Conclusion: The State of the Nation

Abstract

The concluding chapter brings together these various stands of Graham’s work to summarise the writer’s state-of-the-nation assessment through a close analysis of Dear England in which the fantasy and reality of Englishness and its investment in physical spaces become an important motivator for a national team. The chapter considers Graham’s use of the male working-class experience in the last 40 years as a proxy for state-of-the-nation concerns through comparative discussion of Boys from the Blackstuff, diagnosing a problem of national identity and national storytelling with which these two plays begin to grapple. Finally, the chapter considers Graham’s reflection on modern Britain and its deeply rooted traditionalism that makes change difficult, bringing comfort to contemporary feelings of powerlessness and apathy, while leaving room for hope.