Journey to the East and national stereotypes. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" as a depiction of contemporary social and cultural issues

Ewa Górecka

doi:10.31648/pl.9090

Published: 2023-08-051

No. 11 (2023)

Journey to the East and national stereotypes. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" as a depiction of contemporary social and cultural issues

Ewa Górecka

Prace Literaturoznawcze

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.31648/pl.9090

Abstract

The subject of this analysis is the image of a contemporary trip to the East and national stereotypes (Englishman, Indian) in the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The image of the trip to India is analysed from the perspective of Bauman’s metaphors of postmodern life, in which the
redefinition of identity is inscribed. The journey in Madden’s work is presented as an escapade somewhere between the expedition of a tourist and the wanderings of a vagabond, thus constituting a metaphor for the contemporary life of senile people originating from Western culture. The
use of national stereotypes (auto-images, hetero-images) and the transformations taking place within them are reflected upon. It turns out that the image of the trip of the elderly English people to India combines comedic elements with reflections on the key phenomena of contemporary
culture, such as a new form of life, the cult of experience characteristic of the West as a condition for the development of the individual, and the formation of a new stereotype of the journey and its participant.

Keywords:

journey to the East, senile age, stereotypes of Englishmen and Indians, identity

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Górecka, E. (2023). Journey to the East and national stereotypes. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" as a depiction of contemporary social and cultural issues. Prace Literaturoznawcze, (11), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.31648/pl.9090

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