DOCSLIB.ORG

Kandid a T Uppsa Ts

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Kandid a T Uppsa Ts Engelska (61-90), 30 hp KANDIDAT Terrorism, Religion and Race: A Comparison Between John Updike's Terrorist and Bernard MacLaverty's Cal UPPSATS Anna Bernerson Självständigt arbete, 15 hp Brännögård 2015-01-16 Table of Contents Introduction 2 Theories and sub-questions 3 Author background and book reviews 8 Literature reviews 11 Terrorist 11 Cal 13 Comparative analysis 14 Background 14 Reasons for terrorism in the novels 15 Terrorist 16 Cal 17 Influence and organisation 19 Terrorist 19 Cal 21 Stereotyping 23 Terrorist 23 Cal 26 Concluding discussion 29 Works cited 32 Introduction ”Terrorism” is a term widely used today. It and its effects are portrayed and discussed in newspapers, in movies, on TV. Seeing as it seems to be present in most media, it appears quite inevitable that terrorism has also found its way into literature. Two examples of novels dealing with terrorism are the American novel Terrorist, written by John Updike in 2006 and Bernard MacLaverty's Northern Irish novel Cal, written in 1983. The novels have their similarities. They share terrorism as a major theme, and both of them have a young man as a protagonist. However, they differ in both time and place. Updike's novel is set in a post-9/11 New Jersey, while Cal takes place in a Northern Ireland divided by The Troubles. Furthermore, Updike's main character is a dedicated Muslim, while the main character of Cal is a not as dedicated Catholic. Indeed, the novels might seem similar at first, but the differences are significant. The perspective to be used in this essay is ethnic. Various theories on terrorism, manipulation and race will be used with said perspective in mind. The aim is to, with the help of relevant theories, examine and analyse the terrorism and its connection to religion and ethnicity in the two novels, in order to compare them and find out whether they portray these things in a different way or not. The question I will be asking, and thus the purpose of this essay, is whether the terrorism and its reasons, organisation – including influence by others – and connection to religion and ethnicity in the two novels mentioned above are similar or not. It is my belief that a comparative analysis of the novels will show that the terrorism and its connection to religion and ethnicity will not be the same in Cal as in Terrorist. One of the reasons for this is that they are set in environments that differ from each other not only geographically and chronologically, but also politically. Thus it seems likely that the reasons for and organisation of the terrorism will differ as well. Another reason is that the characters in Terrorist are more diverse than the ones in Cal, both in terms of religion and ethnicity. 2 General theories dealing with reasons for terrorism, such as Kristopher K. Robison, Edward M. Crenshaw, and Craig J. Jenkins's theory on Islamist terrorism, according to which terrorism performed by Islamists is a reaction to the secular West (p. 2012), and Jeff Victoroff's rational choice theory, which suggests that terrorists are rational (p. 14), will be used to examine whether the characters of the two novels have different reasons for their terrorism or not. The next set of theories that will be used deal with influence, manipulation and brainwashing. Austin T. Turk suggests that a terrorist organisation often isolates its members in order to ensure that they only have the required knowledge (p. 276), and since this can be used as a tool of manipulation, his theory will be used to examine, and compare, the level of influence and manipulation on the two protagonists. For similar reasons, I. E. Farber, Harry F. Harlow, Louis Jolyon West and Joel Rudinow's theories on manipulation, with and without deception, will be used in the comparative analysis. Finally, racial theories, like the theory of signs, which suggests that people have a tendency to divide others into categories based on their racial differences, along with theories on imperative patriotism and the Arab American stereotype will be used. According to Steven Salaita's imperative patriotism, only those who act and look American can be truly American (p. 154), and Jack G. Shaheen suggests that Arab Americans are, by many, thought to be violent Muslims (p. 23). Furthermore, analysts Mita Banerjee and Pamela Mansutti both suggest that there is in fact a connection between religion and race in Updike's novel (p. 16, p. 108). These theories and ideas will be used to analyse the connection between terrorism, ethnicity and religion, and then to compare the two novels, whereupon a conclusion will be drawn. I believe that this conclusion will indeed confirm my thesis. Theories and sub-questions In this section of the essay I will have a closer look at the theories that will be of help when 3 analysing the two novels. As previously mentioned, an ethnic perspective will be used for my analysis and therefore the theories I will be using are connected to this perspective in one way or another. I will start with discussing the theories relevant to my first sub-question, and then go on to theories relating to my second question, and then finish with theories connected to the third sub- question. In order to find out whether my hypothesis is correct or not, I will start my comparative analysis by examining the portrayed terrorism and its reasons with the help of existing theories on the subject. This is my first sub-question. The setting and the external circumstances in the both novels are quite different – Ahmad is a Muslim living in post-9/11 America, while Cal lives in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Despite that, both novels deal with a young, male protagonist and I wish to find out whether the differences outweigh the similarities or not. There are many definitions of what terrorism is and what should and should not be considered terrorism. Jeff Goodwin goes as far as to say that ”there is no commonly accepted definition of 'terrorism'” (p. 2027). He also suggests that there are several definitions of the term, and that ”the 'deliberate use of violence in order to influence some audience' is common to most […] definitions” (p. 2028). Furthermore, Goodwin suggests that certain groups ”view terrorism, for the most part, as a political strategy” (p. 2029). This might mean that they would not consider themselves terrorists. The most comprehensive definition, however, seems to belong to Jack P. Gibbs. According to him, ”[t]errorism is illegal violence or threatened violence directed against human or non-human objects” (Gibbs, p. 330). This definition includes both violent acts and the threat to perform them, as well as both human beings and objects, which would include, for example, buildings, animals and landscape. Robbery – which is present in Cal – for example, would include violence or threats against humans and ”violent” actions against non-human objects, while blowing up a tunnel full of commuters – which is the plan in Terrorist – would consist of violence towards both humans and 4 non-human objects. In other words, Gibbs' definition covers the terrorism in both novels. There are also several theories about the reasons for performing terrorism. There is, for example, right-wing terrorism, left-wing terrorism, eco-terrorism, national terrorism, and religious terrorism. While the terrorism in Cal is political, the theory most relevant to Terrorist, since Ahmad is a Muslim and Islam seems to be his reason for doing what he does, is one discussed by Robison et al. According to this theory, ”Islamist terrorism is […] rooted in the social strains created by modernization, the competition between Islam and other religions, and the growth of secular government” (Robison et al, p. 2009). The reasons for this kind of terrorism are based on a perceived threat against the religion and its followers' culture and way of living. America, with its invasion of the Middle East and its capitalism, could very well be seen as threatening enough for someone to turn to terrorism in order to protect their religion and culture. The aim is to find out whether this theory is applicable to Updike's representation of Muslims; if it is modernisation, other religions, and secularisation that are the reasons for the terrorism. According to Victoroff's rational choice theory, the terrorists in question know what they are doing; their decisions are rational and calculated (p. 14). There are several other theories on why someone becomes a terrorist, but since neither Ahmad nor Cal fits any of those – they do fit Victoroff's theory, however, since they have their reasons for doing what they are doing, both of them – I will not examine those theories any further. In order to find possible differences between the two novels, I will go on to my second sub- questions, and examine to what extent the portrayed terrorism seems to be organised, as well as the influence by others on the two protagonists. I will do this with the help of relevant theories dealing with terrorist organisation, influence and manipulation. Since the terrorist act in Terrorist is a major event – it does indeed take some planning to be able to blow up a tunnel during rush hour – it seems likely that the ones behind this plan would want to recruit people that will not back out, or expose them. In Cal, however, the terrorism is not one single, well-planned act; it consists of smaller, less 5 planned attacks such as robberies. Therefore, I want to examine whether the characters in Terrorist work harder and use different kinds of manipulation and influence on Ahmad than Cal's fellow terrorists do on him.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • John Updike, a Lyrical Writer of the Middle-Class More Article Man, Dies at 76 Get Urba
    LIKE RABBITS Welcome to TimesPeople TimesPeople Lets You Share and Discover the Bes Get Started HOME PAGE TODAY'S PAPER VIDEO MOST POPULAR TIMES TOPICS Books WORLD U.S. N.Y. / REGION BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE HEALTH SPORTS OPINION ARTS STYL ART & DESIGN BOOKS Sunday Book Review Best Sellers First Chapters DANCE MOVIES MUSIC John Updike, a Lyrical Writer of the Middle-Class More Article Man, Dies at 76 Get Urba By CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN-HAUPT Sig Published: January 28, 2009 wee SIGN IN TO den RECOMMEND John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Cha Rabbit novels highlighted a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism COMMENTS so vast, protean and lyrical as to place him in the first rank of E-MAIL Ads by Go American authors, died on Tuesday in Danvers, Mass. He was 76 and SEND TO PHONE Emmetsb Commerci lived in Beverly Farms, Mass. PRINT www.Emme REPRINTS U.S. Trus For A New SHARE Us Directly USTrust.Ba Lanco Hi 3BHK, 4BH Living! www.lancoh MOST POPUL E-MAILED 1 of 11 © 2009 John Zimmerman. All rights reserved. 7/9/2009 10:55 PM LIKE RABBITS 1. Month Dignit 2. Well: 3. GLOB 4. IPhon 5. Maure 6. State o One B 7. Gail C 8. A Run Meani 9. Happy 10. Books W. Earl Snyder Natur John Updike in the early 1960s, in a photograph from his publisher for the release of “Pigeon Feathers.” More Go to Comp Photos » Multimedia John Updike Dies at 76 A star ALSO IN BU The dark Who is th ADVERTISEM John Updike: A Life in Letters Related An Appraisal: A Relentless Updike Mapped America’s Mysteries (January 28, 2009) 2 of 11 © 2009 John Zimmerman.
    [Show full text]
  • Adapting Shakespearean Drama for and in the Middle East: Process and Product Sulayman Al-Bassam Submitted to the University of H
    Adapting Shakespearean Drama for and in the Middle East: Process and Product Sulayman Al-Bassam Submitted to the University of Hertfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of PhD. February 2017 2 Abstract: This dissertation chronicles the development of a series of plays, collectively referred to as The Arab Shakespeare Trilogy, from the perspective of their playwright Sulayman Al-Bassam. Together, The Al-Hamlet Summit (2002-2005), Richard III, An Arab Tragedy (2007-2009), and The Speaker’s Progress (2011-2012) register the eruptive social, political, and cultural contexts of the Arab world during the first decade of the twenty-first century while negotiating the adaptation of Shakespeare’s plays to a form thought- provoking and entertaining to audiences both within and outside the Middle East. The document outlines the inception of the project, which includes both personal and historical context, and provides more specific commentary on the production of each play individually. In addition to its focus on the specific impact of 9/11, and its global consequences, on the development of these dramatic works, it attends to topics including the technical and ideological challenges of linguistic and cultural translation, the adaptation of Shakespeare in Arabic theatre, the politics of art and drama in the Arab world, and the involvement of art in the shaping of the ethics of cross-cultural representation. Of particular interest are the linguistic conditions bearing upon the adaptation of English language texts into multi-lingual and cross- cultural works, the effects of the globalisation of politics and media, and the international touring life of the plays between the Arab region and wider world.
    [Show full text]
  • Suburbs in American Literature
    FILOZOFICKÁ FAKULTA UNIVERZITY PALACKÉHO KATEDRA ANGLISTIKY A AMERIKANISTIKY SUBURBS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE A STUDY OF THREE SELECTED SUBURBAN NOVELS (Bakalářská práce) Autor: Lucie Růžičková Anglická filologie- Žurnalistika Vedoucí práce: Mgr. Jiří Flajšar, PhD. OLOMOUC 2013 Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky Suburbs in American Literature A Study of Three Selected Suburban Novels (Diplomová práce) Autor: Lucie Růžičková Studijní obor: Anglická a žurnalistika Vedoucí práce: Mgr. Jiří Flajšar, Ph.D. Počet stran (podle čísel): Počet znaků: Olomouc 2013 Prohlašuji, že jsem tuto bakalářskou práci vypracovala samostatně a uvedla úplný seznam citované a použité literatury. V Olomouci dne 25.4. 2013 ………………………… I would like to say thank you to Mgr. Jiří Flajšar, Ph.D., who has been very patient with me and has been of a great support and help while supervising my thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Introduction ………………………………………………………. 3 2. Suburbs – The Terminology ……………………………………… 5 2.1 American Suburbs ……………………………………………. 5 2.2 Brief history of American suburbia …………………………... 6 2.3 Suburban novel and well-know authors ……………………… 7 3. John Updike ………………………………………………………. 10 3.1 Biography ……………………………………………………... 10 3.2 Bibliography …………………………………………………... 11 4. Rabbit, Run – The Analysis ………………………………………. 13 4.1 The plot ……………………………………………………….. 13 4.2 The portrait of suburb ………………………………………… 16 4.3 Characters and their relationships …………………………….. 17 4.3.1 Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom ……………………………….. 17 4.3.2 Janice Angstrom …………………………………………. 18 4.3.3 Ruth Leonard …………………………………………….. 19 5. Richard Ford ……………………………………………………….. 21 5.1 Biography ……………………………………………………… 21 5.2 Bibliography …………………………………………………… 22 6. The Sportswriter - The Analysis …………………………………… 24 6.1 The plot ………………………………………………………… 24 6.2 The portrait of suburb ………………………………………….. 27 6.3 Characters and their relationships ……………………………… 28 6.3.1 Frank Bascombe ………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • John Updike and the Grandeur of the American Suburbs Oliver Hadingham, Rikkyo University, Japan the Asian Conference on Literatu
    John Updike and the Grandeur of the American Suburbs Oliver Hadingham, Rikkyo University, Japan The Asian Conference on Literature, Librarianship & Archival Science 2016 Official Conference Proceedings Abstract The standing of John Updike (1932-2009), a multiple prize-winning author of more than 60 books, has suffered over the last two decades. Critics have recognized Updike’s skill as a writer of beautiful prose, but fail to include him among the highest rank of 20th century American novelists. What is most frustrating about the posthumous reputation of Updike is the failure by critics to fully acknowledge what is it about his books that makes them so enduringly popular. Updike combines beautifully crafted prose with something more serious: an attempt to clarify for the reader the truths and texture of America itself. Keywords: John Updike, middle-class, suburbia, postwar America iafor The International Academic Forum www.iafor.org Over the last few decades the reputation of John Updike (1932-2009) has suffered greatly. Updike's doggedness and craft as a writer turned him into a multi-prize winning author of 23 novels, fourteen poetry collections, ten hefty collections of essays, two books of art criticism, a play, some children's books, and numerous short story collections. Yet such a prolific output and the numerous awards won have not placed him among the greats of 20th century American literature. He is remembered as someone who could write elegant prose, but to no lasting effect in articulating something worthwhile. Since the acclaim and prizes showered on Rabbit is Rich (1981) and Rabbit at Rest (1990), Updike has fallen out of favour with the literary world.
    [Show full text]
  • A Word from the Editor
    JAMES SCHIFF A Word from the Editor It’s been five years since our first issue appeared in November 2011, which calls for modest celebration, some self-examination, and thoughts on where we’re headed. From the beginning, the objective of the John Updike Review has been, sim- ply, to provide a space where those interested in writing about John Updike can participate in discussion. In five years we have released eight issues, containing thirty-six essays, fifteen critical responses to five works of fiction (“Leaves,” “Ges- turing,” “Trust Me,” The Widows of Eastwick, and Villages), twelve book reviews, two tributes, one panel discussion, and one bibliography—sixty-seven pieces in all, excluding the three reprinted short stories. A respectable start. Though the novels, particularly the Rabbit novels, have historically garnered the lion’s share of attention in Updike studies, in our pages the short stories have drawn the most interest: ten essays, nine responses in the “Three Writers” section, and two reviews, which comes to twenty-one pieces, nearly a third of our offerings. This is good news. Many have argued that the short story is Updike’s strongest suit, a genre in which he has few rivals, so this focus is gratifying, especially given how often short fiction is neglected. As for the novels discussed in theJUR , attention has been spread rather evenly, with the Rabbit books holding a slight edge over Couples, In the Beauty of the Lilies, Toward the End of Time, Gertrude and Claudius, and Villages. I’m hesitant, though, to read much significance here—one or two new essays could alter these preliminary findings.
    [Show full text]
  • The Concept of Space in John Updike's Rabbit Tetralogy And
    “Location Is Everything”: The Concept of Space in John Updike’s Rabbit Tetralogy and Richard Ford’s Bascombe Trilogy Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie der Philosophischen Fakultäten der Universität des Saarlandes vorgelegt von Katja Kohler­Golly aus Ottweiler Saarbrücken, 2014 Der Dekan: Herr Univ.‐Prof. Dr. P. Riemer Berichterstatter/in: Frau Univ.‐Prof. Dr. A. Fellner, Herr Univ.‐Prof. Dr. P. Morris Tag der letzten Prüfungsleistung: 11.06.2014 To Jörg and Max Table of Contents List of Titles and Their Abbreviations..........................................................................................vi Acknowledgments...........................................................................................................................vii 1. Introduction...........................................................................................................1 1.1. “Location Is Everything”..................................................................................................................1 1.2. Critical Reception ..............................................................................................................................7 1.2.1. Updike ...............................................................................................................................................................7 1.2.2. Ford ....................................................................................................................................................................9
    [Show full text]
  • Terrorism As a Gendered Familial Psychodrama in John Updike's Terrorist
    Terrorism as a Gendered Familial Psychodrama in John Updike's Terrorist ALAA ALGHAMDI Taibah University Abstract John Updike's Terrorist (2006) tackles the fraught theme of the 'homegrown' Muslim American terrorist. The novel's suspenseful plot, culminating in the young terrorist's capitulation following the intervention of his high school counsellor, contains logical inconsistencies that appear to lessen believability or to demand the suspension of disbelief for the sake of a certain breach of realism, which may echo the would-be terrorist's own sense of his environment. This paper explores the idea that logical and thematic inconsistencies in the novel, including deep ambivalence in the depiction of the female characters, are devices deliberately put in place to highlight a gendered psychodrama and construct a strongly patriarchal worldview, both of which offer near-experiential insight into the young terrorist's own perspective. Key Words: Updike, Terrorist, Muslim, American, psychodrama. John Updike, throughout his long and acclaimed career spanning over half a century, often waded willingly into controversy, grappling with moral questions among a quintessentially American populace of characters. In the context of his life's corpus, Terrorist (2006) is in some ways an aberration, as it seeks to represent the viewpoint of a self-identified Muslim radical and would-be terrorist rather than Updike's usual American protagonist. However, the character in question, a young man named Ahmad Mulloy (who is soon to adopt the surname of his father, Ashwamy, which he favours over that of the Irish-American mother who raised him) is also undeniably American; through his mixed ethnicity and upbringing by a freethinking single mother, he may even be regarded as typical of the generation who came of age in the new millennium.
    [Show full text]
  • Using the Qur'an to Justify Terrorist Violence: Analysing Selective
    PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM !! ! !"#$%&'()'*++$&', Using the Qur’an to Justify Terrorist Violence: Analysing Selective Application of the Qur’an in English-Language Militant Islamist Discourse by Donald Holbrook Abstract Selective Qur’anic referencing comprises a core element of radical Islamist discourse endorsing militancy. These are often embedded in wider religious deliberations which also cite numerous Hadith and other religious sources to support a given argument. This article seeks to analyse and document the way in which specific verses of the Qur’an are used to legitimise justifications put forward for violence and targeting in a selected corpus of English- language extremist Islamist material. The article concludes that application of the teachings of the Qur’an is altered and tailored in major militant Islamist treatises to match their political narrative, thus violating strict Salafistic demands for literal application of the Qur’an’s message. Introduction Modern militant Islamism, sometimes termed ‘jihadi-Salafism’ [1] departs from large swathes of non-activist and non-political Salafism in that it seeks to confront a self-proclaimed political ‘reality’. Nonetheless, militant Islamists retain the emphasis on broadly defined Salafist positions, at least rhetorically. This includes the pivotal importance of the fundamentals of Islam, as contained in the Qur’an and Hadith - the collection of sayings attributed to the Prophet - and the literal implementation, as well as interpretation, of the religious tenets. As self-appointed vanguards of the religion, militant Islamists demand that Muslims live by their interpretation of these tenets and - in the words of Ayman al-Zawahiri - ‘renounce popular sovereignty and every other sovereignty besides that of the Qur’an and Sunnah’.[2] This basic, puritanical doctrine has been embraced and utilised by the religio-political agendas of radical fringe movements operating chiefly in the Middle East.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Villages, John Updike, Penguin Books Limited, 2006
    Villages, John Updike, Penguin Books Limited, 2006, 0141923083, 9780141923086, 336 pages. Owen Mackenzie's life story abounds with sin and seduction, domesticity and debauchery. His marriage to his college sweetheart is quickly followed by his first betrayal and he embarks upon a series of affairs. His pursuit of happiness, in a succession of small towns from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, brings him to the edge of chaos, from which he is saved by a rescue that carries its own fatal price.. The Afterlife And Other Stories, John Updike, Oct 14, 2009, Fiction, 336 pages. To the hero of the title story of this collection, all of England has the glow of an afterlife: “A miraculous lacquer lay upon everything, beading each roadside twig . each .... The Witches of Eastwick A Novel, John Updike, Mar 13, 2012, Fiction, 352 pages. Toward the end of the Vietnam era, in a snug little Rhode Island seacoast town, wonderful powers have descended upon Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie, bewitching divorcГ©es with .... The Widows of Eastwick A Novel, John Updike, Oct 21, 2008, Fiction, 320 pages. More than three decades after the events described in The Witches of Eastwick, Alexandra, Jane, and SukieвЂ―widowed, aging, and with their occult powers fadingвЂ―return for the .... Of the Farm A Novel, John Updike, Mar 13, 2012, Fiction, 144 pages. In this short novel, Joey Robinson, a thirty-five-year-old New Yorker, describes a visit he makes, with his second wife and eleven-year-old stepson, to the Pennsylvania farm .... Alissa's Miracle , Ginna Gray, 2012, , .
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Fundamentalism and Radicalisation
    Briefing March 2015 Religious fundamentalism and radicalisation SUMMARY The recent terrorist attacks in Europe and the increasing number of European terrorist 'foreign fighters' highlight the need not only to reinforce the policy measures against radicalisation and religious fundamentalism but also to understand the processes of these two phenomena in the European context. Radicalisation is a complex matter that has not been defined uniformly in the social sciences. It can be seen as a phenomenon of people embracing views which could lead to terrorism, and is closely connected to the notion of extremism. Religious fundamentalism, a belief in an absolute religious ideology with no tolerance for differing interpretations, is a contributing factor to the development of radical opinions. Radicalisation is a dynamic process cutting across social and demographic strata. Recent studies seeking to understand it suggest of the need to profile the processes of recruitment, be it online or in places such as schools, mosques and prisons. The causes of radicalisation are complex, drawing from the continuing conflicts in the Middle East, the disconnectedness of large Muslim communities living in Western societies and their search for identity. The process of recruitment occurs by way of extremist propaganda spread by terrorist organisations with roots abroad, but operating in Europe. Radicalisation is a serious threat to internal security in EU Member States, who retain the main competence in this matter. The measures taken at EU level contribute to
    [Show full text]
  • T Mind My Calling You Harry?' Terms of Address in John Updike's Rabbit
    Volume 9, No. 4, August 2020 ‘You don’t mind my calling you Harry?’ Terms of Address in John Updike’s Rabbit Tetralogy Peter Backhaus (Waseda University) Keywords: Abstract: This paper examines the use of address terms in John Updike’s Rabbit John Updike, tetralogy (Updike 1995). The first part of the analysis provides a comprehensive Rabbit overview of the great variety of terms used to address the protagonist, Harry Angstrom, tetralogy, in the decades covered by the novels. The second part focuses on two important side sociolinguistics, characters, Reverend Eccles and Harry’s mother-in-law. It demonstrates how address terms of term usage with these two characters reflects ongoing changes in their relationship with address Harry. The main aim of the paper is to demonstrate the potential of fictional data for the study of address terms and, in return, to capture the manifold functions of address terms as a literary device in fiction. 1. Introduction When John Updike first started experimenting with the motif of the ‘Ex-Basket Player’ in the early days of his career (Updike 1958, 1959), he could not have known that he was going to create one of the central monuments of American postwar literature. Four decades, two Pulitzer prizes, and about 1,500 pages later, Updike had developed this idea – of a former high-school basketball prodigy struggling to come to terms with the dullness and temptations of adult life – into a whole universe of places and people. In the very center of it are the doings and misdoings of a Pennsylvanian everyman who is both utterly normal and yet very special.
    [Show full text]
  • Arab-Western Entanglement in Sulayman Al-Bassam's Cross
    Language, Literature, and Interdisciplinary Studies (LLIDS) ISSN: 2547-0044 ellids.com/archives/2018/12/2.2-Mills.pdf CC Attribution-No Derivatives 4.0 International License www.ellids.com “Blood Draws Flies”: Arab-Western Entanglement in Sulayman Al-Bassam’s Cross-Cultural Hamlet Yvonne Stafford-Mills As England’s East India Company expanded its global market to the East, cultural material, like the works of William Shakespeare, were transmitted along with tradable goods. The works of Shakespeare first reached the Arab world in the early 17th century. On the third voyage of the London East India Company in 1608, the crew of the Red Dragon, the company’s flagship, performed Hamlet on the island of Socotra, now part of the Arab Republic of Yemen.1 This voyage, and its theatrical endeavors, were recorded in General William Keel- ing’s journal, in which he notes that Hamlet was staged twice and Richard II once during the outbound voyage (Barbour and Marlowe 255). By 1609, the Red Dragon had reached colonial Indonesia. Thus began Shakespeare’s journey through the Middle East and Asia very early in the history of British global trade and empire expansion. Such cultural exchanges were considered “…an important tool in the cultural work of colonization” (Barbour and Marlowe 255). The performance of Shakespeare by the crew of the Red Dragon on this third expedition of the Company was particularly important in estab- lishing diplomatic ties in Africa, where previous expeditions had re- sulted in pillaging and the capture of Africans for slavery. African dig- nitaries were invited onboard the ship to witness this demonstration of “English cultural achievement.” Similar cultural exchanges and diplo- matic treatment of Arab officials in Socotra proved invaluable to the Company, as Keeling thereby obtained crucial navigational infor- mation from local mariners, facilitating the Company’s expansion into the Indian Ocean and surrounding ports of trade (256).
    [Show full text]