As the Guardian titled in 2018, ”we [are] living in an age of anger” (Williams n. pag.). Literature is the perfect vehicle to critically examine said emotion in society, not least because Western culture is interspersed with tropes and stereotypes of ‘Angry Black Men/Women’ or ‘Feminist Killjoys’. Anger, as well as all the words used to describe it – wrath, rage, or fury, for instance –, immediately invoke associations with violence, aggression, and destruction. In reality, however, the emotion is much more ambivalent: Whilst it can be aggressive and destructive, experiencing an angry episode can also be a force for progress and improvement, as it signifies injustice and motivates to act against the offense.
In this course, we will deconstruct ”anger” as well as related stereotypes and tropes in contemporary British literature by looking at different pieces across genres and asking the following questions: Who is allowed to feel angry, and how is anger expressed? How is the outburst perceived, and what is the outcome of the angry episode?
We will start with a discussion of Naomi Alderman’s novel The Power (2016) and will move on to a theatre play and other genres from there.
Williams, Zoe. ”Why Are We Living in an Age of Anger – Is It Because of the 50-Year Rage Cycle?” The Guardian, 16 May 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/may/16/living-in-an-age-of-anger-50-year-rage-cycle. Accessed 5 January 2023.
- Lehrende/r: Lina Stücker