178,826 research outputs found
La Rousse and the Tapestry Artist: Tracy Chevalier’s Liberation through Images and Colours
No full textArt has always held a very ambiguous position in human society: on the one hand it has been exploited for promotional use and revered as a stand in for the entity it represents; on the other hand however, its ability to question dogmatic authorities by appealing to an individual’s innermost instincts and thoughts has made it a threatening and seditious force to be reckoned with. As a result, numerous studies on the impact of art and visions on society, authority, and our perception of reality, have emerged and taken many forms of interdisciplinary inquiry (it is sufficient to think of movements such as “literature and the visual arts”, “culture studies”, “cross-cultural image studies” or “law and imagery”, to mention a few). As a confirmation of this, the subversive power of art, in the form of suppressed colours and controversial portraits, is at the heart of two of Tracy Chevalier’s works, The Virgin Blue (1997) and The Lady and the Unicorn (2003). In both novels the protagonists’ lives are dominated by a strong patriarchal society that suppresses the voices of those who do not pertain to politically privileged categories. Art therefore is the force that leads the characters to leave the paths that had been assigned to them by custom and seek out their own future
Summons, Prophecies, Possession and Madness: Intersections of Law and Magic in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
No full textMulticultural and Multimedia Remediation of the Self in Gautam Malkani’s Londonstani
No full textToday’s cultural production thus relies on recreated and filtered products in order to propose something new in a reality that has been heavily impacted by the past. As a result, there has been a remarkable increase in literary texts which are now available and completed through videos, blogs, websites or social networks. Gautam Malkani’s Londonstani, which is a hypertextual novel that includes literature, slang, photography, music, fashion and the internet (Malkani posts videos about his novel in myspace) is an example of such cultural remediation. His use of literature as the basis was deliberate, as he states on his official website: “I was hoping the book might attract people who don’t typically care for books. I also wanted to leave them with a slap in the face just for the sake of showing that the printed word actually can slap you in the face - sometimes in ways that films and video games just can’t do”.
In Londonstani “Jas” wishes to “remake” himself to blend in with a group of second generation southern Asian schoolmates: he therefore becomes a willing vessel for the absorption of the “desi lifestyle” and later of the “bling bling economy” introduced to him by a successful Indian businessman. In order to do so however, he must fashion a new identity for himself by repudiating the values (including scholastic achievement and interest in mainstream culture), language and prejudices he held dear when he was “a coconut”. This cultural transition to macho consumerism is represented by his change in the media and cultural status symbols (clothes, cars, clubs, etc.) he uses to express himself and see others.
Jas wants to be appreciated for the person he has become and not who he was, who he could have been, or who he was supposed to be. In the end however, he finds himself incapable of remaining in this liminal remediated position between his former anonymity and the social power he pursues, Eastern and Western cultures, and tradition and youth culture. He is influenced by culture but does not have the power to change it in turn precisely because his self-remediation has lead him to lose his true identity in favour of a self-fashioned and artificial one controlled by the media. In Malkani’s words “identities are used like tools to be more of a man” and “Jas”’s recovery, recycling and reproduction of his own self is attempted through the tools provided by cultural images, themes and traditions in a highly innovative and hybrid way
Perils and Resources of ‘Eternal Sojourners’ in Timothy Mo’s Sour Sweet
No full textTimothy Mo’s novel Sour Sweet addresses the difficulties faced by the
Chen family that moved to London in the 1960’s in search of a better life. In opposition
to many other “first generation novels” however, the Chens are not all admiring
immigrants who wish to blend in with their host country; on the contrary, they
prefer a ghettoized life in the suburbs and see their new location simply as a temporary
rest place. For the Chens and the Triad gang that threatens them the cosmopolitan
city is a land of opportunity they can exploit through the commodification
of their “superior” culture, making theirs an attempted “reverse colonization”. This
is accomplished through the preparation and presentation of food by means of
which the English often approach the Chinese. At the same time however, in order
to sell their food the Chens must adapt their dishes to their clients’ expectations
and tastes. Moreover, although the “foreign devils” have not caused them any particular
distress, the Chens still regard them with a stereotypical eye that resembles
the one through which people like them are commonly viewed. Timothy Mo thus
depicts the diaspora experience from an alternative and ironic point of view, that of
a family committed to not coming to terms with their new condition unless compelled
by the “yin yang” flow of contrasting yet complementary forces and elements
that characterize everyday life. The present perusal into the development of
the diaspora experience offered in Timothy Mo’s novel will be carried out by focusing
on some of the main issues that divide and that unite Chinese immigrants
with fellow countrymen as well as from and with their English “home away from
home”
Resisting, Enduring and Embracing Multiculturalism in Michael Gregorio’s Days of Atonement
No full textMichael Gregorio’s Days of Atonement depicts a significant picture of the national, international, and interior conflicts that characterized Prussia during the Enlightenment, a time when new ideas on humanity clashed with consolidated traditions and superstitions. The French invasion brought resentment and pillaging, but also significant reforms concerning equality and human rights; consequently, the characters betray the uncertainties and reactions typical of any sudden and forceful widening of borders. After the gruesome death of three children and the disappearance of their mother, Prussian Procurator Herr Stiffeniis is obligated to investigate with French criminologist Colonel Serge Lavedrine. Distrustful of his partner and wavering between nationalism and his desire to solve a case with important political implications, Stiffeniis comes to appreciate Lavedrine’s dedication and resourcefulness, to the point that he chooses to make a pact with him instead of following his superiors “in the interests of truth”. Lavedrine embodies his country’s best intentions and his profession’s interest in mankind and is therefore more open minded and definite in his decisions, treating people for what they do and not for who they are. Another instance of multiculturalism concerns the Jews’ situation and their willingness to overcome their hurt and distrust. Here, scientist Aaron Jacob paradoxically unites religion, science, multiculturalism and exclusion through the self-taught knowledge acquired during his travels, motivated by the Jew’s expulsion from different countries. Uniting these perspectives Stiffeniis is introduced to and applies new, inclusive strategies in order to solve the case. The novel therefore reflects on the clashes, tolerance and understanding found in many inclusive societies, both past and present
“Enter Peter Ackroyd’s Nicholas Dyer, Architect, Devil Worshipper and Murderer”
No full textPeter Ackroyd’s anti-detective novel Hawksmoor gives life to an innovative and disquieting villain capable of stirring up sentiments of both profound disgust and undeniable fascination. Although Nicolas Dyer lived in the 17th century he possesses characteristics pertaining to villains that are typical of preceding and following centuries. He therefore can be considered a “pastiche” villain, in that he combines worshipping of primaeval and mediaeval demoniac practices, a typically Renaissance Machiavellian use of architectural and intellectual skills for his dark purposes, and the criminal’s apparent normality and elusiveness from the law that contemporary readers suspect and fear. His tragic past, fragile sanity and passionate devotion towards his mission, along with his cynical but clear-cut opinions on his time and its protagonists, often make him a sympathetic villain, even though he is admittedly guilty of many gruesome murders. Such insight into his life leads us to believe that there is a little villainy in each of us, making its presence a threat that is as invisible and everlasting as the hidden demoniac symbols located in the churches he planned. Dyer represents the darkness that perpetually lurks in the shadows of knowledge and enlightenment, and his mystic influence is such that centuries later his solitary but honest Doppelgänger detective Hawksmoor is deeply bound to him through the recurring homicides that take place in the 1980s and perfectly mirror Dyer’s. Moreover, as is often the case with postmodern detective novels, Dyer is never officially discovered or brought to justice, so anything even remotely resembling a realization of his crimes can only occur through an irrational solution, such as the epiphany that Hawksmoor experiences at the novel’s closure
Şebnem Toplu, Fiction Unbound: Bernardine Evaristo (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Cambridge, 2011)
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