Absolute Beginners in inglese, Appunti di Cultura Inglese I

Scarica Absolute Beginners in inglese e più Appunti in PDF di Cultura Inglese I solo su Docsity! CHARACTERS of Absolute Beginners The main character: (he’s also the narrator) is a teenager. He is a freelance photographer who’s learning to make a living from his art and lives in a rundown neighborhood. He loves jazz, doesn't drink alcohol, unless there is some love disappointment involved, and he doesn't identify with either political party. He lives alone but listens to his family's pleas for help. He is a second-born who is reluctant to the rules but very sensitive to the changes taking place. His father: is the historical conscience of the neighborhood in which they live, and he is writing a book about that neighborhood. It will be the ultimate legacy to his son; the most symbolic one together with the proud and sad lesson of his defeat, and that of his generation. Suzette: also called Crêpe Suzette because of her beauty. She’s 17, dances like an angel and dreams of a distinguished marriage, in fact she is betrothed to his boss and stylist, Hanley. Even the circumstances the photographer is inevitably in love with her, but, their relationship is suspended and unexpressed. Suzette is the allegory of the cultural revolution dreamed of by the photographer: it’s impossible to possess her, because she is a symbol. Big Jill: is a big dyke-magnet who lives in the same doss-house as the main lead. Wizard: also called Wiz hates everyone except teenagers. He's a very flashy hustler, he works as a pimp, and after a falling out, joins with the racist thugs during the riots. Ed the ted: is a childhood friend of the main character, who becomes his enemy. He becomes a teddy boy and leaves his old gang and becomes part of a mob of racists hooligans. Mr. Cool: is a young black man who grew up in the multiracial space of Notting Dale. He loves Jazz and in particular he listens to the Modern Jazz Quartet. Vernon: is the brother of the photographer. He belongs to a previous generation in which one becomes an adult much earlier, for this reason the two have different styles and mentalities. The NOVEL The second part of Colin MacInnes' London trilogy, published after "City of Spades" and before "Mr. Love and Justice" between 1958 and 1960, is "Absolute Beginners" a pop coming-of-age novel, and an exciting and intelligent generational cross-section. It is the summer of a boy and a youth movement that dreamed of being able to change the cultural balance of England, overcoming racial divisions, prejudice and nationalism. The protagonist is the generation of English teenagers of the 1950s: the first aware of the freedom and potential of being a teenager, born like a flower in the ruins of war: they are antagonistic and euphoric. The first with a little money in its hands, and many fewer responsibilities. It is an internationalist and pacifist generation. It is a generation that trusts in all the youth of the world, and dreams of a revolt of all young people to revolutionize the system. TIMELINE and SETTING The novel is set in the young England of the post-war economic boom in late ‘50s. The population is dealing with the shock of ethnic conflicts and rock music. It is important to highlight that this work represents the only literary testimony of the Notting Hill racial riots. Pimlico: is the neighborhood where the photographer was born and where he occasionally returns to visit his family. It is a neighborhood that is somewhat full of criminals: the main character’s mother herself represents this world, being, even if it is not explicitly stated, a prostitute. Notting Dale: renamed from the main lead Napoli, it’s the neighborhood where he lives. The rent is cheap, and he feels free because no one asks him where he comes from, what he does or if he is educated or not. However, there are still "not so good" that live there: the trick to avoid problems is to pretend to know the environment and not be surprised by what happens. The River Thames gives comfort, strength, and joy to the photographer by connecting him with the city he loves. The river is closely related to the image of music as a fluid language. London is the center of the musical and social revolution. In a society where racial and gender discrimination are daily, Soho and Napoli represent the freedom that teenagers dream about. Furthermore, London is a special place for the author who perceives a sense of dislocation thus becoming an outsider like the main lead himself. London is also the center of jazz music. The JAZZ The Jazz: represents a democratic language in which there are no hierarchies or discrimination. It is a dialogic practice in which musicians with different backgrounds discuss about a theme in total freedom and rewrite it from different yet simultaneous points of view. The Jazz (according to the main lead): it's a world where everyone can be whatever they want without being judged on their background. The important thing is that you behave yourself and leave all the crap behind before you walk in the jazz club. EXTRA the last image of the novel portrays the main lead at the airport welcoming about twenty men and boys from Africa. MacInnes describes newcomers with their hand luggage as a metaphor for migration and shelter from the rain as racial storm but also possibility of purification and rewriting. The main lead (after putting away his camera) no longer lives the events as an outsider and with a new political awareness, he gives voice to the future, inviting newcomers to Napoli in the hope that the neighborhood will be no longer marked by violence. His laughter is perhaps the sign of coming to terms with pain and having faith in the future. Bowie is a constant in the dimension of Absolute Beginners that involves music, writing and cinema. He wrote a piece for the film version with the same title, which is dedicated to Soho and his beloved jazz. Bowie himself plays a role in the film as a producer.