A Humanistic Exploration Of Urban Violence In Margaret Drabble’s The Radiant Way And A Natural Curiosity

Margaret Drabble (1939-) is regarded as one of the most important postwarBritish women writers. Her trilogy The Radiant Way, A Natural Curiosity, The Gatesof Ivory, published since1989, have been frequented by literary critics with multipleviews since their inception. One core characteristic of the trilogy is its Gothicelements featured by urban violence. Admittedly, the Drabble scholarship hasexpanded with growing momentum both home and abroad. However, they have nottouched upon the issue of urban violence in either The Radiant Way or A NaturalCuriosity with systematic research. By vehicle of Erich Fromm’s humanisticphilosophy crystallized in his Escape from Freedom and The Art of Loving, a tentativeanalysis of these two novels’ urban Gothic elements is carried out in this thesis, thuspresenting a new dimension to the interpretation of the depth of human nature andmorality veiled in The Radiant Way and A Natural Curiosity.Erich Fromm’s humanistic philosophy of alienation, freedom and love penetratesinto the profundity of human character and thoroughly elucidates various thwartingimpacts of negative freedom wrought by authoritarianism, destructiveness andautomaton conformity. On the contrary, positive freedom equates with thespontaneous activity of the integrated personality in relation to the world through loveand productive work. In truth, sadistic or masochistic strivings result in thedisintegration of the subject, while mature love brings forth redemption and reunionof the self.The introduction gives a succinct review of the critical history related toDrabble’s two works, puts forward the possibility for further study, and elucidatesErich Fromm’s philosophy and argumentative structure of the whole thesis. Theconclusion makes a brief summary of the arguments.The main body of the thesis is composed of two chapters. Chapter1‘TheInstigation and Diffusion of Urban Violence in The Radiant Way’ discusses how thefamilial infusion of deviancy and the social dissemination of abnormality havecontributed to the urban violence as a means of escaping from alienation for the sake of freedom. On the microscopic level, it is the maternal sadism that caused the serialkiller Paul’s criminal deeds. On the macroscopic level, it turns out that the societyshould also be held accountable. Individualism and privatization preached by theThatcher Government in the1980s aggravates social alienation. Coupled with theinstigating and propagating role of mass media typified by television, social malaisekeeps cropping up in the form of urban violence.Chapter2‘The Confrontation and Salvation of Urban Violence in A NaturalCuriosity’ explores the three female protagonists’ endeavor of rediscoveringthemselves and salvage violence through mature love and productive work. AlthoughLiz and Alix have confronted the Gothic image of Medusa, they are not petrified andthey have reaffirmed their selfhood, thus, subverting the traditional myth. Through herunconditional love and generous help for the serial killer Paul, Alix has managed tosalvage violence. In addition, the sisterhood among the three female protagonistspaves the way for reintegration of self and realization of positive freedom.In summary, this thesis conducts a research into the urban Gothic elementsfeatured by violence in Drabble’s two novels on strength of Fromm’s humanisticphilosophy. The conclusion can be drawn that urban violence on a micro level couldbe attributed to the innate human nature of sadism and masochism; while on a macrolevel, it is catalyzed and cemented by external social and political forces that breedsand disseminates alienation. Margaret Drabble has wielded her pen in the direction ofhumanism, implying that the moral way to salvage urban violence and attain positivefreedom is through mature love.