the 1980s. The texts written in the 2000s have likewise been hailed by the majority of readers and critics as exemplars of the progress made in England since the shift away from the damaging effects of the political and social legacies of the 1980s. However, they also highlight the importance of looking backwards and retrospectively analyzing the time period with the benefits of hindsight. Far from confirming the destructive nature of many of the policies that would define the 1980s, these twenty-first century texts point to the importance of analyzing the policies as a vital part of the success in rescuing England from the myriad problems of the 1970s. I contend that this dissertation shows iii that there is a subtlety to the novels that belies the belief that almost all texts that deal directly, or even in part indirectly, with the 1980s and Margaret Thatcher are negative in their representations. In fact, through a close reading of the novels and an analysis of the state of England over the last forty years, the texts point to the social, cultural, political and economic climate of the 1980s as necessary, important, and beneficial to the overall success of the various demographics that make up its people well into the 2000s. iv Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: White Masculinity in Martin Amis and Nick Hornby ................................................ 24 Chapter 3: Being Black and British in Alex Wheatle and Caryl Phillips ..................................... 76 Chapter 4: The Failures of Multiculturalism in Zadie Smith and Monica Ali ........................... 127 Chapter 5: Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 183 Works Cited ................................................................................................................................ 194 Curriculum Vitae ........................................................................................................................ 220 v Chapter 1: Introduction The 1980s in Britain were dominated by Thatcherism, and there was no aspect of British life that was not affected by it. At its core, Thatcherism signified a turn toward a more individualistic, capitalist philosophy that eschewed many of the more socialist policies of the Labour Party.1 There has been much written about British politics and the contemporary British novel in the decades surrounding the 1980s. Almost every work of fiction set in the 1980s is in some way influenced by the social, economic, and cultural effects of Thatchers time in office. The depiction of that period, along with that of Thatcher herself, has continued in the decades since. The majority of British authors during this time period discuss the negative aspects and influences of Conservative policies during the 1980s There is a sky is falling mentality found in many of the most celebrated British texts after the Conservative election win in 1979 that is seemingly homogeneous in its negative portrayal of Thatcherism. Just as British culture and society, many novels that were written in the 1990s and 2000s are still heavily influenced by, and are a response to, Thatcherism. The literary impact of the 1980s, both in terms of its form and content, reverberates through the subsequent decades. Even thirty years later readers may reflect that the world around them is the product of the 1980s, and writers feel that there was an inability [to] fully leave the 1980s behind, or leave them alone (Brooker, After the Watershed 1). A closer study of Martin Amis Success (1978) and Money (1984), Nick Hornbys High Fidelity (1995) and About a Boy (1998), Alex Wheatles Brixton Rocks (1999), East of Acre Lane (2001), and Brenton Brown (2011), Caryl Phillips Where There is Darkness (1982), In the Falling Snow (2000), and Foreigners (2007), Zadie Smiths White Teeth (1999) and NW (2012), and Monica Alis Brick Lane (2003) and In the Kitchen 1 (2009) shows that there is more complexity to the literary discussion of Thatcherism than had previously been thought. Thatchers rule is difficult to overemphasize, and [t]he Conservative governments of the decade appear as not just one fact among many, but a determining one, shaping and warping other stories [with] this sense of a political dispensation affecting a whole culture and society (Brooker, The Art of Bad Government 75). Many novels written in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, even those not overtly depicting Thatcherism, are on the whole influenced by its effect on British life, and those depictions are overwhelmingly negative. The literary world showed that [t]here was much opposition to Conservative policies, and, across the arts, in novels, film and television and visual art, creators represented the discord and strife that emerged from their imposition (Horton 1). Many authors found that the most effective opposition to the Conservative government that ruled Britain throughout the 1980s was often found in the creative arts, particularly in the realm of literature and film (Monaghan 2). There were [a] host of new young 1980s authors who were highly politicized in their writing and overwhelmingly anti-Thatcherite in their cause (Horton 21). Leigh Wilson notes that many creative artists and novelists in the 1980s appeared to be appalled by Thatcher and the dominant realities of her administration (2), and they were more than willing to manifest that sentiment in their work. As Thatchers policies began to take effect, texts of the time were in thematic terms often bitterly critical of the direction of British society during the Thatcher decade (Holmes 152), and there was a fictional response to the climate of selfishness and material greed that began to prevail
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