The Contemporary British Prose: the Motif of Choice in Elif Shafak’s Novel “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World”

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Abstract

This study examines current trends in contemporary British multicultural romance. The topic is revealed on the example of the work of the famous British-Turkish writer, feminist, human rights activist and active civic figure Elif Shafak. Her English-language novel “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World”, which we have taken as a basis for literary analysis, is one of the most inteersting texts in contemporary British literature of the last decade. The purpose of this study is to explore the thematic diversity and issues of the text. The novel touches on topics traditional for this author as women's rights, freedom of speech, the right of various kinds of minorities, the complex relationship between East and West, Istanbul as a city of attraction for many peoples, attitude to power, historical past, traditions and religion. The text, written in a postmodern spirit, raises the philosophical problems of death, faith in man, the saving power of friendship. It is argued that for all the difference in cultural, ethnic, religious, sexual characteristics, people are essentially very similar, basic, spiritual tablets are one, and freedom of choice is one of the most basic values of modern civilization. The relevance of the work is determined by the study of the work of Elif Shafak precisely in the context of British literature and with the focus of the contribution of this author to the history of the contemporary British novel.

About the authors

Landysh N. Yuzmukhametova

Kazan Federal University

Author for correspondence.
Email: land_yz@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9385-7684
SPIN-code: 3322-5749

PhD in Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages, the Institute of International Relationship, History and Oriental Studies

18 Kremlevskaya St, Kazan, 420008, Russian Federation

References

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  2. Thomas, L. 2023. “Reclamation of the Istanbul City and the Migrant Flâneuse in Elif Shafak’s10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.” Journal of Migration Affairs, vol. 1–2, pp. 41–55.
  3. Shamsutdinova, N.Z. 2007. “Feministic motives in Angela Carter’s farytailes.” Almanakh sovremennoy nauki I obrazovaniya. Tambov: Gramota publ., pp. 244–246. Print. (In Russ.)
  4. Sofronova, D.V. 2016. “The problematics of Turkish woman prose.” Uchenyiy zapiski Kazanskogo universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnyyi nauki, vol. 158, book 1, pp. 256–270. Print. (In Russ.)
  5. Mumtaz, H., Ahmed, S.S., Shaikh, M.H., and S. Rehman 2023. “Women Subalternity: A Study of Elif Shafak’s Novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.” Palarch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, no. 20(2), pp. 482–491.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Yuzmukhametova L.N.

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