Bill Bryson´s View of Great Britain and the USA in 'Notes from a Small Island' and 'Notes from a Big Country'

A Comparative Enquiry of Anglo-American Novels in the Context of National Stereotyping

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book Bill Bryson´s View of Great Britain and the USA in 'Notes from a Small Island' and 'Notes from a Big Country' by Oliver Baum, M.A., GRIN Verlag
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Oliver Baum, M.A. ISBN: 9783640281336
Publisher: GRIN Verlag Publication: March 3, 2009
Imprint: GRIN Verlag Language: English
Author: Oliver Baum, M.A.
ISBN: 9783640281336
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Publication: March 3, 2009
Imprint: GRIN Verlag
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 3,0, University of Marburg (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Transatlantic Stereotyping - Views From / About Both Sides of the Ocean, 46 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Criticism of Bryson's novels is not advanced but his narratives can be investigated in terms of genre, intertextuality, language, and nationality. This paper expands on the topic of Bryson's view both of Great Britain and the United States of America by means of national stereotyping as it emerges from his novels Notes from a Small Island (1995) and Notes from a Big Country (1998). I maintain that Bryson depicts Britain and America in an authentic andeducative as well as hilarious and exaggerated manner to emphasize differences between the nations in question. I will prove my thesis that Bryson both criticises and praises British andAmerican values which affect the national character. Bryson conveys his national views both from the perspective of an insider and outsider. William 'Bill' McGuire Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. In 1973, he travelled to England where he became acquainted with his wife, Cynthia Billen, with whom he has four children. Bryson lived in Yorkshire, returned to America to graduate in 1995, and resided with his family in Norfolk, in 2003. While in America Bryson is well-known for elaborating on the English language, he accomplished bestseller standing with travelogues in Great Britain. Although he claims not to be a travel writer because he 'stumbled into this genre', Bryson composes 'books on travel and the English language' in which his 'wanderlust and eccentricity' promise a unique reading adventure (Oder 191). Travel writing is a neglected but miscellaneous genre of ancient times which flourished in the sixteenth century and encompasses narratives of expansionism, such as encyclopaedic accounts of foreign nations, and became the principal negotiator of propagating stereotypes in colonial novels. While Bryson's journey novel Notes from a Small Island depicts the Great Britain he adores, he grudgingly wrote columns about America which resulted in his journalistic novel Notes from a Big Country.

Oliver Baum, 1979 in Hamburg geboren, studierte Anglistik Literaturwissenschaft, Amerikanistik und Europäische Ethnologie und absolvierte eine Ausbildung zum staatlich geprüften Fremdsprachenkorrespondenten/ Europasekretär. Er arbeitete in einem Verlag, in Redaktionen, in einer Musikagentur sowie als ehrenamtlicher Übersetzer und jobbte mehrere Jahre in einem Supermarkt an der Kasse. Neben wissenschaftlichen Essays und diversen Texten schreibt er vor allem Lyrik und auch Prosa. "Krähen im Feuerwind" ist sein erster Gedichtband. Oliver Baum lebt derzeit in Berlin und arbeitet an weiteren Lyrik- und Prosaprojekten.

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

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 3,0, University of Marburg (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Transatlantic Stereotyping - Views From / About Both Sides of the Ocean, 46 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Criticism of Bryson's novels is not advanced but his narratives can be investigated in terms of genre, intertextuality, language, and nationality. This paper expands on the topic of Bryson's view both of Great Britain and the United States of America by means of national stereotyping as it emerges from his novels Notes from a Small Island (1995) and Notes from a Big Country (1998). I maintain that Bryson depicts Britain and America in an authentic andeducative as well as hilarious and exaggerated manner to emphasize differences between the nations in question. I will prove my thesis that Bryson both criticises and praises British andAmerican values which affect the national character. Bryson conveys his national views both from the perspective of an insider and outsider. William 'Bill' McGuire Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. In 1973, he travelled to England where he became acquainted with his wife, Cynthia Billen, with whom he has four children. Bryson lived in Yorkshire, returned to America to graduate in 1995, and resided with his family in Norfolk, in 2003. While in America Bryson is well-known for elaborating on the English language, he accomplished bestseller standing with travelogues in Great Britain. Although he claims not to be a travel writer because he 'stumbled into this genre', Bryson composes 'books on travel and the English language' in which his 'wanderlust and eccentricity' promise a unique reading adventure (Oder 191). Travel writing is a neglected but miscellaneous genre of ancient times which flourished in the sixteenth century and encompasses narratives of expansionism, such as encyclopaedic accounts of foreign nations, and became the principal negotiator of propagating stereotypes in colonial novels. While Bryson's journey novel Notes from a Small Island depicts the Great Britain he adores, he grudgingly wrote columns about America which resulted in his journalistic novel Notes from a Big Country.

Oliver Baum, 1979 in Hamburg geboren, studierte Anglistik Literaturwissenschaft, Amerikanistik und Europäische Ethnologie und absolvierte eine Ausbildung zum staatlich geprüften Fremdsprachenkorrespondenten/ Europasekretär. Er arbeitete in einem Verlag, in Redaktionen, in einer Musikagentur sowie als ehrenamtlicher Übersetzer und jobbte mehrere Jahre in einem Supermarkt an der Kasse. Neben wissenschaftlichen Essays und diversen Texten schreibt er vor allem Lyrik und auch Prosa. "Krähen im Feuerwind" ist sein erster Gedichtband. Oliver Baum lebt derzeit in Berlin und arbeitet an weiteren Lyrik- und Prosaprojekten.

More books from GRIN Verlag

Cover of the book Die Volksrepublik China und die USA - Eine Untersuchung des amerikanisch-chinesischen Verhältnisses by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book An Analysis of José Martí's 'Nuestra América' by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Schulverwaltungsassistenzen - Baustein oder Voraussetzung für Qualitätsentwicklung an Schulen? by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Atemtechniken der Yogis by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Eigenschaften unflüssiger Sprache by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Industrie 4.0 und Controlling. Inwieweit werden Controlling und Controller durch die I-4.0 verändert? by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Konten eröffnen, Geschäftsfälle kontieren und buchen sowie Konten abschließen (Unterweisung Steuerfachangestellte / -r) by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Das Selbst und die Sünde - Sören Kierkegaards 'Krankheit zum Tode' by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book The presentation of the Iranian woman. A critical reflection of Azar Nafisi's novel 'Reading Lolita in Tehran' (2004) and Azadeh Moaveni's 'Lipstick Jihad' (2005) by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Staat und Souveränität: Die Entstehung des institutionellen Flächenstaates und seine Charakteristika by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Ein Weg aus dem gefangenen Ich? by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book 'Und Maria bewahrte alle Worte in ihrem Herzen' by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Kosten- und Nutzenanalyse von betrieblichem Gesundheitsmanagement by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book Feindbilder und Poster-Propaganda by Oliver Baum, M.A.
Cover of the book 'Es ist besser, wenn man mehr hat'!? by Oliver Baum, M.A.
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