The Representation of Brussels in Contemporary Literature in English: Foreign Voices in Postcolonial and Postmodern texts

Abstract

Many literary critics have focused on the role of (contemporary) London and New York in contemporary Anglophone literature. Yet little is said about the role of (contemporary) Brussels in contemporary Anglophone literature. This study documents four exemplary texts that are (partly) set in Brussels. The analysis is framed around several leading literary studies discussing the status of the city in literature in general, and the status of London and New York in Anglophone literature, sociological studies on Brussels, and literary criticism on classical literary texts set in Brussels. The analysis validates Bakhtin's chronotope concept and demonstrates that every text combines different paradigms and techniques to create a certain image or conception of the city of Brussels.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	English
Supervisor	Elisabeth Bekers (Promotor)