From then on, the novel takes off on its own autonomous ﬂight through social critique, comedy, morality and, of course, irony.' Identity complications involving class and ethnicity: 'Even urban poet and gifted rapper Carl is shocked to discover that words fail him when he tries to describe what exactly suburban black academics are, even when he is certain of only one thing: 'ou people aren't even black anymore, man-I don't know what you are' (418). 'One may as well begin with Jerome's emails to his father', contrast with first line of Howard's End: 'One may as well begin with Helen's letters to her sister' 'The tribute to the Edwardian novelist is, rather, used by the younger writer as a scaffolding, at least in the early stages of plot development. You people are all the same.' - Kiki describes the thieves of the paintings as 'a load of no-good Negroes'Īcademia's inability to enjoy beauty. You got your college degrees, but you don't even live right. You think you're too good for your own people. You people aren't even black any more, man - I don't even know what you are. I feel sorry for you - you know that? I really do.' - 'I'm just some experiment for you to play with. My daddy's a worthless piece of shit too, but at least I know he's a worthless piece of shit. You act all superior, but you're not telling the truth! You don't even know a thing about your own father, man. You don't tell the truth, you deceive people. You looked at Felix and thought: This is what it's all about, being this different this is what white people fear and adore and want and dread.' - Choo: 'Everybody tries to buy the black man.' - 'You people don't behave like human beings, man - I ain't never seen people behave like you people. 'Levi had this idea that he would never say out loud and that he knew didn't make sense, but anyway he had this idea that Felix was like the essence of blackness in some way.

'Honey', said Kiki, moving her head from side to side in a manner she understood white people enjoyed, 'I done set already.' Kiki the African Queen.

On Beauty by Zadie Smith