An Analysis Of The Urban Space Of London In Zadie Smith's NW

Born and bred as a native Londoner,the young but prominent British woman writer Zadie Smith,with her keen observation about urban life,incorporates the writing of city into her works.In NW,a novel which was published in 2012 and caught wide attention,she especially presents the Metropolitan landscapes of London in the 21 st century.This novel reflects her strong spatial awareness.By regarding the urban space of London as a lens to reflect the potential social crisis of British society and record the existential plights of Londoners,Smith provides us with new ways to understand the city of London under the post-modern scenarios.This thesis first focuses on the chaos of urban space because of the congregation of different ethnic groups in British post-imperial era.By pointing out the heterogeneity in cultural space,violence in public space and split in home space,Smith denies the policy of multiculturalism that British government advocates as the remedy to cure the unrest,but believes the conflicts and collisions between different ethnic groups are the social realities that are in need of continued negotiation by London as social space instead.Then,this thesis casts light on the social inequality of class division and economic disparities projected into the urban space as a result of the power dynamics behind.Urban space as a product of social construction,profoundly impacts both individuals and groups in the city.Owing to the unfair allocation of resources in urban space,some areas in the city are forgotten and ignored.Such spatial injustice hinders people's self-perceptions.Worse still,it brings incurable pain to the city's marginal figures who are stricken into poverty.By portraying a city of great social inequality,the author intends to convey her appeal for spatial justice and show her humanistic concern.The last chapter gives concern to the real situation of urban space under the influence of industrial civilization and technological civilization ever since London entered the post-modern society.The narrowing down of living space,the enlarging of commercial space and the arriving of virtual space largely change the appearance of urban space and unquestionably show that the city is developing at a high speed.Nonetheless,people'sfeelings and emotions are ignored indifferently.From those things that she shows us,the author's deep concern about the city's excessive development is naturally clear to us.All in all,this thesis holds that Smith's showing of the troubled urban space of London is not aimed at giving direct and complete answers to it.Instead,she hopes to draw people's attention to spatial issues,and therefore they can shoulder the responsibility for the city's future.