White is For Witching: A Postcolonial Gothic

Authors : Reyhan ÖZER TANİYAN

Pages : 321-331

Doi:10.18026/cbayarsos.1276598

View : 57 | Download : 32

Publication Date : 2023-06-24

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In White is for Witching insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(2009);, Helen Oyeyemi defamiliarizes traditional narratives, subverts the classical doctrines and inserts recent issues. Although her novels are mostly read within the scope of gothic literature, she introduces ethnic mythology and folklore that provide myriad perspectives. As well as incorporating the traditional gothic features, Oyeyemi draws from the cultural motifs of her Nigerian roots to highlight the recurring patterns of immigration, coexistence, and integration in English history. Using the vocabulary and the pattern of gothic narration, the novel constructs a postcolonial story to question the xenophobic tendencies of the English nation as a legacy of the colonial era that endures today through immigration policies. Therefore, in this article, I read the novel as a postcolonial gothic criticising the xenophobic concerns of pure white Englishness against racial others and immigrants labelled as invaders of English identity through the elements of cultural gothic.
Keywords : Helen Oyeyemi, Yabancı Düşmanlığı, Gotik, Cadı Vampir

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