The Immigrants' Search for National Identity in Novels by Andrea Levy and Zadie Smith

Mgr. Helena Kostohryzová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The thesis examines the notion of identity in characters of second generation immigrants portrayed in novels by Andrea Levy and Zadie Smith. It looks for similarities and parallels in these texts and contrasts the approaches they employ. The first part of the thesis deals with the notion of identity in general terms. The second part examines various aspects that influence lives of immigrants and their relationships with the host society, and looks for these aspects in the primary texts. The third part is a detailed analysis of main characters on the background of the aspects defined earlier.

Keywords

immigrants, national identity, second generation, host society, racism, religion, ethnicity, Zadie Smith, Andrea Levy

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 11. 6. 2007

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Obhajoba proběhla 13. 6. 2007
• Vedúci: prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / odbor:
Philology / English Language and Literature