Virtuality And Reality In Zadie Smith's The Autograph Man

Zadie Smith(1975-),a promising writer in the literary world,was praised by Cunningham,a renowned British scholar,as “the real thing”.Her second book The Autograph Man published in 2002 has not been praised by critics but caused controversy.There are only a few domestic studies on this work,most of which are about the issue of identity.This thesis analyzes the theme of virtuality and reality in The Autograph Man from the perspectives of Jean Baudrillard's hyperreality theory and Walter Benjamin's aura theory.The thesis is composed of five chapters.Chapter One consists of a brief introduction to Zadie Smith and The Autograph Man,the literature review of this work,and theoretical framework centering on hyperreality theory and aura theory.Chapter Two mainly analyzes the implosion of the boundary between virtuality and reality.Firstly,cities are regarded as the unnamed or simulated space,which becomes the equivalent to the real cities.Secondly,the replicated autographs replace the authentic ones and are endlessly reproduced.Thirdly,simulated activities are found everywhere and are recognized as the reality.Chapter Three mainly discusses the negative effects of virtuality on characters' perceptions and interpersonal relationships.Firstly,in the hyperreal world,people are surrounded by the signs and what they know is all from the media,rather than actual experience.Secondly,distance is one of the characteristics of aura.Alex keeps a distance with his girlfriend and treats her as the emotional aura.Besides,he establishes imaginary connections to a Hollywood actress Kitty and regards her as the desirable aura.Chapter Four mainly explores how Alex returns to reality.Through the epiphany and realization of the real space of the city,Alex recognizes the significance of returning to reality.Chapter Five is the conclusion.In the postmodern society,reality is replaced by virtuality and hence the hyperreal world is formed.Through the theme of virtuality and reality,Smith expresses her social concern towards the complex emotions of people between virtuality and reality and emphasizes returning to reality is an effective way to solve virtuality.