Kirjahaku

Fans, Feminisms and 'Quality' Media considers how long-running and popular radio and TV programmes such as Inspector Morse and The Archers participate in contemporary debates about ethnicity and national identity, gender and feminisms, and tradition and modernity. Examining the connections between these programmes and heritage film, Lyn Thomas reveals how both programmes, in different ways, reflect tensions in postcolonial British culture and contribute to definitions of 'quality' in the media. Through in-depth research and interviews with listeners and viewers, she investigates the social construction of identities (particularly feminist identities) in talk about media texts, showing how popular radio and TV series become part of their audience's own personal narratives.

By anyone's account, Lennox "Len" Obi lives a successful life. The Nigerian migr is a respected NASA scientist. Magda, his wife of thirty years, is a professional and efficient woman, even if he sometimes considers her a tad staid. Then Len meets the sensual and passionate Tarissa "Trish" and falls for her immediately. The two begin a torrid affair across America and Europe-all behind Magda's back. Len's traditional African values prevent him from simply cutting Magda loose in favor of his new love. He feels obligated to ensure his family is properly situated before divorcing one woman in favor of another. And so fourteen years go by. Finally ready to commit to Trish, Len finds she has defected from his life. As he rushes to woo her back, Len begins to realize the love he's pursued for so long may be nothing more than a smoke screen thrown up by a manipulative woman who preys on the needs of certain types of men. A tale of love, betrayal, and loss, Rogue Lover plays out against the lives of African immigrants as they struggle to find their place within the melting pot that is America.

The award-winning novels of Annie Ernaux are controversial, innovative, and address the topical issues of gender and social class. Surprisingly, there has been no major study of her work, despite the fact that it is increasingly taught and has been widely translated. This book fills that gap by presenting Ernaux's work through a range of readings: those of the author herself, those of academics, of reviewers and of 'ordinary' readers. Ernaux's own curiosity about the relationship between writing and the reality she is describing leads her to adopt a self-reflective approach to the narration of her life experience. This stimulating introduction to her work reflects both on the relationship between writing and identity in general terms, and specifically on the process of writing literary criticism. In the final chapter the impersonal register of academic writing is extended by a more personal dialogue with Ernaux's texts. What emerges is a new critical method that explores the multiple relationships between readers and texts. The first work in English on Annie Ernaux, this book goes far beyond traditional analyses to address the fundamental question of critical writing and to present a new methodology for the study of literary texts. It is thus essential reading for those interested in French literature, critical theory, gender and cultural studies.