Natasha Brown: Assembly (2021)

Who is the author of Assembly?

Natasha Brown

When was Assembly published?

2021

How is Assembly often described in relation to Mrs Dalloway?

As Natasha Brown’s modern answer to Mrs Dalloway

Why was the publication of Assembly a surprise?

It appeared suddenly and immediately received critical attention

Where was Natasha Brown born and when?

London, 1990

What did Natasha Brown study at university?

Mathematics at Cambridge

In which sector did Natasha Brown work before becoming a novelist?

Finance in London

How long did Natasha Brown work in finance?

About ten years

How did Assembly originate according to Brown?

From notes she took while working in finance

What recognition did Assembly receive after publication?

Several awards and nominations

What major literary list was Natasha Brown included in in 2023?

Granta’s 20 Best of Young British Novelists

What is the criterion for Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists list?

Novelists under 40, selected every ten years

What novel did Natasha Brown publish after Assembly?

Universality

When was Universality published?

2025

What is Granta?

A UK literary magazine and publisher focused on the power of storytelling

How is the narrative structure of Assembly best described?

It is highly fragmented, non-linear, and often appears to lack a conventional plot

Who is the main character in Assembly?

A nameless woman of colour who functions as an outsider

How does the text of Assembly formally change toward the end of the novel?

The language and structure begin to dissolve and fragment more intensely

What key information about the protagonist is revealed gradually in Assembly?

That she is ill and has cancer

Why does the protagonist’s illness matter for the novel’s form and content?

It explains why she is writing and contributes to the fragmentation of the text

Is the protagonist’s illness explicitly stated from the beginning?

No, it becomes clearer only toward the end of the novel

Where does outsidership primarily take place in Assembly?

Within elite institutions, central London, and the financial world

How does Assembly differ from other outsider narratives studied in the course?

Outsidership occurs at the centre of power rather than at the social margins

What central question does Assembly pose about outsidership?

What outsidership looks like when you appear to have succeeded

How can the protagonist’s social position be described?

She is successful but only conditionally included

What is meant by “conditional inclusion” in Assembly?

Acceptance that depends on constant performance and conformity rather than true belonging

How does the protagonist relate to her surroundings socially and intellectually?

She is extremely self-conscious and constantly observes and analyses others

How does intelligence function for the protagonist in Assembly?

It allows her to outsmart others but also deepens her isolation

Why can being “the smartest person in the room” be painful in Assembly?

Because it intensifies the protagonist’s awareness of exclusion, especially as a woman of colour

How is Hester Prynne marked as an outsider?

She is publicly disciplined and marked by the scarlet A as a bodily sign of disapproval

How is Bigger Thomas excluded in Native Son?

He is violently excluded from social and economic mobility because of racism

What defines Sethe’s outsidership in Beloved?

She is haunted by a traumatic past she cannot live with or without

Why does Esther Greenwood collapse in The Bell Jar?

She collapses under the pressure of 1950s gender norms

How is Jamee’s story different from the other outsider figures?

It focuses on a strong woman seeking her own voice rather than being punished

What kind of norms oppress Jamee?

Strict social and marital norms imposed by men

How does the MC’s outsidership in Assembly differ from the others?

It is internal rather than imposed as punishment

In what way is Assembly a remake of Mrs Dalloway?

It features a woman in London reflecting on her life with clear intertextual links

How does the MC in Assembly differ from Clarissa Dalloway?

She does not return to or reconcile with her life

What central theme does Assembly explore through outsidership?

Belonging as insecure and conditional

What is required to belong in the world of Assembly?

Continuous performance, conformity, and displays of gratitude

Why is outsidership in Assembly described as exhaustion?

Because it wears the MC down rather than being violently enforced

What does it mean to say that Assembly dismantles the promise of a neoliberal meritocracy?

It shows that success and hard work do not erase structural marginality or guarantee true belonging

How does inclusion affect the MC’s sense of outsidership in Assembly?

The more she is embraced, the more aware she becomes that she does not truly belong

What happens to the MC’s moral strength as she advances socially?

It is gradually weakened by constant self-monitoring and adaptation

What does the quote about the quill and intimacy on p.24 suggest?

It briefly creates the illusion of belonging and shared intimacy

Why does the picnic scene emphasise the MC’s outsidership?

She does not fit into the heterosexual couple-based social structure

How is the MC described at the picnic?

She is “unclassified,” neither man nor wife

What does “born here, parents born here, always lived here, but never from here” express?

A sense of permanent non-belonging despite national and social rootedness

How do politeness, civility, and liberal discourse function in the novel?

They act as subtle mechanisms of control that regulate behaviour and silence dissent

Why do these mechanisms both empower and marginalise the MC?

She masters them to survive, but they also enforce her outsidership

What are the three main settings of Assembly?

The office, the family home, and the wedding anniversary party at a country estate

What do these three locations have in common?

Each reinforces social hierarchy rather than diminishing it

How does the MC experience the wedding anniversary party in Assembly?

She feels extremely alienated despite being treated politely

Why does the MC distrust the parents’ friendliness at the wedding anniversary party?

She knows they would prefer their son to date someone else

How does the MC perceive the way her boyfriend’s parents see her?

As an object rather than a fully accepted person

What does the MC believe about her presence at the wedding anniversary party?

That she is not truly wanted there

How would you describe the narrative style of Assembly?

Extremely concise, severe, and suggestive

How can the MC in Assembly be compared to Bartleby?

Like Bartleby’s “I would prefer not to,” she resists without openly refusing her life

What does the MC “prefer not to” in Assembly?

Living the life she is currently living

How is Assembly comparable to Mrs Dalloway in terms of structure?

Both focus on consciousness rather than external action

How does meaning emerge in Assembly?

Through the accumulation of observations rather than events

What kind of ending does Assembly have?

An open ending without redemption or resolution

What expectation does Assembly resist as a novel?

The expectation that it should offer hope or redemption

Why does the MC have to survive “for no apparent reason”?

Because survival itself is presented as an imposed condition, not a choice

How does the novel echo the concept of the veil?

The MC feels seen only as a Black woman, not as herself

What kind of outsidership do earlier novels on the syllabus examine?

Outsidership marked by stigma, exclusion, psychological alienation, or historical trauma

Where is outsidership typically located in novels like The Scarlet Letter, Native Son, and Beloved?

At the margins of society

How does Assembly shift the focus of outsidership?

Assembly explores outsidership within elite institutions rather than at the margins

What kind of social spaces does Assembly focus on?

Elite and powerful institutions

How is inclusion experienced in Assembly?

As conditional and unstable

What is required to maintain inclusion in Assembly?

Constant self-regulation and performance

How does Assembly differ from earlier syllabus novels in its treatment of exclusion?

Exclusion is subtle and internal rather than overt and punitive

What central question guides the reading of Assembly?

What does outsidership look like when one appears to have “made it”?

Why is the MC’s outsidership in Assembly more difficult to identify?

Because she is outwardly successful and socially included

What does Assembly suggest about success and belonging?

That success does not guarantee secure belonging

How is outsidership usually presented in earlier canonical texts on the syllabus?

As visible, overt, and narratively legible

How is Hester Prynne’s outsidership marked?

Through public discipline and a visible bodily sign

How is Bigger Thomas excluded?

Through violent exclusion from social and economic mobility

How does Sethe experience outsidership?

Through a past that haunts her and cannot be contained

What causes Esther Greenwood’s outsidership?

Psychic collapse under rigid gender norms

What is Janie Crawford’s central struggle?

Finding her voice within restrictive social and marital structures

How does Assembly redefine outsidership?

As structural and affective rather than overtly punitive

What is the social position of the narrator in Assembly?

Professionally successful and socially mobile

Why is the narrator’s belonging unstable in Assembly?

Because it is always provisional and conditional

How is belonging structured in Assembly?

As conditional rather than secure

What is required to maintain inclusion in Assembly?

Continuous performance of competence, restraint, and gratitude

How is difference treated in Assembly?

It is tolerated only when it remains unobtrusive

How is outsidership enforced in Assembly?

Through attrition and exhaustion rather than punishment

What makes outsidership in Assembly less visible?

The absence of spectacle or explicit discipline

What promise does Assembly dismantle?

The promise of neoliberal meritocracy

How do education and professional success affect the narrator’s marginality in Assembly?

They intensify her awareness of it rather than resolving it

How is punishment portrayed in The Scarlet Letter?

As public and unavoidable

How is exclusion depicted in Native Son?

As brutal and absolute

What happens to success narratives in The Bell Jar?

They collapse under gendered expectations

How is agency treated in Their Eyes Were Watching God?

Limited agency is gradually transformed into voice

Where is outsidership produced in Assembly?

Inside success itself

On what terms is the narrator included in Assembly?

On terms that require emotional self-erasure and constant vigilance

How does Assembly differ from earlier texts in its depiction of outsidership?

Outsidership is not imposed from outside but generated within elite inclusion

What does outsidership in Assembly cost the narrator?

Continuous vigilance, restraint, and self-erasure

Is outsidership in Assembly defined by lack of opportunity?

No, it is defined by the cost of accessing opportunity