Thesis
Politics and personality in the mid-century middlebrow : the fiction of Nancy Mitford
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2018
- Thesis identifier
- T15223
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201585785
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- This thesis explores the fiction of Nancy Mitford, who, despite being one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century, has received very little critical attention. Through close analysis of Mitford’s lesser-known novels, alongside an examination of her media portrayal and contemporary critical reception, I aim to establish the reasons for Mitford’s general exclusion from academic debate, and for her frequent categorisation as a ‘middlebrow’ writer. This thesis situates Mitford thoroughly within the historical context during which she produced her novels, and argues that the contemporary social and political situation influenced their content. The two main themes that recur throughout this thesis are politics and personality. I examine the role played by politics in Mitford’s first three novels Highland Fling (1931), Christmas Pudding (1932) and Wigs on the Green (1935), the last of which contains an ambiguously satirical portrayal of British fascism. I look at the difference between Mitford’s depiction of fascism in that novel and her later text, The Pursuit of Love (1945), which treats fascism much more seriously. Through a consideration of Mitford’s fourth novel, Pigeon Pie (1940), I highlight the significance of personality in that text, whether it be related to notions of political propaganda or to adopted personas, such as that of the glamorous female spy. Glamour is an important subtopic in this thesis, and is applied to its study of both Pigeon Pie and Mitford’s early press appearances, the glamorous sophistication of which, I argue, informed later critical views of her works. By engaging with academic studies of middlebrow and modernist literature, I demonstrate Mitford’s conflicted position as a writer of fiction that has generally been characterised as light and insubstantial, but which, I claim, can be surprisingly subversive, and offers valuable observations about life in interwar and mid-century Britain. This thesis provides the first extended critical study of Mitford, who remains understudied and in need of critical reappraisal.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Edwards, Sarah, 1973-
- Hammill, Faye
- Resource Type
- Note
- This thesis was previously held under moratorium from 22 August 2019 until 22 August 2024.
- DOI
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