
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
The Novel’s Reception The Novel’s Reception
-
Brick Lane (The Novel) Brick Lane (The Novel)
-
Brick Lane (The Street) Brick Lane (The Street)
-
Notes Notes
-
-
-
-
-
-
4 Locating class in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane and its reception
Get access-
Published:September 2015
Cite
Abstract
The chapter argues that the Bangladeshi community that forms the focus of Brick Lane is largely abstracted from its context so that the problems of the community are rooted uniquely in its (religious) culture and isolated from the exclusions of majority Britain. Hence, the trajectory from constraint to freedom that the protagonist Nazneen follows is shaped primarily by patriarchal structures within the community and their subversion, and there is little sense of the pressures that are exerted on the community’s men from outside this space. The chapter explores the reception of the novel by the literary establishment and the contrasting response of members of the Bangladeshi community, and argues that the social contradictions that are repressed in Brick Lane emerge at the point of its reception by the British Muslims who inhabit the Brick Lane area and protested against the novel and its filming. It exposes the racially and culturally (including religiously) coded nature of the principle of freedom of expression, and offers an account of the protest as a struggle for recognition and self-representation and against the structures of inequality which obstruct its protagonists’ path to these rights.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
February 2023 | 5 |
August 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 2 |
February 2025 | 6 |
March 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.