Zadie Smith

You can not just hit people over the head by telling them your own political truths, novels are however political (or "moral"). You can't tell people that they have to believe in what she says, the politics of what she says. She is describing how she gets politics into her morals without forcing it upon the reader. Art is an analogy for morals - if novels tell you to be moral in this way, it is characterized as bad art. Iris Murdoch "Art is a case of morals". Smith says art is being truthful and honest, and it is very difficult due to self-perception. The adult is able to see the world as not completely about herself, she is not at the center of the universe. Art allows us to see multiple points of view, it is not us vs. them, it is just different opinions falling into place and identifying with all views. 

This novel is about the cultural wars. Some say we need to teach Shakespeare, the great authors - while others say we need to look at multicultural texts (it is hanus that women have been left out of the canon). Smith has been elevated into the canon by those very multiculturalists. Reverse Discrimination - someone is elevated because of race and sex. The attack of "Zadie Smith", means the ideal of Zadie Smith, the brand, the figment. Literature is about human relationship and the difficulties with that. This book is going to take us through the multicultural debate (right is Howard and family vs. Monty on the left- Jerome is the intermediary). 

Moving on to the text (On Beauty)- Jerome has gone off and working for Monty Kippses ( a British family, dad is rivals with Howard). Monty is very religious, white wing, pro-business, spiritual, Christian, pro-family, wife does not work to stay home and take care of the family WHILE Howard and his family are left-wing liberals, let their children sware in the house, the children have a lot of liberty. Monty and Howard both have books on Rembrandt coming out, although Monty's book is going to become a bestseller. Howard attacks Monty and says his reading is horrible, and Monty writes back and says he has the wrong painting. Howard is mortified that he had the wrong picture, Monty was right. Jerome went to work with the fathers art rival to get his fathers attention, he is totally rebelling against him -- yet it's strange that he is rebelling by becoming uber conservative. Kiki is upset at Howard because he had an affair - maybe Jerome is getting his father back for hurting his mother. Is there room in a family to support a difference of right-wing v. left-wing. Jerome sees this family and it is what he thinks he wants, he wants to test out this "perfect" family. When you marry someone you also marry their family in a way, you are taking on more than just one individual. Family defines someone differently than any other social group they are in. Part of falling in love with someone is seeing their interactions with all of these groups, and falling in love with these parts too.