Deromanticized cosmopolitanism in smith’s swing time and chi’s (Goodnight, rose)

Abstract

In her article “Deromanticized Cosmopolitanism in Smith’s Swing Time and Chi’s (Goodnight, Rose)” Songyun Zheng proposes a theoretical framework of deromanticized cosmopolitanism to conduct a comparative reading of Zadie Smith’s Swing Time, a transcontinental narrative of London, New York, and Africa, and Zijian Chi’s Goodnight, Rose, about a Jewish émigré living in Harbin, China. Zheng reframes cosmopolitanism by recognizing its contradictory and multifaceted nature, and questions the assumed connection between cosmopolitanism and cross-boundary activities such as migration and interracial relationships. The two novels form a constellation of deromanticized cosmopolitanism with characters of transcultural backgrounds but also of diasporic and traumatic memories. By exploring characters’ different attitudes towards violence, this article presents the dynamic relationship between cosmopolitanism, cruelty, and forgiveness. Zheng concludes through practices of forgiveness and stereotype reconciliation, people can become cosmopolitan and advantageously embrace the uniqueness and otherness in their identities.