Bound by society: Social identity in A Room with a View and The Rainbow

2021

Master´s thesis in English (EN501) The thesis presents a reading of the modernist novels The Rainbow (1915) by D.H. Lawrence and A Room with a View (1908) by E.M. Forster with a view at highlighting the factors that contribute to the formation of characters’ social identity. The analysis is founded on the theoretical background of social identity theory with special focus on aspects such as intergroup vs interpersonal interaction, self-categorization and gender schema theory. The thesis attempts to examine how the influencing factors affect selected characters on their journey towards self-discovery and self-categorization, and whether these forces ultimately lead them into a feeling of bel…