A Search for Authenticity : Understanding Zadie Smith's White Teeth Using Judith Butler's Performativity and Jane Austen's Satire

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the search for authentic self in Zadie Smith's White Teeth. Using Judith Butler's theory of performance and performativity, a close reading of White Teeth provides concrete literary examples of the theory and how it works in a contemporary novel. Jane Austen's Mansfield Park is also examined through Butler's performance and performativity model, providing proof of an established women writers' interest in gender and class norms. An exploration of Austen's use of satire supports the notion that Smith's novel operates in a long-standing tradition of feminist literature.