This dissertation focuses on Jonathan Coe’s The Rotters’ Club as a coming of age novel. The first chapter will examine how Coe illustrates the coming of age of British society in the 1970s, specifically the transition from an era of post-war consensus politics to a different society driven by Thatcherite policies of neoliberalism. The second chapter will focus on the novel as a bildungsroman, with particular emphasis on how its period aspect allows Coe to depict his characters in 1970s society. Both chapters will also analyse the narrative strategies Coe employs to achieve his thematic aims. The third chapter is a reflection on my own writing project (a novel entitled That Summer, The Sky) in light of studying The Rotters’ Club, examining similarities and differences in narrative approach, characterisation and form.
A Study of Jonathan Coe's The Rotters' Club As a Coming of Age Novel
Griffiths, R. (Author). 2019
Student thesis: Master's Thesis