Symbolical Representations of Brexit in Ali Smith’s Autumn

• Published in: Cultural perspectives Vol. 28; no. 28; pp. 51 - 66
• Main Authors: Gociu, Oana, Culea, Mihaela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alma Mater Publishing House 20.12.2023; Editura Alma Mater
• Subjects: British Literature; Developing nations; History; Language and Literature Studies; Politics; Politics / Political Sciences; Politics and Identity; Studies of Literature; national identity; symbol; stylistic analysis; Autumnautumn; Brexit, Brexlit
• ISSN: 1224-239X; 2559-3439
• DOI: 10.29081/cp.2023.28.03

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the novel Autumn by Scottish author Ali Smith, published in 2016. Our study seeks to contribute to the understanding of the way the author has chosen to represent the cultural and generational gaps on the background of Brexit in the UK in her novel, by providing an in-depth stylistic analysis dwelling on the author’s linguistic choices. The applicative part of our study will provide a stylistic investigation of the selected literary text, bringing to the fore the main linguistic features and the symbols the author has chosen in order to depict the general state of the nation and to underline the divisions and the fractions born as a consequence of the 2016 referendum in the UK. This study addresses several issues related to the cultural and generational gaps already existing in the pre-Brexit period in the UK, which are reflected in Ali Smith’s novel. Smith, who considers that all Brexit did was to reveal these gaps, underlines the fact that these misuderstandings and differences had already been there before the UK’s decision to withdraw from the European bloc. The main objective of this paper is to provide a stylistic analysis with special focus on the symbols and symbolism identified in the selected literary text, be they people, marks, locations, or material objects, representing something beyond the literal meaning. Our analysis fosters a more in-depth understanding of the selected literary text, uncovering the hidden yet essential aspects of the novel.