The 'Others' in Post-Brexit Britain

Esther VAN DER VEEN

Master's thesis

A Literary Analysis of the Representation of the 'Other' in Brexit Literature

Has a New Genre Arisen after Brexit? A Literary Analysis of 'Brexlit' Novels

Abstract:

This thesis aims to gain insight into the social division that manifested in the Brexit debate as well as the referendum result. The Brexit debate will not be approached as an isolated event but will be placed in the context of a global trend of populism. It will then be discussed how British populism has establish two 'enemies' of the British people: the global 'other' and the cultural, ethno-racial 'other'. Subsequently, it is discussed how literature can provide insight into social division. The focus will then be shifted to a new literary genre, Brexit literature, specifically. The question is how this new genre deals with such an unprecedented event as Brexit. Specifically, this thesis aims to gain insight into how Brexit literature envisions life for the global 'other' and the ethno-racial 'other' in a post-Brexit Britain. Novels written and published after the Referendum were taken into consideration for the material selection. This thesis will discuss Ali Smith's Autumn (2016), Amanda Craig's The Lie of the Land (2017), and John Lanchester's The Wall (2019). Ultimately, this thesis hopes to understand how authors in this new genre give meaning to Brexit, what they consider to be the causes of the debate and the referendum, and how Brexit has affected the social division in Britain.

Abstract:

This thesis aims to gain insight into the social division that manifested in the Brexit debate as well as the referendum result. The Brexit debate will not be approached as an isolated event but will be placed in the context of a global trend of populism. It will then be discussed how British populism has establish two 'enemies' of the British people: the global 'other' and the cultural, ethno-racial 'other'. Subsequently, it is discussed how literature can provide insight into social division. The focus will then be shifted to a new literary genre, Brexit literature, specifically. The question is how this new genre deals with such an unprecedented event as Brexit. Specifically, this thesis aims to gain insight into how Brexit literature envisions life for the global 'other' and the ethno-racial 'other' in a post-Brexit Britain. Novels written and published after the Referendum were taken into consideration for the material selection. This thesis will discuss Ali Smith's Autumn (2016), Amanda Craig's The Lie of the Land (2017), and John Lanchester's The Wall (2019). Ultimately, this thesis hopes to understand how authors in this new genre give meaning to Brexit, what they consider to be the causes of the debate and the referendum, and how Brexit has affected the social division in Britain.

Keywords

Brexit, Literature, Social, Division, Populism, Great, Britain

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 2. 8. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Mgr. Elizabeth Allyn Woock, PhD.

Palacký University Olomouc

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / field:
Humanities / Euroculture