Project Director

Sligh, Charles

Department Examiner

O'Dea, Gregory; McCarthy, Andrew; Levine, David

Department

Dept. of English

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Cities in reality that are transformed into cities in literature create the opportunity for two thematic elements: firstly, the Gothic feeling of the uncanny is created because the two cities are similar and yet dissimilar to one another. Secondly, satirical elements are introduced when the author uses the city within literature to expound upon issues within the city in reality. Neil Gaiman and China Miéville employ different perspectives to recreate the historical city of London within their novels, but their results are the same, and both the uncanny and satire are achieved. In Gaiman’s Neverwhere (1996), and Miéville’s Perdido Street Station (2003) and The City & the City (2009), both authors explore thematic elements of historical London, and allow their characters to traverse that same Gothically uncanny ground. This thesis examines which aspects of historical London are borrowed for recreations of London in Gaiman and Miéville’s works, and discerns a common pattern of disorientation, transformation, reorientation, and acceptance for characters within these literary Londons.

Degree

B. A.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

Date

5-2015

Name

Gaiman, Neil -- Criticism and interpretation; Miéville, China -- Criticism and interpretation

Keyword

London; uncanny; Gothic; Gaiman; Miéville;

Discipline

English Language and Literature

Document Type

Theses

Extent

79 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

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