Welsh Writers after Post-Millennium - Book Report/Review Example

Welsh Change of Focus Post-Millennium There has been great shift of focus between traditional literature and post-millennium in the Welsh literary community. Looking at the contemporary works and the writing programs as well as the influence of technology in the modern times, there has been a great shift in writing forms where writers are increasingly modifying their elements and themes to focus more on the international dimensions as opposed to concentrating on expression of national themes, values, traditions and culture. The impact on the writers can be traced to the desire of oneness where writers express their intertexts informs that enhance their construction of the relations and perceptions of contemporary anxieties, the construct of the nation and the foreigner, the present and the past, the self and the other as well as masculine and feminism. The desire of sameness cannot be casually assumed as irrelevant as new education opportunities, globalization and opening of borders to international exposure has shaped modern writers’ perception and it tends to shape the idea of penetrating new literary boundaries and expanding their fiction to incorporate other elements and cultures. The education of authors in the post-millennium times has also impacted heavily on the shift of focus from primarily nation or national traditions to global and contemporary themes. The post-millennium and budding authors are those that have been taught in a classroom setting where there are many contemporary themes being explored by different authors throughout the world. This impacts their thought system. Furthermore, most of the post-millennium authors are those that have taken an academic course in writing novels or creative writing. Some have pursued degree programs related to professional writing where there are conventions that need to be adhered to when writing. There has been a rise in the number of programs related to creative writing in the UK which has influenced most postmodern works. The shift in focus from themes of national tradition to global issues in post- millennial times can be attributed to the shift from writing in form of self-reflection, which was used by most of the traditional writers in Welsh to express their ideas in a one-dimensional notion, to the concept of using multiple characters to express a wide range of themes, in different viewpoints to form a narrative that is all-encompassing supposed to the traditional novels that were only descriptive. In in his book, Shifts, Christopher Meredith breaks away from the descriptive novels built on self-reflection to present a novel where four characters interact to present the themes and elements that show the problems they are going through in a patchwork of differing voices. Meredith abruptly and swiftly shifts from one character to the other in oftentimes a way that seems to interrupt the progression of the conversations, especially in serous matters. This act keeps suspending the high moments of the novels which makes the plot of the novel very compelling. This practice seems very effective in this novel since it would rather be very boring to have a descriptive novel of a monotonous patterns of live of people working in a steel plant. The novel depict the changes in life that are typical of among economies with declining resources and how people suffer from changes that they have no control over. However, the novel seeks to challenge people going through the same problems to take control of their lives and change their destinies. The protagonists and the antagonists are oftentimes presents in jarring segues especially the interactions between Rob ‘O’ and the chatters. The protagonist of the novel is Jack Priday who exemplifies the typical ‘shift’ in the vowel. The novel opens when Jack has recently returned to Wales following his stay in Lancashire and Norfolk. The novel explores ways in which he is trying to rebuild his life and the struggles he comes by. Initially, he shares a house with a widow for some time before he moves in with a couple friend, Keith and Judith. On the other hand, Rob is an epitome of emptiness in the novel. His role is to symbolize the emptiness that the characters are going through despite their efforts to move on and make their lives better. He is bullied at work and he seems very mysterious. The way Rob opens and closes the novel shows how he revolves around the characters to remind them of their despair, the circularity of time, the notion of nothingness, and ultimately, life and death. It is therefore imperative to notes that the interaction of characters in his novel is explicitly used to ensure that a topic considered to be boring is not presented in a rather boring and descriptive manner, but instead, readers can draw their own conclusions from the interaction of characters in their environment and setting, thereby making the novel more interactive than the traditional forms of writing (Meredith, 1988). The shift in focus is also seen by the application of multiple viewpoints in the novel with an aim of creating an encompassing and broader experience in the readers. The post-millennial writers are motivated by not only their domestic environment, but also by the international environment and the events taking place. Using different plots and different viewpoints allows the writers to present multiple viewpoints from different affected groups in the broader society as it allows all the readers throughout the globe to feel connected by the novel. This experience not only emphasized on the importance of diversity and respect for other’s values, beliefs and norms, but it also allows the writer to intrigue, involve and challenges the reader since reality is constructed from multiple realities. This concept can be explored by examining Tristan Hughes’s The Tower. The Tower has different stories which present different perspectives on issues that cut across different nations, cultures and viewpoints. Through the application of the concept of ‘place’, Hughes posits that there is a contemporary version through which meaning can be applied to different situations in the space where he calls, the tower. The seven different stories are aesthetically interwoven, and even though they represent different aspects, when combined, they provide a vivid manifestation of how different places influence and are influenced by each other due to diversity (Hughes, 2003).This whole concept of the place and how places influence each other as a rest of diversity is a new phenomenon in Welsh writing as a result of influence from other writers from across the globe as well as the effects of globalization and education. The Tower presents wider issues other than just promotion of nationalism. This is demonstrated through the philosophies of ‘here’, ‘somewhere’ and ‘nowhere’. These notions are used to show how different people are in the place while at the same time similar to people from other places as some characters seem to be sure of where they are going, others are there but have no idea how they came and others have no idea that the word has already moved forward and they have been left behind. According to post-colonial theories, there was many people in the world who were affected by the changes (Aaron, 2000). Some were accompanied with loss of self-identity as post-devolutionary landscape took the center of major political, economic and social spheres. In Welsh, the influence of post-colonialism can be explored by focusing on the effects of imperialism (Ashcroft, 2001). As such, if it imperative to argue that the effects of imperialism were not only in the political, economic and military domination, but it was also eminent in the cultural subordination as most people lost their identities while others gain new identities. For instance, Nain recollects about how the windmill used to be functional in the past and how the sails from the windmill were ceased the last miller who operated it. Currently, the windmill is being renovated for Derrick, whose story is that of a person affected by post-colonialism and the loss of identity. His life journey if typical of a man who has experienced unexpected profundity. He has no sense of belonging but he seeks to find a vision and create a place where he belongs. Comparison can be made between Derrick and his builders who represent different life struggles in an attempt to make meaning to life. His friends spend quality time drinking and gathering mushrooms while wishing that there was a better place where they could get a better sense of belonging than in Ynys Môn. Whereas the characters of many traditional Welsh stories such as those of Caradoc Evan are typically greedy, superstitious and distrustful, Hughes changes all that in The Tower. He uses a non-sarcastic tone to shape the idea of a present time village that has a great influence of modernity such as in-migration, emigration of youths and increased mobility. The major motivation of the increased mobility if the quest for identity. Unlike the traditional Welsh short stories, Hughes’ work presents characters with no immutable and fixed roles, instead, they are faced by situations that require them to question their status quo and shape their own positions in the society. Hughes introduces the seven short stories by relating them and introducing the immigrant villagers, the perspective on life of the youth, the nostalgic perspective of the old generation as well as the life perspective of the islanders who were striving in search for an escape to better life. The characters therefore experience the changes in values and time. Shifts by Christopher Meredith also exemplifies themes that are universal in nature presented in a rather microcosmic nature. Just like its title suggest, the characters are always in a shift trying to achieve their own identities. This is the same concept witnessed in Hughes’ The Tower since both stories seem to be industrial stories exploring the nature of lives of people during the boom and bust of the economy during the 20th century. Meredith explores the sad reality of the economy at this time, as people struggled to restore balance into their lives with the face of Wales’ economy having been changed forever. Shifts is an art of persistent realism where the authors uses details carefully to paint a picture of the things that happen every day in the lives of people in and out of Wales by introducing threats of symbolism that allows different people to apply it to fit their own situations. For instance, Judith and Keith are married but they are very unhappy in that marriage. This is a mirror of the situation at the steel industry as their town is fast declining in the valleys. He presents the theme dynamic economic face and an emasculation of tasks and responsibilities and issues became more complex. The concept of division of labor would change from women taking care of the household and the children to becoming breadwinners. This was prompted by the hard economic times and the revolution of the steel industry to incorporate jobs that were regarded as ‘clean’ in the marshmallow factory. The unsettled nature of the relationship between Judith and Keith allows for Jack, who has just returned to Wales to penetrate and complicate their lives. The situation is very dynamic as stable relationships are broken and parties are busy trying to find a fit. While Jack was returning from England, he left his girlfriend, who was English and embarked on an affair with the wife of his friend Keith, who is playing host to him. It is surprising the notice to reaction of Keith after finding out about the affair since it is not near that of a man who is scorned. This shows that traditions in Wales are changing. Unlike in the traditional societies where the roles of the women were defined by the society and they members of the society were required to observe and respect them, the global changes and dynamic gender roles are presented in this novel were they question the status quo by deciding to define their own realities. Judith is playing the masculine role in becoming a bread winner as well as having an affair, a practice never before considered to be very shameful for women. However, this is the common reality of working class women all over the globe. During the post-millennial period, there was great revolution in the skills and talents of female fiction writers. Welsh women demonstrated their skills in showcasing determination, energy and diversity in both subject and skills. There was a notion that the creativity and intellectual wilderness that was eminent in welsh women was going to fade after 1979 but this failed to materialize after the female writers demonstrated to be assertive and self-assured communicators capable of examining a range of issues around them locally and internationally. Post-millennial works by Welsh women continue to express the sensitivity of issues related to identity, place and gender, which are major issues that face women today across the globe. Trezza Azzopardi’s The Hiding Place is a story about gender problems and the issues of identity. Women face problems of exploitation, violence and victimisation. The male characters in this book are all immigrants from European underworlds who are overwhelmingly disturbed by their unstable lives. However, women who are victimised and abused by the man have their origin in Wales (Trezza, 2000). All the violence against women take place in Tiger Bay in Cardiff, where the narrator, who is the youngest daughter of a woman who has died, has just returned to bury her mother. She narrates of the pain and suffering that her sisters have been going through in Cardiff. It is through the narrator’s flashbacks that we get the glimpse of the pain, suffering and victimisation the women in Wales. Furthermore, the father makes no attempt to make keep her daughters safe. While her daughters suffer abuse, he is gambling everything away including his daughters, wife, friend and house. The generation produced from this type of parenting and societal problems emerges disconnected, and both mentally and physically scared by neglect and abuse. The theme of parenting is expressed as the responsibility of both the mother and the father. While the men were traditionally supposed to be economically responsible for the household in terms of financial support to his wife and his children, women in the 20th century experienced great changes in terms of parenting as they were supposed to take care of their children, rather, they would face major challenges. This can be illustrated by the problems the female siblings are going through in this story because their mother is incapable of taking care of them as she is mad and eventually dead. Trezza Azzopardi’s The Hiding Place and Stevie Davies’s The Element of Water are great works that exemplify the Moretti’s (1998) notion that ‘geography is not a container but a condition, (165). The violence on women noted in these two books are a resultant attribute of endless formation of social structures that fail to acknowledge the injustice, inequalities and shame that women are put through. The largest part of The Element of Water is set on areas that belong to Nazi Northern command along the shores of Lake Plon. The novel is set at the time when there was war and the British military academy is fully operational. The event in the novel then move to the point where the academy is about to be closed, thirteen years later. The practice of victimization and oppression continues later even after the end of war as the students from the academy oppressed those who they perceive to be weak and vulnerable in the society (Davies, 2001). Most of those who were bullied and harried were women who could not stand up for themselves against such powerful men. Some women were violated and tortured to their death. For instance, there was an English girl who was considered unattractive by her peers and was labelled Jewish. The boys from the school bullied her and victimised her until her death. This problem can be explored as not just being the problem with the military and the wars, but also about the parenting and the values that the school children were instilled growing up (Moretti, 1998). This is because some of these extreme behaviours could only be a repeat of what the boys saw happening in their homes. They saw their fathers expressing their excessive authorities and power over the women ad that is how they grew up to thinking that it was fine to oppress a woman to the point of her death. While all the texts analysed in this paper express Wales as a great place for the immigrant and returnees to go home to, The Element of Water’s views are completely the opposite women are suffering and the place is no longer beautiful as a result of war. The Element of Water reveals that the concept of oppression of the female gender is rooted not only on the nation, but it is also a foreign construction. Davies revaluing Wales to is effectively done in order to reject the valorisation of homogeneity and purity of such practices which are reinforced by both the nation and external influences. By examining the state of the nation and writing about the evils that were perpetrated on women while at the margin, Davies expresses the value of female Welsh fiction writers who were brave enough to not only entertain in the same traditional styles, but to open the global eyes to the evils that should be shunned as they are detrimental to women and to the future generations that depend on the values of the families to grow into people of substance. The message in engraved on aesthetics interrelated with the text to make it rich in style, subjects and skill portraying Wales’ ideas of language, gender, nation, self and global (Hadfield, 1994). References Aaron, J., (2000), ‘Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Welsh Gothic Fiction’, Literature Compass, 7:4 pp. 281-9. Aaron, J., (2007), Nineteenth-Century Women’s Writing in Wales: Nation, Gender and Identity, Cardiff: University of Wales Press. Clark, M. M., (1995), “Contemporary Short Fiction and the Postmodern Condition.” Studies in Short Fiction32:147-59. Hadfield, A., (1994), Literature, Politics and National Identity: Reformation to Renaissance, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hadfield, A., (1994), Literature, Politics and National Identity: Reformation to Renaissance, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hughes, T., (2003), The Tower, Parthian Books. Meredith, C., (1988), Shifts, Seren Books. Moretti, (1998), Atlas of the European Novel, 1800-1900, London: Verso. Davies, S., (2001), The Element of Water, London: The Women’s Press. Trezza, A.,, (2000), The Hiding Place, Basingstoke and Oxford: Picador. Read More