Thatcher’s young men and the end of the party: parody, predictions and problems in literary representations of Thatcherism

This collection examines the social and cultural legacy of Thatcherism in the 21st century. As Thatcherism’s long hold over British politics comes to an uncertain end - or enters a newly reconfigured and renegotiated phase - its original contradictions are increasingly exposed. This chapter links two of them: Thatcherism as nationalist project versus its orientation towards transnational wealth; and its appeal to ambitious, destructively creative young men versus its social conservatism. These connected contradictions are a route into interpreting both Thatcherism’s appeal and how this appeal has come apart over time, as this chapter will explore through literary representations of Thatcherism from Alan Hollinghurst, Hanif Kureishi, and Ian McEwan.