Brexit, Brexlit and the (Dis)United Kingdom: Responses to Brexit in post-referendum British novels

Abstract

The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union – the so-called ‘Brexit’ referendum of 23 June 2016 – represents one of the most significant political moments in recent British history. The Brexit vote revealed long-established divisions within British society, ones which threaten the continued unity of the four constituent countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Brexit is undoubtedly an event in national and international politics, but it is also an event in culture, contributing to the emergence of new cultural forms which seek to reflect on and represent the state of the UK in the contemporary moment. This thesis’s focus is on fictional literatures which have arisen in the aftermath of the referendum – or ‘Brexlits’, to use Kristian Shaw’s term. Specifically, it employs a close analysis of several British novels published since June 2016 in order to shed light on Brexit’s divisions, and offer somewhat of an explanation for disparate voting patterns across the four constituent countries. Recognising that conceptions of national identity both contributed to Brexit, and will inevitably be influenced by its aftermath, the thesis adopts national identity as a lens through which to read the fictions, with Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England treated as distinct entities. While some similarities are noted across the national literatures, differences with respect to content, style and form are of greater significance. These divergences affirm the national divisions Brexit represents, and suggests that the continued existence of the United Kingdom in its current form is not guaranteed.