Families reconstructed: an analysis of nick hornby’s novels

UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI VENEZIA UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI VENEZIA Ca' Foscari Facoltà di Lingue e Letterature Straniere Corso di Laurea in Lingue e Letterature Straniere ________________ TESI DI LAUREA FAMILIES RECONSTRUCTED. An Analysis of Nick Hornby's Novels: Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, About a Boy. Relatore: Prof. ENRICA VILLARI Correlatore: Prof. LORETTA INNOCENTI Laureanda: TARSIA TREVISAN Matricola n. 767516 ANNO ACCADEMICO 2000/2001 For my father, and for my mother CONTENTS FOREWARD p.5 1. FROM SOULLESS COMMUTER TOWN TO ROUNDHEADED NORTH LONDON 1. 1. Nick Hornby: a rootless child (1957-1977) p.8 1. 2. Nick Hornby becomes a literary phenomenon (1978-1992) p.18 1. 3. How Hornby's autistic son Danny turned his world upside down (1993- present) p.31 2. GUNNERS: LOOKING FOR A FAMILY 2. 1. Football in England p.42 2. 2. Hornby's case p.55 2. 3. From the book to the movie. Fever Pitch: the screenplay p.85 3. MUSIC FREAKS: FAMILY AS FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE 3. 1. New Laddism as a reply to Feminism p.102 3. 2. Male friendship and stuck adolescence p.107 3. 3. Can love rescue an eternal Peter Pan? p.116 4. FATHERLESS BOYS AND CHILDLESS ADULTS 4.1. About two boys p.132 4.2. The post-family world p.148 4.3. Conclusion p.163 AFTERWARD p.167 BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Sources p.169 Secondary Sources p.182 FOREWARD The main aim of this dissertation is to give a detailed account of the personality and literary production of the contemporary British author Nick Hornby, who in Italy cannot avail himself of a critical bibliography. Nowadays, Nick Hornby enjoys the lifestyle of an internationally acclaimed author. Yet, his peculiarity consists in the fact that he made a success out of writing about failures, male dysfunctions and blocked emotions. In 1992, he published Fever Pitch, a self-lacerating account of his obsession with football in general and Arsenal in particular which became a surprise bestseller and, more importantly, invented a new literary genre. It was followed, in 1995, by High Fidelity, a novel about Hornby's other great passion, pop music, and then, in 1998, his third bestseller, About a Boy, a new departure from his narrative patterns, which allowed him to explore the mind of a child. Hornby's books were highly praised by the critics for capturing the mood of the mid-1990, and were successfully made into films. In my dissertation, I have tried to investigate the relationships between Nick Hornby and his books, because they seem to follow the chronology of their author's life: from football fandom (Fever Pitch), through male/female relationships (High Fidelity), up to fatherhood (About a Boy). My analysis has also been devoted to the individuation of common concerns in his books, such as the quest of belonging and the need of points of reference. Indeed, it is interesting to notice how almost all the protagonists of his novels, much in the same way as Hornby himself, are involved in a process of re-construction of family life they are so strongl Continua »