THE LIVING CITY: CULTURE, TRANSFORMATION, AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT IN N. K. JEMISIN’S THE CITY WE BECAME
Keywords:
transformation, city, space, N. K. Jemisin, The City We BecameAbstract
The paper examines the process of urban transformation in N. K. Jemisin’s novel, The
City We Became. Through a close reading of the novel, the paper analyzes Jemisin’s portrayal of
New York as a dynamic and constantly evolving entity that undergoes profound transformations
throughout the narrative. Jemisin’s work offers a powerful and imaginative vision for how cities
can be understood and represented in literature and beyond. The complex social, economic,
and political forces actively shape cities are emphasized by presenting the city as a living and
breathing character. The city will be viewed through Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of
space, Edward Soja’s notion of postmetropolis, and Sharon Zukin’s conceptualization of the life
and death of cities. Jemisin’s use of magical realism, intertextuality, and metaphorical language
contribute to her vision of the city as a vibrant and multifaceted character that challenges and
subverts dominant narratives surrounding race, gender, power, and urban inequality. By exploring
the interplay between culture, urban theory, and literature, this paper offers a comprehensive
and innovative perspective on the city and its ongoing transformation in the contemporary
world.
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