The paper analyzes two contemporary novels belonging to two different cultures and literary traditions: the distinctive “Englishness” of Graham Swift’s story in Waterland, set in the Eastern region of the Fens, deeply contrasts with the Indian setting of Roy’s novel, The God of Small Things¸ where Englishness is experienced as otherness and East and West are continuously juxtaposed within the very lives of the protagonists. Nevertheless, the two books share a common interest in the study and understanding of history and its importance in man’s life, besides posing questions about its nature, laws and mechanisms. To do this, both novelists choose to side with children and observe history from their point of view, which contributes to the universality of the novels’ message: in fact, despite their specific setting and cultural backgrounds, both stories convey an idea of man and history that aspires to universal validity. A close reading of the two novels unveils the technical and stylistic devices through which the authors provide their disenchanted vision of contemporary reality, of an Edenic garden invaded by treacherous snakes.
'Children, who will inherit the World': History and Childhood in Graham Swift and Arundhati Roy
FERRARI, ROBERTA
2005-01-01
Abstract
The paper analyzes two contemporary novels belonging to two different cultures and literary traditions: the distinctive “Englishness” of Graham Swift’s story in Waterland, set in the Eastern region of the Fens, deeply contrasts with the Indian setting of Roy’s novel, The God of Small Things¸ where Englishness is experienced as otherness and East and West are continuously juxtaposed within the very lives of the protagonists. Nevertheless, the two books share a common interest in the study and understanding of history and its importance in man’s life, besides posing questions about its nature, laws and mechanisms. To do this, both novelists choose to side with children and observe history from their point of view, which contributes to the universality of the novels’ message: in fact, despite their specific setting and cultural backgrounds, both stories convey an idea of man and history that aspires to universal validity. A close reading of the two novels unveils the technical and stylistic devices through which the authors provide their disenchanted vision of contemporary reality, of an Edenic garden invaded by treacherous snakes.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
