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Multicultural World in Zadie Smith's Recent Novels Multikulturní Svět V

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Multicultural World in Zadie Smith's Recent Novels Multikulturní Svět V Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích Pedagogická fakulta Katedra anglistiky Diplomová práce Multicultural World in Zadie Smith’s Recent Novels Multikulturní svět v románech Zadie Smith Vypracovala: Bc. Adéla Grenarová Vedoucí práce: PhDr. Alice Sukdolová, Ph.D. České Budějovice 2016 Prohlašuji, že jsem svoji diplomovou práci na téma Multikulturní svět v románech Zadie Smith vypracovala samostatně pouze s použitím pramenů a literatury uvedených v seznamu citované literatury. Prohlašuji, že v souladu s § 47b zákona č. 111/1998 Sb. v platném znění souhlasím se zveřejněním své diplomové práce, a to v nezkrácené podobě - v úpravě vzniklé vypuštěním vyznačených částí archivovaných pedagogickou fakultou elektronickou cestou ve veřejně přístupné části databáze STAG provozované Jihočeskou univerzitou v Českých Budějovicích na jejích internetových stránkách, a to se zachováním mého autorského práva k odevzdanému textu této kvalifikační práce. Souhlasím dále s tím, aby toutéž elektronickou cestou byly v souladu s uvedeným ustanovením zákona č. 111/1998 Sb. zveřejněny posudky školitele a oponentů práce i záznam o průběhu a výsledku obhajoby kvalifikační práce. Rovněž souhlasím s porovnáním textu mé kvalifikační práce s databází kvalifikačních prací Theses.cz provozovanou Národním registrem vysokoškolských kvalifikačních prací a systémem na odhalování plagiátů. V Českých Budějovicích dne Podpis studentky: ___________________________ Adéla Grenarová Poděkování Ráda bych poděkovala paní PhDr. Alici Sukdolové, Ph.D. za její připomínky, rady a podporu. Acknowledgement I would like to thank PhDr. Alice Sukdolová, Ph.D. for her comments, advice and support. Abstract Initially, the diploma thesis introduces the overall context of contemporary Anglo- American post-colonial literature and defines its fundamental postulates, such as ethnicity, cultural diversity, hybridity, globalization, and multiculturalism. Furthermore, the thesis briefly mentions several British authors of various ethnic background (Zadie Smith, Hanif Kureishi, Salman Rushdie). The main aim of the thesis is to analyze Zadie Smith’s three most recent novels (White Teeth, On Beauty, N-W) in the context of multicultural environment of contemporary Anglo-American world. The thesis further concentrates on author’s narrative techniques, prevailing themes in the novels, the influence of English literary tradition, namely of E. M. Forster and David Lodge, and examines verbal and situational humor of the aforesaid novels. Anotace Práce nejprve zmíní celkový kontext současné angloamerické postkoloniální literatury a v úvodu definuje její základní postuláty (ethnicity, cultural diversity, hybridity, globalization, multiculturalism). Práce dále ve stručnosti představí britské autory z různých etnických skupin (Zadie Smith, Hanif Kureishi, Salman Rushdie). Jádrem práce bude rozbor posledních tří románů Zadie Smith /White Teeth, On Beauty, N-W/ v kontextu multikulturního prostředí současného angloamerického světa. Práce se soustředí na proměnu vyprávěcích postupů autorky, tématiku jejích děl a vliv anglické literární tradice (E. M. Forster, D. Lodge) a zaměří se na jazykový a situační humor zmiňovaných románů. Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1. The Genesis of Post-Colonial Literature ..................................................................................... 3 2. Fundamental Postulates of Post-Colonialism ............................................................................. 6 3. Contemporary Anglo-American Literature in the Post-Colonial Context ................................. 11 4. British Literary Representatives with Various Ethnic Background ........................................... 12 4.1. Zadie Smith ....................................................................................................................... 12 4.2. Hanif Kureishi .................................................................................................................... 13 4.3. Salman Rushdie ................................................................................................................. 14 5. On Beauty ................................................................................................................................. 16 5.1 The Overall Presence of Multiculturalism in On Beauty ......................................................... 17 5.2 Multicultural Aspects: The Setting .......................................................................................... 20 5.3 Multicultural Society: Beauty, Race, Art ................................................................................. 23 5.4 The Reflection of the English Literary Tradition in Zadie Smith’s On Beauty.......................... 33 5.4.1 The Storyline and Themes: Common Patterns of E.M. Forster’s, D. Lodge’s and Zadie Smith’s Novels. ......................................................................................................................... 36 6. N-W .......................................................................................................................................... 42 6.1 Leading Characters .................................................................................................................. 42 6.2 Northwest as a Label ............................................................................................................... 47 6.3 Narrative Techniques and Their Specific Elements ................................................................. 49 7. White Teeth.............................................................................................................................. 53 7.1 Multiculturalism: The Conflict of Identity ............................................................................... 54 7.2 Fundamentalism and Ideology in White Teeth ....................................................................... 63 7.3 White Teeth as a Metaphor .................................................................................................... 66 7.4 The Sense of the Grotesque: Humor in White Teeth .............................................................. 69 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 73 Resumé .............................................................................................................................................. 77 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... 81 Introduction The diploma thesis centers around the literary works of Zadie Smith, a representative of contemporary post-colonial literature in scope of Anglo-American environment, and examines author’s three recent novels On Beauty, N-W, and mostly White Teeth in terms of its multicultural setting in contemporary world. Zadie Smith is considered to be one of the most influential authors that bring attention to the struggle of identity that people with ethnic origin have to face while attempting to assimilate in society. The author manages to portray such struggles of everyday life with wit and humor, but also emphasizes the pressing reality of the multicultural world. Who else than Zadie Smith should address such issues, for she herself comes from a mixed marriage of her Jamaican mother and an English father? Given Smith’s hybrid origin, the themes explored in her novels are arguably derived from Smith’s own experience. The author mainly points attention towards matters such as social assimilation of immigrant generations, identity crisis, discrimination, predestination, or racism. To fully understand the motives that draw writers such as Zadie Smith, Hanif Kureishi, Monica Ali, or Salman Rushdie to engage in the themes reflecting the multicultural society on the break of the 20th and the 21st century, one must retrospectively look at the historical background of post-colonial literature. In this sense, the thesis aims to determine fundamental moments in history and establish terminology, together bringing a desired and needed perspective on the incentive of genesis of multiculturalism. This newly obtained view on the presence and form of multiculturalism in the society helps to analyze Smith’s novels in deeper understanding. Zadie Smith is mainly recognized for her debut novel White Teeth (2000) and she continuously secures her position among other popular authors by publishing a number of novels where she addresses issues connected to multicultural society, as she herself experiences it through the eyes of an individual of hybrid origin and a descendant of immigrants in society. Given the irreversible course of presence of 1 multiculturalism in the society, Zadie Smith evidently represents an author whose work is worth looking into. 2 1. The Genesis of Post-Colonial Literature Given the fact that more than three-quarters of the people living in contemporary world have had their lives shaped by the experience of colonialism, it is a natural outcome that such experience is being projected into various spheres, such as political and economic, but also into art, be it literature, painting, music, or dance. For the thesis’ main aim is to examine literary works of Zadie Smith, this chapter will strive to bring light on the historical setting which resulted into
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