Fiction Unbound: Bernardine Evaristo
Sebnem Toplu
Jul 2011 · Cambridge Scholars Publishing
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About this ebook
This book covers all Bernardine Evaristo’s major works: Lara (1997) and Lara (2009), The Emperor’s Babe, Soul Tourists, Blonde Roots and Hello Mum. Each chapter focuses on a particular novel, combining a close analysis of the author’s technique with a penetrating understanding of the basic themes which underlie all of Evaristo’s work. This monograph exposes that Evaristo is not simply interested in “multicultural” issues; to label them as such is to overlook her achievement as a novelist. It shows instead how Evaristo combines apparently disparate elements—for example, historical research with late-twentieth century allusions in a narrative such as The Emperor’s Babe—to show how African-Caribbeans have been coming to Britain for thousands of years. Yet Evaristo is not just interested in the African-Caribbean experience; this book shows how she tries to question those basic concepts—for example “Englishness” or “patriotism”—which lie at the heart of mainstream white culture in contemporary Britain. It argues that Evaristo is interested in alternative constructions—not only of nationalism, but of other basic issues such as race, gender and class. Her books give the chance for hitherto marginalized characters—slaves, women, or victims of a patriarchal world—to tell their stories and postulate alternative views of the world they live in.
Above all, this monograph shows how Evaristo refuses to be pigeon-holed; she is not simply “a black British writer,” but someone who focuses on the interconnectedness of society. This book calls for readers to adopt a more enlightened approach, not only to issues of culture and identity, but to the work of Evaristo as a whole.
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About the author
Sebnem Toplu is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and the Department Head of English Translation Studies at Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. Her other books include Cultural Materialism: Text and Context Relation in Jane Austen’s Works (2001) and Diverse Aspects of Italy and Italians in Contemporary British Literature (2001), both published by Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy, where she lectured as Visiting Professor for three years. She has published articles on eighteenth-century British literature, contemporary British fiction, postcolonialism, autobiography, multiculturalism, transnationalism and ecocriticism. She has been the editor of the journal Interactions since 2002.
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