Love is commonly known as the indescribable passion between two people who found each other and are planning to stay together forever. But the modernised divorce system and such hardships as finances have created the impression that the romantic idea of love has faded the last decades. This phenomenon engages not only sociologists but also authors who are giving thoughts to those developments in their literally works and therefore explore the reasons of such developments associated with postmodern pair-relationships.
The high divorce rates are one of the major results of a change in pair-relationships in the western society and the attitudes towards the different manners against having a relationship changed drastically throughout the last century. So postmodernity is the time for free experimentation, diversity, the time of myriads of possibilities, and the time where people respect the choice of the single individual for individualisation and self-development.
A lot of people take those many featured chances and explore as much as they can, not only according to their economic possibilities, but also according to their private way of life in their relationships. They grant themselves every personal freedom, the highest profits, and put themselves before anything else. As an effect people are opposed more openly to serial relationships. On the one hand they are trying to compensate their mistakes of their previous partners and are learning to distinguish between what they want and don ́t want. On the other hand they live their live as they please not really bearing in mind that the fast change in social values distracts them from their original wish of not spending their live alone when they get old.
But according to pair-relationships, this lifestyle does not always end well and never before were the divorce rates in Britain as high as in postmodern times. So the question emerges, if in the end it is possible to remain in the state of happiness in a relationship or if passionate love gives space to individual desires supported by the patterns of contemporary unconventional relationships.
Table of Contents
1. The Difficulties in Achieving Happiness in Postmodernity
2. N-W and the Variation of Postmodern Relationship Concepts
2.1. Different Concepts of Postmodern Relationships
2.2. The Tree Pillars of Unconventional Relationships: Individualisation, Self-development, Intimacy, and Sexuality
2.3. Zadie Smith´s Approach to Unconventional Relationships Centred in her Novel N-W
2.3.1. The Integration of Intimacy Through the Character of Leah Hanwell
2.3.2. Natalie Blake Representing Self-development and Individualisation
2.3.3. Felix Cooper and Postmodern Promiscuity
3. Postmodernity and the Absence of Happiness in Marriages
Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the impact of postmodern values on contemporary relationships, specifically analyzing how the pursuit of individualization, self-development, and sexual freedom conflicts with traditional relationship expectations as depicted in Zadie Smith's novel N-W.
- The transition from traditional, long-term commitment models to serial and unconventional relationships.
- The sociological conflict between individual autonomy and the intimacy required for stable partnerships.
- Analysis of Zadie Smith’s characters as embodiments of postmodern sociological behaviors.
- The role of "emotional wastelands" and the lack of communication in modern marriages.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.3. Felix Cooper and Postmodern Promiscuity
Every character in N-W has a contradictory personality and so does Felix. When Zadie Smith introduces the character for the first time the reader gets the impression that for Felix sex is a very important aspect in his life. With Felix´s first appearance in the novel, Smith is implicating that Felix had just been sleeping with his current girlfriend Grace. “The man was naked, the woman was dressed. […] He lay clowning in bed, holding her wrist” (87). Felix expresses also his desire to marry Grace in the future and that he is absolutely happy to have found her: “Oh. Grace. Yeah. She is. Never been happier in my life, Tom, to tell you the truth. Changed my life. I tell her, all the time: you´re a lifesaver. And she is´ “ (114).
Smith creates the impression that Felix and Grace allegedly seem to to have a happy classical relationship. But soon the reader discovers that Felix actually had preferred rather unconventional relationships in the past. He had a very casual attitude towards relationships and was even already been married once and has two children. Moreover before Felix met Grace, his sexual life was not focused on one woman but on many and even his father was not able to keep up with the names of Felix´s girlfriends. So Smith emphasises the promiscuity of postmodern times especially with Felix´s attitude to women showing that postmodernity is about sexual delight and is no longer restricted to fixed relationships. Most of the time it is all about the fulfilment of the own pleasures and desires. In N-W, Zadie Smith ascribes Felix being capable of having more than one commitment at the same time. The first commitment is his relationship to Grace, although Felix states that Grace is the love of his life. He is really trying to make this relationship work. But he is still involved in his sexual affair with the other women Annie.
Chapter Summary
1. The Difficulties in Achieving Happiness in Postmodernity: Discusses how high divorce rates and the shift in social values have made the traditional, romantic notion of lifelong love increasingly difficult to sustain.
2. N-W and the Variation of Postmodern Relationship Concepts: Explains the theoretical framework of unconventional relationships, including cohabitation, pluralization, and casual sexual encounters.
2.1. Different Concepts of Postmodern Relationships: Contrasts traditional exclusive relationships with modern forms like "Living Apart Together" and serial relationships.
2.2. The Tree Pillars of Unconventional Relationships: Individualisation, Self-development, Intimacy, and Sexuality: Identifies three primary drivers—individualization, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction—that define the internal structure of postmodern partnerships.
2.3. Zadie Smith´s Approach to Unconventional Relationships Centred in her Novel N-W: Introduces how Smith applies postmodern sociological theories to the specific character arcs in her novel.
2.3.1. The Integration of Intimacy Through the Character of Leah Hanwell: Analyzes the marriage of Leah and Michel to illustrate the lack of emotional communication and the reliance on sex as a surrogate for intimacy.
2.3.2. Natalie Blake Representing Self-development and Individualisation: Examines how Natalie prioritizes professional success and personal freedom, leading to a superficial, unfulfilled marriage.
2.3.3. Felix Cooper and Postmodern Promiscuity: Explores the tension between Felix's desire for a stable, conventional relationship and his inability to abandon promiscuous patterns and external affairs.
3. Postmodernity and the Absence of Happiness in Marriages: Concludes that the prioritize of self-centered goals and the refusal to compromise make long-term marital happiness nearly unattainable in a postmodern context.
Keywords
Postmodernity, Zadie Smith, N-W, Individualisation, Self-development, Intimacy, Unconventional Relationships, Marriage, Divorce, Sexuality, Promiscuity, Emotional Wasteland, Sociological Behavior, Commitment, Pair-relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the challenges of maintaining romantic happiness in the postmodern era, using Zadie Smith's novel N-W to illustrate how modern priorities like self-development affect relationships.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include the shift toward unconventional relationship models, the decline of traditional marriage, the role of sexual satisfaction, and the tension between individual autonomy and emotional intimacy.
What is the author's main research question or objective?
The objective is to analyze whether it is possible to achieve lasting happiness in a postmodern relationship or if the drive for individual fulfillment inevitably leads to the decline of traditional partnerships.
Which scientific methodology does the paper utilize?
The author employs a literary analysis grounded in sociological theory, examining how specific character behaviors reflect real-world trends in postmodern relationship dynamics.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body breaks down three essential "pillars" of postmodern relationships—individualization, intimacy, and sexuality—and applies these frameworks to the lives of three specific characters in the novel.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Essential keywords include Postmodernity, N-W, Individualization, Intimacy, Unconventional Relationships, and Commitment.
How does the author characterize the marriage of Leah and Michel?
The marriage is characterized as an "emotional wasteland" where physical intimacy replaces deep communication, and secrecy regarding life goals, such as having children, leads to further alienation.
How does Natalie Blake’s career-driven mindset affect her relationship?
Natalie prioritizes professional success and individual needs, which restricts her capacity for emotional investment in her marriage, ultimately leaving her unfulfilled and searching for happiness elsewhere.
Why does the character of Felix Cooper fail to maintain a stable relationship with Grace?
Despite his desire for a stable family life, Felix is unable to overcome his deep-seated habits of promiscuity and his inability to fully sever ties with his past, illustrating the difficulty of switching from a postmodern lifestyle to a traditional one.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Giuliana Helm (Autor:in), 2013, Love in Postmodernity. Zadie Smiths Approach of Unconventional Postmodern Relationships in her Novel "N-W", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/304099
