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The Intersection of Class and Space in British Postwar Writing: Kitchen Sink Aesthetics
Bloomsbury, 2023
Kitchen Sink Aesthetics rethinks the British kitchen sink realism movement, examining how artists and writers connected the built environment to class articulation. By studying novels, plays, and films of the long 1960s, the book uses archival research to offer new insights into how spatial representation in cultural production perpetuates or challenges social hierarchies. It reimagines the role of setting in cultural production to clarify the interaction between social stratification and artistic expression.
Routledge, 2022
Locating Classed Subjectivities investigates the portrayal of social class in British fiction through spatial theory and analysis. This volume explores class-conscious texts from the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. By examining how British writers used spatial aesthetics, the book reveals the nuanced dynamics of social class. It offers new perspectives on how authors employed spatial representations to comment on the complexities of class in British society.
CHAPTERS & ARTICLES
in Societies in Space: Essays on the Civilized Frontier in Film and Television
McFarland, 2025
Central to this interrogation is the notion of borders—specifically the way such borders function to establish and maintain categorical divisions between human/inhuman. Informed by such concerns, this chapter examines systems of dehumanization in Peter Watkins’ 1971 pseudo-documentary, Punishment Park, and the blurring of the alien/monster motif in Gareth Edwards’ 2010 independent film, Monsters. Both films exist within the speculative realm which, when paired with certain tropes associated with realism, elevate their function to that of distinct critical commentary.
in The Routledge Companion to Working-Class Literature
Routledge, 2024
Class depiction in literature is dynamic, with working-class fiction resisting clear categorization. Realism is often seen as the dominant mode of working-class representation. The analysis of such texts with class-centric themes in mind reveals shifts in the realist mode itself. This essay argues that recent decades have shown an increase in “difficult” content, often leaning toward shock and abjection as part of the mode’s central aesthetic. The essay makes this case using Douglas Stuart’s 2020 novel Shuggie Bain as a contemporary case study, exploring the novel's broad appeal despite its challenging subject matter. Ultimately, the essay posits that realism is chosen for its resonance with the difficulties of working-class life, suggesting aesthetic flexibility.
in Adult Themes: British Cinema and the “X” Certificate in the Long 1960s
Bloomsbury, 2022
“Mediating Desire” examines Karel Reisz’s 1960 film adaptation of Alan Sillitoe’s 1958 novel, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, tracing the negotiations between the demands of the postwar British censor and the provocative nature of the author’s work. This essay explores Reisz’s path as he refines his artistic skills, transitioning from the niche Free Cinema movement to mainstream filmmaking. By focusing on the conflicts and compromises he addressed, the essay provides a compelling narrative of artistic development and the challenges of navigating censorship and the kind of aggressive expression seen in the postwar period.
in Locating Classed Subjectivities: Space and Social Class in 19th, 20th, and 21st-Century British Writing
Routledge, 2022
“Addressing Stigma” locates Pat Barker’s aesthetically challenging 1982 novel Union Street within the context of spatialized class consciousness. Drawing on Loïc Wacquant’s concept of “territorial stigmatization,” the essay explores how social stratification and urban redlining contribute to the construction, perpetuation, and isolation of marginalized bodies. Analysis of the novel sheds light on how spatial dynamics reinforce societal hierarchies and segregate individuals deemed socially undesirable, offering a compelling exploration of the complex interplay between social stigma, urban geography, and class consciousness.
in The Routledge Companion to Literature and Class
Routledge, 2021
This essay addresses the issue of community-driven insularity, focusing on how identities are shaped by shared experiences of hardship. Using Richard Milward’s 2007 novel Apples as a guide, the essay considers how notions of sustenance and resilience contribute to identity formation while simultaneously restricting access to vital resources. The essay provides insights into how survival and endurance within a community can create barriers, affecting individuals’ ability to obtain necessary support and opportunities. It prompts a critical reflection on the interplay between communal identity, resource allocation, and social dynamics.
in The Routledge International Handbook of Working-Class Studies
Routledge, 2020
Locating Classed Subjectivities investigates the portrayal of social class in British fiction through spatial theory and analysis. This volume explores class-conscious texts from the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. By examining how British writers used spatial aesthetics, the book reveals the nuanced dynamics of social class. It offers new perspectives on how authors employed spatial representations to comment on the complexities of class in British society.
in Working-Class Writing: Theory and Practice
Palgrave, 2018
“Look at the State of this Place” examines the convergence of domestic sanctuary and industrial labor sites within the kitchen sink realism genre. The essay explores how postwar class-conscious writing used the metaphorical kitchen sink as a symbol to articulate new modes of identity formation amidst urban constraints. By examining the interplay between domestic spaces and industrial landscapes, the essay shows how writers grappled with the limitations imposed by their surroundings and expressed the complexities of class and identity through these constraints.
in Working-Class Literature(s): Historical and International Perspectives
Stockholm University Press, 2017
This essay challenges the viability of a distinct “working-class” literary genre, arguing that class dynamics are far too fluid and elusive for the kind of aesthetic rigidity required by genre formation. It explores a diverse array of British texts to demonstrate that if any discernible conventions exist, they exist in tension and resonate through their resistance to classification. The essay emphasizes the complexity and ever-evolving nature of class dynamics, inviting readers to reconsider the limitations of genre-based classifications in understanding diverse literary expressions.
in The Journal of Working-Class Studies
Vol. 3 No. 1, 2018
This essay explores British architecture, focusing on the housing developments created after World War II to address the housing crisis. By analyzing Colin MacInnes’ trilogy of novels portraying postwar London, the essay highlights the sense of movement experienced by characters navigating the city’s evolving landscape. It tracks characters’ journeys from the city’s heart to its underbelly and ultimately to alienating high-rise structures, reflecting the emergence of gentrification as a term and its use in urban planning. Ultimately, the essay sheds light on the interconnected themes of urban transformation, displacement, and the impact of architectural structures on individual experiences.
PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP & ESSAYS
The Los Angeles Review of Books; August 28, 2024
The Los Angeles Review of Books; August 28, 2024
The Los Angeles Review of Books; April 3, 2019
The Los Angeles Review of Books; September 4, 2018
The Los Angeles Review of Books; December 11, 2014
The Los Angeles Review of Books; March 6, 2014