Term of Award
Winter 2024
Degree Name
Master of Arts in English (M.A.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of English
Committee Chair
Hans-Georg Erney
Committee Member 1
Joe Pellegrino
Committee Member 2
Hapsatou Wane
Abstract
The study of adolescents in Postcolonial Studies is a growing area of research. This thesis defines Imperial Adolescence, a critical framework that be used to examine the development of adolescents in imperial settings, applies it to Kenzaburō Ōe’s “Prize Stock,” and encourages postcolonial scholars to add to a steadily discourse. “Prize Stock” tells the story of a black American airman captive in a rural Japanese village, and Imperial Adolescence is applied to the novella’s adolescent narrator. The four stages of Imperial Adolescence (Childhood, Early Adolescence, Puberty, and Middle Adolescence) are used to trace the impact of Postcolonial elements (such as exploitation, extreme violence, and othering) on the narrator’s social and psychological development. Ultimately, this thesis uses Imperial Adolescence as a critical framework to highlight that, often, the children of imperialism have few choices but to become imperialists.
Recommended Citation
Coffey, D'yanna, "Imperial Adolescence in Kenzaburō Ōe's "Prize Stock"" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2846.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2846
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
