'An Englishman, almost': Hybridity and Initiation in Kureishi's 'Buddha of Suburbia'

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book 'An Englishman, almost': Hybridity and Initiation in Kureishi's 'Buddha of Suburbia' by Viktoria Groepper, GRIN Verlag
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Viktoria Groepper ISBN: 9783640631544
Publisher: GRIN Verlag Publication: May 27, 2010
Imprint: GRIN Verlag Language: English
Author: Viktoria Groepper
ISBN: 9783640631544
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Publication: May 27, 2010
Imprint: GRIN Verlag
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Regensburg (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: English Literature III - The 20th Century, language: English, abstract: 'My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost. I am often considered to be a funny kind of Englishman, a new breed as it were, having emerged from two old histories. But I don't care - Englishman I am (though not proud of it), from the South London suburbs and going somewhere. Perhaps it is the odd mixture of continents and blood, of here and there, of belonging and not, that makes me restless and easily bored. Or perhaps it was being brought up in the suburbs that did it. [...] I was looking for trouble, any kind of movement, action and sexual interest I could find, because things were so gloomy, so slow and heavy [...] it was all getting me down and I was ready for anything.' (The Buddha 3) The first lines of Kureishi's novel reveal most of what this 'utterly irreverent, wildly improper but also [...] truthful [...] and very funny' (Salman Rushdie) story will deal with: 'initiation, identity, the outsider looking in, and racial conflict. All of these issues are introduced in the first paragraph.' (Kaleta 68) Karim Amir, the son of an Indian father and a white English mother is the protagonist and narrator of the novel The Buddha of Suburbia. First published in 1990, the novel is considered to be Hanif Kureishi's most successful novel. It combines the two genres 'Bildungsroman' and 'Condition of England' novel. Both are typical for the 19th century, but Kureishi successfully combines them both and brings them into a contemporary setting. (Bentley 161) The term 'Bildungsroman' was coined by the German philologist Johann Morgenstern and arose during the German Enlightenment, presenting the psychological, moral and social shaping of a usually young protagonist...

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Regensburg (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: English Literature III - The 20th Century, language: English, abstract: 'My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost. I am often considered to be a funny kind of Englishman, a new breed as it were, having emerged from two old histories. But I don't care - Englishman I am (though not proud of it), from the South London suburbs and going somewhere. Perhaps it is the odd mixture of continents and blood, of here and there, of belonging and not, that makes me restless and easily bored. Or perhaps it was being brought up in the suburbs that did it. [...] I was looking for trouble, any kind of movement, action and sexual interest I could find, because things were so gloomy, so slow and heavy [...] it was all getting me down and I was ready for anything.' (The Buddha 3) The first lines of Kureishi's novel reveal most of what this 'utterly irreverent, wildly improper but also [...] truthful [...] and very funny' (Salman Rushdie) story will deal with: 'initiation, identity, the outsider looking in, and racial conflict. All of these issues are introduced in the first paragraph.' (Kaleta 68) Karim Amir, the son of an Indian father and a white English mother is the protagonist and narrator of the novel The Buddha of Suburbia. First published in 1990, the novel is considered to be Hanif Kureishi's most successful novel. It combines the two genres 'Bildungsroman' and 'Condition of England' novel. Both are typical for the 19th century, but Kureishi successfully combines them both and brings them into a contemporary setting. (Bentley 161) The term 'Bildungsroman' was coined by the German philologist Johann Morgenstern and arose during the German Enlightenment, presenting the psychological, moral and social shaping of a usually young protagonist...

More books from GRIN Verlag

Cover of the book Die Zerstörung nationalen Erbes: Das Berliner Stadtschloss by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Verdopplung des Ölpreises by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Othello - a classical drama by William Shakespeare - adapted for screen by Orson Welles, Serge Yutkevich and Oliver Parker by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Was heißt 'einer Regel folgen'? by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Homogenität in Partnerschaften - Eine empirische Analyse mit den Daten des SOEP by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Der Internationale Währungsfonds und die Vor- und Nachteile für Entwicklungsländer by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Darstellung und Funktion von Tierfiguren im Werke Franz Kafkas - exemplarisch aufgezeigt an ausgewählten Erzählungen by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Polizeistaat versus Rechtsstaat by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Origins, commodification, and significance of Berlin's Love Parade by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Sir Karl Raimund Poppers Kritik an totalitärem Denken und 'geschlossenen Gesellschaften' by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Berichts- und Dokumentationspflichten des Wirtschaftsprüfers im Rahmen der Abschlussprüfung by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Die Auswirkungen der Globalisierung auf den deutschen Arbeitsmarkt by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Frauenspezifische Probleme auf dem Arbeitsmarkt by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Die Auswirkungen der DIN EN 1090 auf kleine und mittelständische Betriebe in der Metallverarbeitungsbranche by Viktoria Groepper
Cover of the book Der Automobilhandel in der Krise by Viktoria Groepper
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy