No More Heroes? The Representation of the English Working Class in the Booker Prize Shortlists

Abstract Since its inception in 1969, statistics show that the Booker Prize has had a substantial influence on which novels written in the English language are bought and read. Most studies of the Booker’s influence concentrate on its creation of ‘literariness,’ its links with prize culture and its influence on the development of the postcolonial canon. This thesis charts and examines the depiction of English working-class characters over the period 1969-2013. It questions whether, in recent years, the representation of the English working class has become merely reductive. It asks if this representation has become mimetic according to Girard’s scapegoat theory and maps a correlation with political attitudes. Quantitative data was obtained by an analysis of the class of the main characters. This was examined over the decades and patterns observed. In addition, character occupations were documented. A close textual analysis, focussing on the use of phrases as symbolic identifiers, was also made. Results show a decline in the number of contemporary English working-class characters, but an increase in their representation in historical novels and an increase in working-class characters from other cultures, including ‘new arrivals’ to England. Furthermore, the trend towards the ‘othering’ of the English working class was identified in more recent novels by the use of stereotypes that have changed little since noted by George Orwell. These findings show a decline in the positive representation of the modern English working class and an increase in a reductive metanarrative. They contribute an original perspective on the influence of the Booker Prize and add to the contemporary debate on the position of the working class in a society in which, according to the Sutton Trust, young white working-class males account for the lowest school performance rate of all social groups.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Julie Lockwood (21037784)

• English Working Class
• The Booker Prize shortlists

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved
• Embargoed

Identifier

10779/exe.31049572.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/31049572