Precarity in Contemporary Literature and Culture

The contemporary moment is characterized by precarity – an expanding and intensifying vulnerability conditioned by political and economic structures. Using literary and cultural texts to develop a nuanced and critical exploration of the concept of precarity that emphasizes its contemporary manifestations while also attending to its historical roots and existential dimensions, this book examines the vulnerabilities which characterize our anxious existence, including unemployment, environmental crisis, temporary contracts and patterns of migration. Broken down into three key themes of feelings, bodies and time, Precarity in Contemporary Literature and Culture asks whether precarity can be considered a new phenomenon; explores the relationship between precarity and traditional class politics; analyses precarity's global dimensions; and reflects on the links between contemporary crisis and underlying existential human vulnerability. With reference to a wide range of forms such as contemporary, realist, science fiction and modernist novels, film, theatre, and the lyric poem, this book goes beyond one national context to consider texts from the US, UK, Germany and South Africa. Introduction -- Part one. Feeling. Chapter 1. Anxious reading: the precarity novel and the affective class / Liam Connell, University of Brighton, UK ; Chapter 2. Anxiety in the precariat: the affects of class in James Kelman's fiction / Mathies G. Aarhus, University of Southern Denmark ; Chapter 3. Performing precarity: threatening the audience in Gary Owen's Iphigenia in Splott / Peter Simonsen, University of Southern Denmark -- Part two. Bodies. Chapter 4. Imagined sovereignty: mapping and resisting precarity in Indira Allegra's Woven Account / Marianne Kongerslev, Aalborg University, Denmark ; Chapter 5. Precarious bodies on the move, precarious bodies under attack / Katharina Pewny, previously Ghent University, Belgium and Tessa Vannieuwenhuyze, doctoral researcher ; Chapter 6. Death knells and dead ends: latent futurity in Masande Ntshanga's The reactive and Mohale Mashigo's 'Ghost strain N' / Sophy Kohler, University of Southern Denmark -- Part three. Time. Chapter 7. Periodization and precarious labour: the work of genre in La La Land and Sorry to bother you' / Alissa G. Karl, State University of New York, Brockport, USA ; Chapter 8. Substanceless subjectivity: from proletarianization to precarization in British experimental fiction / Benjamin Kohlmann, University of Regensburg, Germany ; Chapter 9. The future is a ghost': Precarity, anticipation and retrospection in Anneliese Mackintosh's 'Limited dreamers' and Lee Rourke's Vulgar things / Emily J. Hogg, University of Southern Denmark ; Chapter 10. 'Make it now': poetry, precarity, and security in Jorie Graham and Ghayath Almadhoun / Walt Hunter, Clemson University, USA ; Chapter 11. Finding time in common: speculative fiction and the precariat in Robinson's New York 2140 / Bryan Yazell, University of Southern Denmark Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Figures 8 Contributors 9 Acknowledgements 11 Introduction 14 Part One: Feeling 38 Chapter 1: ANXIOUS READING: THE PRECARITY NOVEL AND THE AFFECTIVE CLASS 40 Chapter 2: ANXIETY IN THE PRECARIAT: THE AFFECTS OF CLASS IN JAMES KELMAN’S FICTION 55 Chapter 3: PERFORMING PRECARITY: THREATENING THE AUDIENCE IN GARY OWEN’S IPHIGENIA IN SPLOTT 69 Part Two: Bodies 86 Chapter 4: IMAGINED SOVEREIGNTY: MAPPING AND RESISTING PRECARITY IN INDIRA ALLEGRA’S WOVEN ACCOUNT 88 Chapter 5: PRECARIOUS BODIES ON THE MOVE, PRECARIOUS BODIES UNDER ATTACK 104 Chapter 6: DEATH KNELLS AND DEAD ENDS: LATENT FUTURITY IN MASANDE NTSHANGA’S THE REACTIVE AND MOHALE MASHIGO’S ‘GHOST STRAIN N’ 122 Part Three: Time 138 Chapter 7: PERIODIZATION AND PRECARIOUS LABOUR: THE WORK OF GENRE IN LA LA LAND AND SORRY TO BOTHER YOU 140 Chapter 8: SUBSTANCELESS SUBJECTIVITY: FROM PROLETARIANIZATION TO PRECARIZATION IN BRITISH EXPERIMENTAL FICTION 156 Chapter 9: THE FUTURE IS A GHOST: PRECARITY, ANTICIPATION AND RETROSPECTION IN ANNELIESE MACKINTOSH’S ‘LIMITED DREAMERS’ AND LEE ROURKE’S VULGAR THINGS 173 Chapter 10: MAKE IT NOW: POETRY, PRECARITY AND SECURITY IN JORIE GRAHAM AND GHAYATH ALMADHOUN 189 Chapter 11: FINDING TIME IN COMMON: SPECULATIVE FICTION AND THE PRECARIAT IN ROBINSON’S NEW YORK 2140 202 Index 216 "The contemporary moment is characterized by precarity -- an expanding and intensifying vulnerability conditioned by political and economic structures. Using literary and cultural texts to develop a nuanced and critical exploration of the concept of precarity that emphasizes its contemporary manifestations, this book examines the vulnerabilities behind our anxious existence: unemployment, environmental crisis, temporary contracts and patterns of migration, all whilst attending to its historical roots and existential dimensions. Broken down into three key themes of feelings, bodies and time, Precarity in Contemporary Literature and Culture probes whether the concept can be considered a new phenomenon; explores the relationship between precarity and traditional class politics; analyses precarity's global dimensions; and reflects on the links between contemporary crisis, and underlying existential human vulnerability. With reference to a wide range of forms such as contemporary, realist, science fiction and modernist novels, film, theatre, and the lyric poem, this book goes beyond one national context to consider texts from the US, UK, Germany and South Africa."-- Provided by publisher The contemporary moment is characterized by precarity – an expanding and intensifying vulnerability conditioned by political and economic structures. Using literary and cultural texts to develop a nuanced and critical exploration of the concept of precarity that emphasizes its contemporary manifestations while also attending to its historical roots and existential dimensions, this book examines the vulnerabilities which characterize our anxious existence, including unemployment, environmental crisis, temporary contracts and patterns of migration. Broken down into three key themes of feelings, bodies and time, Precarity in Contemporary Literature and Culture asks whether precarity can be considered a new phenomenon; explores the relationship between precarity and traditional class politics; analyses precarity’s global dimensions; and reflects on the links between contemporary crises and underlying existential human vulnerability. With reference to a wide range of forms such as contemporary, realist, science fiction and modernist novels, film, theatre, and the lyric poem, this book goes beyond one national context to consider texts from the US, UK, Germany and South Africa. The contemporary moment is characterized by precarity - an expanding and intensifying vulnerability conditioned by political and economic structures. Using literary and cultural texts to develop a nuanced and critical exploration of the concept of precarity that emphasizes its contemporary manifestations while also attending to its historical roots and existential dimensions, this book examines the vulnerabilities which characterize our anxious existence, including unemployment, environmental crisis, temporary contracts and patterns of migration. Broken down into three key themes of feelings, bodies and time, the book asks whether precarity can be considered a new phenomenon; explores the relationship between precarity and traditional class politics; analyses precarity's global dimensions; and reflects on the links between contemporary crisis and underlying existential human vulnerability. With reference to a wide range of forms such as contemporary, realist, science fiction and modernist novels, film, theatre, and the lyric poem, this book goes beyond one national context to consider texts from the US, UK, Germany and South Africa