Globalisation Literary Text and Language
Uploaded by joeydaprof on Jun 12, 2006
The 20th Century phenomenon of Globalization has greatly influenced literary texts and language. The notion of the ‘global village’ is in itself an oxymoron, a term coined to play on our innate needs as human – for community, for history, for identity. This word, village, is one that most whose life experience does not transcend the western world, only wish to be familiar with. Today, in a world where one can eat at McDonald’s in Qa’tar and receive news that another child is dead in Iraq as it happens, the warmth of this word, village, is something we long for.
However, for many, our ‘global village’ does not suffice. Globalisation is, instead, a terrifying concept. We have become faceless, unrecognised and unnecessary. The increasing popularity of novels such an ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ and ‘A Year in Provence’ that whimsically recount a retreat from the global are a reflection of our own increasing desire to escape. There is a quaint irony in the popularity of these globally marketed books, the same that underpins McDonald’s claim as a family restaurant and the artificial chalk on the blackboards at Gloria Jean’s.
Texts that focus on retreat from the global illustrate the reasons behind our desire to do so. Annie Proulx’s novel ‘The Shipping News’, an episode of the BBC series ‘Black Books’ and the short story ‘How about this?’ by Raymond Carver are three such texts. The issues clear in each text are reflected in my own visual, a comic strip titled “Urban Daze”.
The Shipping News is a novel by E. Annie Proulx. It tells the story of Quoyle who moves from suburban USA to Newfoundland, home of his ancestors, when his wife is killed. This move is primarily motivated by the first is the chance of a fresh start. Quoyle is able to find happiness in the local without money, celebrity or beauty – qualities highly valued by the global community. Another reason for his retreat is the intrinsic desire to return to Newfoundland, home to generations of Quoyles. The bad relationship he had with his late parents is another factor in his need to reconnect.
The Shipping News has a strong focus on environmental issues. In the chapter, Oil, Proulx’s contempt for the global is shown through the differing opinions of her characters. Quoyle writes an article for the local newspaper making known the environmental and cultural damage oil...