The Study Of Community In Caryl Phillips’s A Distant Shore From The Perspective Of Hospitality

Caryl Phillips(1958-)is one of the representative writers of contemporary Black British literature.He is also named “one of the literary giants of our time” by The New York Times.His novels have won numerous awards,including the Commonwealth Writers prizes,The James Tait Black Memorial Prize and The Man Booker Prize nomination.Phillips’ s novel A Distant Shore,published in 2003,explores the possibility and obstacles of black African immigrants integrating into Britain,which has attracted the extensive attention of scholars at home and abroad.Based on the theory of hospitality,this thesis interprets communities in Caryl Phillips’ s novel A Distant Shore.Phillips describes the experience of an African refugee in the community of place,the pseudo community by blood and the community of spirit,and the performance of hospitality in different communities,so as to reveal the limitations of the community of place and the pseudo community by blood,and then propose that the construction of the cross-racial community of spirit is the ideal way for black immigrants to get a sense of belonging and identity in Britain.This thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter One is a brief introduction to Caryl Phillips and his novel A Distant Shore,the literature review on it at home and abroad,the theoretical framework and the thesis statement.Chapter two discusses the failure of the community of place caused by the exclusion of the Other’s face.The welcome to the Other’s faces is an essential manifestation of hospitality.Due to the limitations of the community of place,unconditional hospitality only exists among community members.Community members can only show conditional hospitality,even inhospitality and exclusion to strangers from outside.The inhospitality to the face hinders communication,and violence also arises.Chapter Three focuses on the collapse of the pseudo community by blood caused by the disappearance of the home.Home,as a hospitable place,provides chances for black refugees to integrate themselves into British society.However,there are no blood ties and shared memories among the “family members” in the pseudo community by blood.The spirit of hospitality among “family members” can hardly withstand the impact of external xenophobia.Chapter Four analyzes the significance of being the hostage of the Other for constructing the community of spirit.By being the hostage,the black refugee and the British can understand each other,sympathize with each other,and become true friends.Therefore,when faced with the destruction of external forces,the members of the community of spirit are more united and intimate.Chapter Five is the conclusion of this thesis,summarizing the main points in each chapter and pointing out the practical significance of this thesis to the survival and development of African black immigrants in Britain.In conclusion,this thesis aims to interpret the communities in A Distant Shore from the perspective of hospitality theory.Phillips is deeply concerned about the plight of black immigrants in Britain and provides a possible way for them to integrate into the white society in Britain.By describing the interaction among different characters,Phillips emphasizes the importance of the cross-racial community of spirit constructed by unconditional hospitality to eliminate racial prejudice,resist racial violence,and help black immigrants gain a sense of identity in Britain.Phillips expresses his deep concern for black immigrants and his call for a hospitable Britain in the novel.