Aesthetic representations of history : the question of the national allegory
- UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Jay Ernest Whitaker (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )
- Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/
- Advisor
- Cara Cilano
Abstract: This project investigates the labeling of third-world literature as national allegory.
It begins with a discussion of the concepts and ideas behind the loaded terms that fuel this
debate. A justification of my own use of the terms “third-world,” “allegory,” and
“nationhood” are necessary. My own definitions of the above vocabulary are largely
based on the insights of Frederic Jameson and Raymond Williams.
Chapter Two examines a so-called third-world piece of literature, Noor, through
an allegorical lens with the aim of concluding whether or not it is a reasonable piece to
represent the story of Pakistan and Bangladesh’s nationhood. By the end of the chapter, I
find that though the piece is allegorical in nature, it cannot be as tightly defined as a
national allegory.
Chapter Three is a third-world reading of a supposed first-world text, Dracula.
What I attempted to do was establish that other works beside third-world literature can be
read as national allegories. In this investigation, I find that though this piece is also
allegorical in nature, like Noor it cannot be labeled as a national allegory.
The paper concludes with an explanation of my methods. I continue with a
further deconstruction of some of Jameson’s ideas, mainly his thoughts on the purpose of
culture in a modern world and the role of nationhood during globalization. My final
thought is that a national allegory is an aesthetic representation of a culture’s reaction to
its historical moment.
Aesthetic representations of history : the question of the national allegory
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Created on 1/1/2009
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- A Thesis Submitted to the University North Carolina Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- Allegory, Jameson Frederick--Criticism and interpretation, Williams Raymond--Criticism and interpretation
- Subjects
- Jameson, Frederick -- Criticism and interpretation
- Williams, Raymond -- Criticism and interpretation
- Allegory