The Reciprocal Relationship Between the City and its Subjects in Samuel Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners and Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For

Authors

  • Silvia Pérez University of Oviedo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_misc/mj.20249566

Keywords:

The Lonely Londoners, What We All Long For, geographical setting, identity, urban space.

Abstract

This article seeks to examine the significance of geographical setting in Samuel Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners (2006 [1956]) and Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For (2005) in order to understand the undeniable reciprocal relationship that exists between the city and its subjects. Hence, I will analyse the role played by London and Toronto in the construction and development of their inhabitants’ identities, as well as the power that city dwellers have in (re)shaping urban spaces. The article aims to examine the dynamic and fluid character of the city and intends to identify the effects that migrant communities have on rewriting and remapping urban spaces when exercising their agency.

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Published

2024-06-24

How to Cite

Pérez, S. (2024). The Reciprocal Relationship Between the City and its Subjects in Samuel Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners and Dionne Brand’s What We All Long For. Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies, 69, 193–210. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_misc/mj.20249566

Issue

Section

ARTICLES: Literature, film and cultural studies
Received 2023-07-25
Accepted 2024-03-01
Published 2024-06-24