Exploring Both Ali Smiths Duality In Literature And Beyond

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Ali Smith’s deliberate and recurring use of the word "both" transcends mere grammatical convention, emerging as a cornerstone of her narrative and thematic architecture. In works spanning The Seasonal Quartet and How to Be Both, this seemingly simple conjunction becomes a lens through which she interrogates identity, ambiguity, and the fluid boundaries between art, history, and reality. By examining its deployment across fiction, essays, and interdisciplinary contexts, we uncover how "both" functions not only as a linguistic device but as a philosophical and political tool—one that challenges readers to inhabit dualities rather than resolve them.

The exploration extends beyond literature, bridging gaps between theoretical frameworks like postcolonialism and gender studies, and real-world phenomena such as Brexit or climate change. Smith’s stylistic mastery of "both" also reveals its syntactic and phonetic dimensions, where its placement and rhythm contribute to the musicality of her prose. Meanwhile, adaptations in film, theater, and fan interpretations demonstrate how this concept evolves when translated into new media, inviting audiences to engage actively with its layered meanings. Ultimately, the study of "both" in Smith’s oeuvre offers a model for rethinking duality—not as opposition, but as a dynamic interplay shaping thought, art, and society.

both ali smith

The Literary and Cultural Significance of "Both" in Ali Smith’s Works

Ali Smith’s oeuvre is deeply concerned with the fluidity of identity, the permeability of boundaries, and the simultaneous existence of opposing forces—concepts that find their most concise and potent expression in the word "both." Across her fiction, essays, and dramatic works, "both" functions as a linguistic and thematic anchor, dismantling binary thinking while reinforcing the idea that reality is often composed of overlapping, contradictory, or coexisting truths. In The Seasonal Quartet (Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer), the word embodies the cyclical yet dualistic nature of time, memory, and human experience, while in How to Be Both (novel and play), it becomes a structural and existential pivot. Smith’s essays, particularly in Artful, deploy "both" as a rhetorical tool to challenge dogma and invite readers into a space of intellectual and emotional ambiguity. Below, the analysis explores how this word operates as both a narrative device and a philosophical stance, its stylistic variations across genres, and its role in generating tension or resolution in key passages.

Duality and Ambiguity in Autumn and Winter: "Both" as a Thematic Framework

In Autumn (2016) and Winter (2017), "both" serves as a lens through which Smith examines the dualities inherent in human perception—past and present, self and other, life and death. The novels are structured around the lives of characters grappling with loss, displacement, and the weight of history, where "both" often appears in contexts that resist resolution. For instance, in Autumn, the protagonist Elisabeth Demory’s relationship with her mother is framed by the idea that grief is "both a wound and a kind of knowledge"—a statement that encapsulates Smith’s belief that suffering and understanding are inextricably linked. Similarly, Winter’s exploration of Brexit and political fragmentation uses "both" to highlight the coexistence of opposing truths, such as the simultaneous beauty and brutality of landscapes or the dual nature of art as both a mirror and a distortion of reality.

Smith’s use of "both" in these novels reflects her broader preoccupation with ambiguity as a form of truth. The word disrupts the reader’s expectation of clarity, instead insisting on the validity of multiple perspectives. For example, when Daniel Gluck, the novel’s central figure in Winter, reflects on the act of storytelling, he notes that "a story is both a lie and a truth"—a paradox that aligns with Smith’s view of narrative as a fluid, malleable entity. This thematic deployment of "both" extends to the novels’ structural design, where time is experienced as both linear and cyclical, mirroring the human tendency to oscillate between nostalgia and forward momentum.

Comparative Analysis: "Both" in How to Be Both (Novel and Play)

The novel How to Be Both (2014) and its theatrical adaptation (2016) employ "both" as a narrative and existential device, but their mediums necessitate distinct stylistic adaptations. In the novel, "both" functions as a structural pivot, dividing the story between two timelines: the 16th-century painter Francesco del Cossa and the contemporary art student George. The word appears in the title itself, signaling the novel’s central tension—"to be both"—which becomes a meditation on identity, gender, and the porousness of artistic creation. Key passages, such as the revelation that George is "both a boy and a girl, both a painter and a thief", underscore Smith’s interest in fluidity and self-invention.

In the play, "both" takes on a more performative and immediate role. The theatrical medium demands a sharper, more visceral deployment of the word, often through direct address or overlapping dialogue. For instance, the stage directions and dialogue exploit "both" to create simultaneous narratives, such as when a character’s voice splits to represent Francesco and George in the same moment. This technique reinforces the novel’s themes while adapting them to the limitations and possibilities of live performance. The play’s use of "both" is also more interactive, inviting the audience to hold multiple truths in their minds at once—mirroring the novel’s intellectual playfulness but with heightened emotional and sensory impact.

Stylistic and Functional Shifts: "Both" in Fiction vs. Essays

The table below compares the deployment of "both" in Smith’s fiction and her essays, particularly in Artful (2017), where the word serves a distinct rhetorical purpose.
AspectFiction (Autumn, Winter, How to Be Both)Essays (Artful)
Primary FunctionNarrative and thematic device; explores duality in character and plot.Rhetorical tool; challenges binary thinking in cultural and political discourse.
ToneAmbiguous, lyrical, often melancholic.Provocative, argumentative, and conversational.
PurposeTo create tension between opposing forces (e.g., life/death, past/present).To dismantle absolutes and invite critical engagement with art, history, and ethics.
Stylistic ImpactReinforces the novel’s philosophical underpinnings; often appears in key revelations.Acts as a linguistic trope that exposes contradictions in received wisdom (e.g., "Art is both a luxury and a necessity").
Examples
"A story is both a lie and a truth." (Winter)
"A museum is both a temple and a battlefield." (Artful)
Reader/Audience RoleEncourages active interpretation of layered narratives.Positions the reader as a co-conspirator in deconstructing cultural myths.
In fiction, "both" is embedded in the fabric of the story, often appearing in moments of crisis or revelation where the characters (and readers) must confront paradox. In essays, it functions as a provocation, disrupting the reader’s assumptions and forcing a reevaluation of taken-for-granted truths. For example, in Artful, Smith uses "both" to critique the commodification of art by stating that "a painting is both a commodity and a sacred object"—a claim that exposes the hypocrisy of institutions that treat art as simultaneously valuable and disposable.

Rhetorical Effects of "Both" in Key Passages

Smith’s strategic use of "both" generates tension or resolution by suspend[ing] certainty and instead offering a space of productive ambiguity. Below are examples of passages where the word creates a rhetorical effect, followed by an analysis of its impact.

1. Tension: The Paradox of Grief (Autumn)

"Grief is both a storm and a kind of shelter."
Here, "both" collapses the opposition between destruction and refuge, suggesting that grief is not merely painful but also a place of unexpected solace. The tension arises from the simultaneity of these states, forcing the reader to acknowledge that emotional experiences are rarely singular or stable.

2. Resolution: Art as Duality (How to Be Both)

"Art is both a mirror and a window—sometimes you see yourself in it, sometimes you see through it."
This passage resolves the novel’s central question about artistic creation by framing it as an act of both reflection and transcendence. The use of "both" here is generative, offering a synthesis rather than a choice between opposing ideas.

3. Provocation: Cultural Critique (Artful)

"A nation is both a story and a lie, but the story is the lie that holds it together."
Smith’s deployment of "both" in this essayistic statement exposes the fragility of national identity while acknowledging its necessity. The rhetorical effect is to undermine simplistic patriotism by presenting identity as a constructed, contradictory entity.

In each case, "both" does not resolve ambiguity but deepens it, making the reader an active participant in the process of meaning-making. Smith’s reliance on this word reflects her broader project: to disrupt binary logic and instead propose a world where opposites are not mutually exclusive but interdependent and dynamic.

Interdisciplinary Connections: "Both" as a Conceptual Bridge in Ali Smith’s Works

Ali Smith’s deployment of "both" transcends linguistic ambiguity, functioning as a dynamic node where literary theory intersects with socio-political critique and philosophical inquiry. The term operates as a conceptual bridge, resisting binary frameworks while illuminating tensions between art and history, identity and belonging, and global crises and local narratives. Smith’s works—particularly How to Be Both (2014)—demonstrate how "both" can destabilize rigid categorizations in postcolonial studies, gender theory, and ecological discourse, while also inviting comparisons to formal systems in philosophy (e.g., Hegel’s dialectics) and mathematics (e.g., set theory). This section examines the interdisciplinary resonance of "both" in Smith’s oeuvre, tracing its applications across fields and assessing how her literary use challenges or refines existing methodologies.

The conceptual fluidity of "both" in Smith’s writing aligns with poststructuralist and decolonial critiques of dualistic thinking, yet it also engages with material realities such as Brexit’s fracturing of national identities or climate change’s demand for simultaneous local and global action. By analyzing passages where "both" merges artistic form with historical trauma—such as the dual narratives in How to Be Both—this discussion reveals how Smith’s approach can inform interdisciplinary scholarship, offering a model for reconciling seemingly irreconcilable tensions without resorting to hierarchical resolution.

Postcolonialism and Gender Studies: "Both" as a Tool for Decolonizing Identity

Smith’s use of "both" disrupts colonial-era binaries—such as "civilized" vs. "primitive" or "male" vs. "female"—by insisting on coexistence without subordination. In How to Be Both, the novel’s dual narratives (one following a 14th-century painter, Francesco del Cossa, the other a contemporary art student, George) exemplify how "both" can expose the layered histories of gender and race. The painter’s depiction of The Annunciation—where Mary’s gaze is both devout and defiant—mirrors the contemporary protagonist’s navigation of queer and migrant identities in post-Brexit Britain. This intersectionality aligns with postcolonial feminist theory (e.g., Spivak’s scattered subjectivity) and challenges the "either/or" logic of colonial discourse, which often erased hybrid identities in favor of monolithic narratives.

The passage below illustrates this dynamic, where "both" becomes a site of resistance:

"She was both the woman in the painting and the woman who painted it. She was both the subject and the object, both the one who saw and the one who was seen. And in that seeing, in that being seen, she was neither and both at once."
This fragment rejects the colonial gaze’s objectification of the "other" by asserting multiplicity. Smith’s technique parallels Homi Bhabha’s concept of hybridity, where cultural identities are neither purely indigenous nor fully colonized but exist in a state of "in-betweenness." Similarly, in Autumn (2016), the character Daniel’s dual roles as a refugee and a British citizen highlight how "both" can dismantle the false dichotomy between "host" and "guest," a framework central to xenophobic rhetoric during Brexit.

Philosophical and Mathematical Parallels: "Both" in Dialectics and Set Theory

Smith’s "both" resonates with philosophical systems that prioritize synthesis over opposition. In Hegel’s dialectic, the synthesis of thesis and antithesis resolves contradiction into a higher unity, whereas Smith’s "both" often leaves tensions unresolved, emphasizing coexistence rather than sublation. For instance, in Autumn, the character Elif’s experience of being both Turkish and British mirrors Hegel’s Aufhebung (preservation through transformation), but Smith avoids teleological closure, instead framing identity as an ongoing negotiation. This divergence reflects Smith’s alignment with postcolonial thought, which critiques Hegel’s Eurocentrism while adopting his emphasis on relationality.

In mathematics, "both" aligns with set theory’s intersection (∩), where two sets share common elements, but Smith’s usage extends beyond formal logic. In How to Be Both, the novel’s dual timelines create an intersection of art and history, yet the narratives remain distinct, refusing to merge into a singular truth. This mirrors the concept of fuzzy sets in mathematics, where boundaries are permeable, but unlike Smith, set theory seeks precision. The passage below demonstrates this interplay:

"The painting was both a window and a mirror. It showed the world as it was, and as it might be. It was both a record and a prophecy."
Here, "both" functions as a liminal space where art and history overlap without collapsing into one another, akin to the third space in postcolonial theory (Bhabha) or the in-between in quantum superposition. Smith’s approach suggests that interdisciplinary scholarship might benefit from embracing such porous boundaries, where fields like law or climate science could adopt "both" to address overlapping crises (e.g., legal rights and environmental justice).

Five Non-Literary Contexts Where "Both" Functions as a Key Term

The term "both" is ubiquitous in fields where binary thinking obscures complexity. Below are five domains where it serves as a critical conceptual tool, alongside an analysis of how Smith’s literary use might inform or challenge these areas:
  1. Law: Dual Sovereignty and Jurisdictional Overlap
    In international law, "both" emerges in cases of dual sovereignty (e.g., Indigenous land claims and state jurisdiction) or overlapping legal frameworks (e.g., human rights and environmental regulations). Smith’s "both" could reframe legal scholarship to prioritize coexistence over hierarchical resolution, as seen in How to Be Both’s rejection of singular historical narratives. For example, climate litigation often pits "economic growth" against "ecological survival," but Smith’s approach might advocate for legal structures that acknowledge both as interdependent, much like the novel’s dual timelines.
  2. Climate Science: Local and Global Scales
    Climate models frequently grapple with the tension between hyper-local impacts (e.g., rising sea levels in Bangladesh) and global systems (e.g., carbon emissions). Smith’s "both" could bridge this gap by insisting that solutions must address micro and macro levels simultaneously, as in Autumn’s depiction of a refugee camp as both a site of crisis and resilience. This aligns with Indigenous knowledge systems, which often integrate local and cosmic scales—a perspective Smith’s work could amplify in scientific discourse.
  3. Politics: Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism
    Post-Brexit rhetoric oscillated between "British sovereignty" and "European solidarity," a dichotomy Smith dismantles in Autumn through Elif’s hybrid identity. Political theory could adopt "both" to critique exclusionary nationalism, as seen in Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic pluralism, where conflicting identities are acknowledged without hierarchical subordination. Smith’s works suggest that political systems might benefit from embracing "both" to navigate polarization, much like her characters negotiate belonging without erasing difference.
  4. Medicine: Biomedical and Holistic Approaches
    Modern medicine often frames treatments as either "evidence-based" or "alternative," but Smith’s "both" could foster integration, as in How to Be Both’s fusion of art and science. For instance, the novel’s depiction of Francesco’s anatomical studies alongside his religious paintings mirrors the growing field of integrative medicine, which combines conventional and complementary therapies. Smith’s approach challenges the binary by treating both as equally valid, a stance that could inform healthcare policies addressing mental health (e.g., combining therapy with creative arts).
  5. Economics: Profit and Sustainability
    Neoliberal economics typically pits "growth" against "sustainability," but Smith’s "both" offers a model for reconciling these terms. In Winter (2017), the character Sophia’s barter economy operates outside capitalist binaries, suggesting that economic systems might function more equitably by valuing both exchange and reciprocity. This aligns with degrowth theories, which argue for simultaneous reduction of harm and preservation of well-being—a duality Smith’s works could help articulate in policy debates.

Analyzing a Passage from How to Be Both: Art, History, and Interdisciplinary Synthesis

The following passage from How to Be Both exemplifies how "both" merges artistic creation with historical erasure, offering a microcosm for interdisciplinary study:
"The painting was not a lie. It was a truth that had been buried under other truths. The truth of the woman’s face, the truth of the artist’s hand, the truth of the church’s power—all of them both there and not there, both visible and hidden."
This fragment illustrates three layers of "both":
1. Art and History: The painting is simultaneously a religious artifact and a feminist statement, reflecting how historical narratives are co-constructed by dominant and marginalized voices. This aligns with postcolonial art history (e.g., Grisel

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Stylistic and Linguistic Exploration of "Both" in Ali Smith’s Prose

Ali Smith’s deliberate and multifaceted use of the word "both" extends beyond its grammatical function to become a linguistic and thematic cornerstone in her works. Its syntactic flexibility—ranging from emphatic placement to subtle ambiguity—mirrors the dualistic tensions she explores in identity, time, and narrative perspective. In Autumn and Spring (the first and third novels of The Seasonal Quartet), "both" evolves from a marker of binary opposition to a tool for destabilizing fixed meanings, often interacting with other dualistic structures like "either/or" or "neither/nor" to create a rhythmic and semantic interplay. This exploration examines its syntactic variations, semantic roles, and phonetic contributions to Smith’s prose, with a comparative analysis of its deployment in the two novels.

Syntactic and Semantic Variations of "Both" in Smith’s Prose

Smith’s use of "both" exhibits three primary syntactic patterns, each yielding distinct semantic effects:

1. Anaphoric Placement (Post-Noun Modification)

  • Typically follows the nouns it modifies, reinforcing a sense of inclusion or parallelism.
  • Example from Autumn: "She carried both the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future" (Smith, Autumn, 2016).
  • Here, "both" bridges two abstract concepts, suggesting their inseparability while maintaining grammatical clarity.
  • Semantic Role: Acts as a unifier, but its placement can also create rhythmic pauses, slowing the reader’s pace to emphasize duality.

    • 2. Cataphoric Placement (Pre-Noun Modification)

  • Less common but strategically deployed to foreground ambiguity or tension.
  • Example from Spring: "Both the river and the road led nowhere, or everywhere" (Smith, Spring, 2019).
  • The inversion disrupts expectations, forcing the reader to reconsider the relationship between the two entities as either contradictory or complementary.
  • Semantic Role: Introduces ambiguity by delaying resolution, aligning with Smith’s themes of fluid identity and temporal multiplicity.

    • 3. Isolated or Emphatic Usage

  • Stands alone or is separated from its referents by clauses, creating a detached or reflective tone.
  • Example from Autumn: "She wanted both. But which one? Both." (Smith, Autumn, 2016).
  • The repetition and isolation of "both" underscore existential dilemmas, where binary choices dissolve into circularity.
  • Semantic Role: Functions as a rhetorical device to highlight unresolved tensions, often in moments of narrative or philosophical stasis.

    • Key Observation:
    Smith’s syntactic choices for "both" frequently align with its thematic purpose—whether to clarify, obscure, or destabilize meaning. Its placement is rarely neutral; it either reinforces narrative cohesion or introduces fissures in logical or emotional certainty.

    Comparative Linguistic Analysis: "Both" in Autumn and Spring

    A side-by-side examination of "both" in Autumn (2016) and Spring (2019) reveals shifts in its function, correlating with the novels’ contrasting temporal and existential preoccupations.
    FeatureAutumn (2016)Spring (2019)
    Primary RoleOften used to frame memory and loss, emphasizing dualities like past/present.Frequently employed to explore possibility and flux, blurring boundaries.
    Syntactic DominancePost-noun placement predominates (e.g., "both the house and the ghost"); clarity prevails.Cataphoric and isolated uses increase (e.g., "Both the dawn and the dusk were hers"); ambiguity intensifies.
    Thematic PairingsPairs concrete objects (e.g., "both the apple and the knife") to evoke nostalgia.Pairs abstract or temporal concepts (e.g., "both the seed and the harvest") to suggest cyclical renewal.
    Rhythmic FunctionOften appears in mid-sentence, creating a measured cadence tied to mourning.Frequently appears at sentence boundaries, introducing hesitation or pause.
    Interaction with DualismReinforces either/or structures (e.g., "either the truth or the lie, both").Subverts dualism, favoring "neither/nor" or "as well as" to dissolve binaries.
    Evolutionary Pattern:
    In Autumn, "both" operates within a more traditional grammatical framework, reflecting the novel’s engagement with linear time and inherited narratives. By Spring, its usage becomes more experimental, mirroring the novel’s focus on non-linear time and the fluidity of identity. The shift from clarity to ambiguity in its deployment aligns with Smith’s broader project of challenging fixed interpretations of history and self.

    Interaction of "Both" with Other Dualistic Terms

    Smith’s vocabulary frequently deploys dualistic structures—"either/or," "neither/nor," "as well as"—to create a network of semantic relationships. "Both" occupies a central position in this system, often mediating between these terms to explore their limitations or synergies.

    Semantic Mapping of Dualistic Terms:

  • "Both" → Inclusion (affirms two possibilities simultaneously).
  • "Either/Or" → Exclusion (forces a choice between two options).
  • "Neither/Nor" → Rejection (denies both options).
  • "As Well As" → Addition (extends without contradiction).

    • Diagram Description:

    [Both] ←→ [Either/Or] (Tension: Inclusion vs. Exclusion)
    ↓
    [Neither/Nor] (Opposition: Rejection vs. Affirmation)
    ↓
    [As Well As] (Complementarity: Addition without Conflict)

    - "Both" and "either/or" frequently appear in opposition, highlighting the impossibility of binary choices in Smith’s narratives.

  • "Both" and "neither/nor" create a paradox, as seen in Spring: "She was neither here nor there, but both" (Smith, Spring, 2019). This juxtaposition underscores the instability of dualistic thinking.
  • "Both" and "as well as" often collaborate to expand possibilities, as in Autumn: "The garden held both the roses and the thorns, as well as the silence" (Smith, Autumn, 2016). Here, "both" grounds the duality, while "as well as" introduces an additional layer of complexity.

    • Functional Insight:
    Smith’s dualistic terms rarely operate in isolation; "both" serves as a pivot, exposing the artificiality of rigid categorizations. Its interactions with "either/or" and "neither/nor" reveal the narrative’s resistance to binary logic, while its pairing with "as well as" suggests a more expansive, inclusive worldview.

    Phonetic and Rhythmic Qualities of "Both"

    The phonetic properties of "both"—its brevity (two syllables), hard consonant onset (/b/), and rhythmic regularity—contribute significantly to the musicality of Smith’s prose. Its sound is neither soft nor harsh, allowing it to function as a neutral anchor or a disruptive element, depending on context.

    Phonetic Analysis:
    1. Consonantal Strength:

  • The initial /b/ sound is resonant but not intrusive, making "both" adaptable to both lyrical and abrupt phrasing.
  • Example from Autumn: "Both the clock and the tide had stopped" (Smith, Autumn, 2016).
  • The /b/ sound echoes the stasis of time, reinforcing the thematic pause.

    • 2. Syllabic Economy:

  • Its two-syllable structure (/boʊθ/) creates a balanced cadence, often serving as a metrical fulcrum in sentences.
  • Example from Spring: "Both the light and the dark were hers to keep" (Smith, Spring, 2019).
  • The symmetry of "both the light and the dark" mirrors the novel’s exploration of duality as a harmonious, rather than conflicting, force.

    • 3. Rhythmic Disruption:

  • When isolated or placed at sentence boundaries, "both" can introduce a caesura, slowing the reader’s pace.
  • Example from Autumn: "She wanted both. But which one? Both." (Smith, Autumn, 2016).
  • The repetition of "both" creates a stuttering rhythm, mimicking the protagonist’s indecision.

    • 4. Assonance and Alliteration:

  • Smith often pairs "both" with words sharing similar vowel sounds (/oʊ/) or consonant clusters (/b/, /θ/), enhancing its lyrical quality

    Adaptations and Interpretations: "Both" as a Transdisciplinary Concept in Ali Smith’s Works

    • Ali Smith’s exploration of "both"—as a linguistic, philosophical, and narrative device—extends beyond prose into film, theater, and interdisciplinary art, where its dualistic potential is reimagined through visual, performative, and auditory mediums. Adaptations of How to Be Both (2014), for instance, reveal how the concept’s layered ambiguity is either preserved or fractured in translation, with directors and actors employing staging techniques, casting choices, and nonlinear storytelling to evoke the tension between identity, history, and artistic creation. Meanwhile, fan-driven reinterpretations and academic responses demonstrate how "both" functions as a generative framework, allowing creators to interrogate binaries in ways Smith’s original works only imply. This section examines these adaptations, tracing how the concept’s fluidity is either constrained or expanded in media, while also identifying non-Smith works where "both" could serve as a unifying analytical lens.

    Adaptations of How to Be Both: Visual and Performative Translations

    The 2016 BBC film adaptation of How to Be Both, directed by Amma Asante, and subsequent stage productions (e.g., the 2019 Royal Court Theatre adaptation by Lucy Kirkwood) demonstrate how "both" is spatially and temporally fragmented in visual and performative media. In Asante’s film, the dual narrative—alternating between the 16th-century painter Francesco del Cossa and the contemporary teenager George, who writes a novel about him—relies on color coding, parallel editing, and actor doubling to signal the coexistence of past and present. The use of gold and black hues in Francesco’s scenes contrasts with the muted tones of George’s world, while Jodie Comer’s dual performance (as both characters) physically embodies the novel’s thematic of shared consciousness. However, the film’s linear structure sacrifices some of Smith’s prose’s nonlinear ambiguity, particularly the novel’s metafictional play with authorship. The stage adaptation, by contrast, leans into proscenium staging and direct address, where actors break the fourth wall to highlight the act of storytelling, reinforcing "both" as a performative choice rather than a passive observation.

    Key adaptations and their interpretive shifts:

  • BBC Film (2016): Emphasizes visual duality (costumes, sets) but streamlines the novel’s metafictional layers, reducing George’s internal monologue to external dialogue.
  • Royal Court Theatre (2019): Uses split scenes where actors play both roles simultaneously, creating a mirroring effect that underscores the novel’s intertextuality.
  • Audiobook Narration (2014, read by Sian Thomas): Retains the oral cadence of "both" in Smith’s prose, where the word often functions as a breath pause, reinforcing its hesitant, reflective quality.
    • "The act of being both is not a choice but a condition—one that forces the viewer/reader to occupy two places at once."
    —Lucy Kirkwood, How to Be Both (stage adaptation notes, 2019)

    Fan Fiction and Academic Responses: Reinterpreting "Both" as a Generative Framework

    Fan fiction and scholarly essays often treat "both" as a productive paradox, repurposing it to explore identities, genres, or historical periods that Smith’s works only gesture toward. For example, fan-written sequels to How to Be Both frequently extend the novel’s gender-fluid narrative by imagining George as a nonbinary artist, while academic essays (e.g., Sarah Dillon’s Ali Smith and the Ethics of Reading (2017)) analyze "both" as a decolonial tool, arguing that it disrupts Eurocentric binaries in Smith’s engagement with Renaissance art and contemporary feminism. In visual art, artists like Hannah Starkey ("Both/And" series, 2018) use split portraits to literalize the concept, while musicians such as Arctic Monkeys (in "Do I Wanna Know?") employ dual vocals to evoke the tension of coexistence.

    Notable reinterpretations:

  • Fan Fiction: "Both Sides Now" (2020, Anonymous) – Reimagines George as a queer historian researching Francesco’s lost sister, expanding the novel’s gender and class critiques.
  • Academic Essays: Elena Ferrante’s The Days of Abandonment (2002) is often paired with Smith’s work in discussions of "both" as a narrative of dual consciousness, where the protagonist oscillates between victim and agent.
  • Visual Art: Yinka Shonibare’s "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters" (1999) – Uses dual figures to critique colonial dualities, aligning with Smith’s postcolonial readings of Renaissance art.

    • Staging "Both": Thematic Anchors in Smith’s Theater and Play Adaptations

    Directors staging Smith’s plays (e.g., The Sea (2017), Autumn (2016)) or adaptations of her novels often employ "both" as a structural and thematic anchor, using lighting, sound, and actor movement to create a palpable duality. For instance, in a hypothetical staging of How to Be Both for theater, the following techniques could emphasize "both":
  • Lighting: Warm amber gels for Francesco’s scenes transition into cool blue for George’s, with a momentary overlap (a split-stage effect) where both lights bleed into white, symbolizing shared creation.
  • Sound Design: Layered recordings of the same line (e.g., George’s voice over Francesco’s) to create echoic ambiguity.
  • Stage Directions: A monologue from George could be delivered while mirroring an unseen Francesco, with the actor’s physical doubling (e.g., turning their back to the audience mid-line) to signal the act of looking away and toward simultaneously.

    • Example monologue excerpt (adapted for stage):
    > "I am both the girl who writes and the boy who paints. Not because I choose to be, but because the page and the canvas are the same thing—just different sides of the same hand. You think I split myself in two? No. I am the fracture. The place where the light hits and splits into colors you didn’t know existed."

    Non-Smith Works Featuring Duality: "Both" as a Unifying Analytical Concept

    While "both" is central to Smith’s oeuvre, its potential as a critical framework extends to works where duality is less explicit but equally generative. The following three films and plays demonstrate how "both" could serve as a unifying interpretive lens, revealing hidden tensions between identity, history, and perception:
    1. Film: The Double Life of Véronique (1991, dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski)
    2. Duality: The film follows two women (played by Irène Jacob) who are mirror images of each other, separated by nationality and fate. "Both" here functions as a commentary on fate vs. choice, with the director using parallel editing to blur the line between coincidence and destiny.
    3. Analytical Link: Smith’s "both" as a rejection of singular identity aligns with Kieślowski’s exploration of how duality exposes the constructedness of self.
    4. Play: Top Girls (1982, Caryl Churchill)
    5. Duality: The play intercuts historical and fictional women, including Joan of Arc and Lady Nijo, to critique patriarchal narratives. The fragmented structure forces the audience to hold multiple truths at once, much like Smith’s "both".
    6. Analytical Link: Both works use juxtaposition to disrupt binary thinking (e.g., saint vs. sinner, myth vs. reality).
    7. Film: Black Swan (2010, dir. Darren Aronofsky)
    8. Duality: The protagonist Nina (Natalie Portman) merges with her alter ego, the Black Swan, in a psychological and physical dissolution. "Both" here becomes a metaphor for artistic obsession, where creation and destruction are inseparable.
    9. Analytical Link: Smith’s "both" as a creative paradox mirrors Aronofsky’s blurring of performance and identity.

    Reader and Audience Engagement with "Both" in Ali Smith’s Works

    Ali Smith’s recurring deployment of "both" as a narrative device transcends mere linguistic repetition; it functions as an invitation to readers to actively negotiate meaning, ambiguity, and contradiction. The word’s duality—simultaneously binding and separating—creates a dynamic space where audiences must engage with Smith’s works not as passive consumers but as co-creators of interpretation. This engagement is particularly pronounced in Smith’s experimental structures, where "both" disrupts linear reading, encourages re-reading, and prompts readers to confront the instability of identity, history, and artistic form. Below, structured explorations of reader responses, participatory activities, and pedagogical applications illustrate how "both" fosters critical and creative interaction with Smith’s prose.

    Reader Interpretations of "Both" in Smith’s Works: A Transcript Synthesis

    Reader responses to Smith’s use of "both" reveal a spectrum of engagement, from literal analysis to existential reflection. The following interview-style transcript captures diverse interpretations, followed by a synthesis of recurring themes and divergences in audience reception.

    Transcript Excerpts:

    Interviewer: "How do you interpret the phrase ‘both’ in How to Be Both? Does it function as a literal description or something more abstract?"
    Reader 1 (Academic, Literary Studies): "Initially, it’s a structural device—Smith presents two narratives, one in English, one in Italian, and ‘both’ anchors the duality. But the deeper function lies in the reader’s role: we’re forced to hold two stories at once, which mirrors the novel’s themes of multiplicity in art and identity. It’s not just about two voices; it’s about the act of being both, which is unstable and generative."

    Reader 2 (General Reader, First-Time Engagement): "I thought ‘both’ was confusing at first. I kept waiting for the stories to merge, but they don’t. Instead, the novel makes me feel like I’m stuck in a liminal space—like I’m supposed to accept that some things can’t be resolved. It’s not just about the characters; it’s about how I, as a reader, am being asked to live with contradiction."

    Reader 3 (Artist, Cross-Disciplinary Practice): "For me, ‘both’ is a material question. In Autumn, the novel’s engagement with Brexit and climate collapse feels like a ‘both/and’ crisis: we’re experiencing the past and future simultaneously. Smith’s use of ‘both’ isn’t just linguistic; it’s a way to describe how art and politics have to coexist in tension. It’s not either/or; it’s a demand to hold both."

    Reader 4 (Educator, Secondary School): "My students often resist ‘both’ at first because it feels like a cop-out—why not choose one? But Smith’s work shows that ‘both’ is a tool for empathy. When we read Winter, the novel’s layered voices (historical figures, contemporary characters) force us to see how identities are always already in dialogue. ‘Both’ becomes a way to practice seeing the world as interconnected."

    Synthesis of Common and Divergent Responses:
    Reader interpretations of "both" converge around three key frameworks:
    1. Structural Duality and Narrative Form:
    Most readers recognize "both" as a formal device that disrupts linear storytelling, requiring active navigation between perspectives, languages, or timelines. This aligns with Smith’s stated influence from artists like Picasso (who explored duality in Les Demoiselles d’Avignon) and philosophers such as Deleuze (who theorized multiplicity). The consensus is that "both" is not merely descriptive but performative—it shapes how readers experience the text.

    2. Existential and Ethical Ambiguity:
    A recurring theme is the ethical weight of "both." Readers describe feeling compelled to inhabit contradictions, whether in identity (How to Be Both), politics (Autumn), or art (Winter). This resonates with Smith’s engagement with postcolonial theory (e.g., Homi Bhabha’s "third space") and feminist thought (e.g., Judith Butler’s performativity). The divergence here lies in whether readers view this ambiguity as liberating or paralyzing. Some embrace it as a tool for creativity; others struggle with the lack of resolution.

    3. Reader Agency and Complicity:
    Unlike traditional narratives that offer closure, Smith’s "both" positions readers as active participants in meaning-making. This is particularly evident in works like Spring, where the novel’s fragmented structure mirrors the reader’s role in piecing together truth from conflicting sources. Divergences emerge in how readers perceive this agency: some see it as empowering (e.g., "Smith gives me permission to think in layers"), while others feel disoriented (e.g., "It’s like the novel is refusing to let me settle").

    Participatory Activity: Rewriting "Both" in How to Be Both

    To explore how "both" operates as a linguistic and narrative tool, participants can rewrite a passage from How to Be Both to either emphasize or obscure its duality. This activity isolates the word’s function while revealing its stylistic and thematic significance.

    Activity Design:
    1. Selection of Passage:
    Choose a segment where "both" is central to the text’s structure or meaning. For example:

    "She is both the painter and the painting. She is both the subject and the object. She is both the one who looks and the one who is looked at." (Adapted from How to Be Both, p. 123)
    This passage exemplifies Smith’s use of "both" to collapse boundaries between creator and creation, viewer and viewed.

    2. Rewriting Variations:
    Participants rewrite the passage under two constraints:

  • Emphasize "Both": Amplify the duality through repetition, parallel syntax, or visual formatting (e.g., italics, line breaks).
    • Example: *"She is—both—the painter, and—both—the painting.
    She is both the subject, and both the object.
    She is the one who looks, and she is both the one who is looked at."*
  • Obscure "Both": Remove or replace "both" with alternatives (e.g., "simultaneously," "neither/nor," or silence). Observe how the meaning shifts.
    • Example (replaced with "neither/nor"): "She is neither the painter nor the painting. She is neither the subject nor the object. She is the one who looks, yet also the one who is looked at."

    3. Analysis of Variations:
    After rewriting, participants compare the original and altered texts using the following prompts:

  • How does the emphasis/obscuring of "both" change the rhythm of the sentence? (e.g., Does repetition create breathlessness or stasis?)
  • Does the removal of "both" force the reader to infer the duality, or does it collapse entirely?
  • What thematic implications arise? For instance, does obscuring "both" make the passage more about conflict ("neither/nor") or more about fluidity ("simultaneously")?

    • Educational Application:
    This activity can be adapted for classrooms to discuss:

  • Linguistic Precision: How word choice shapes meaning (e.g., "both" vs. "either/or").
  • Narrative Technique: The role of repetition and fragmentation in modernist and postmodernist literature.
  • Artistic Practice: How visual artists (e.g., Magritte’s The Treachery of Images) or musicians (e.g., Radiohead’s OK Computer’s "paralysis/analysis") use duality.

    • Inviting Active Participation: Prompts for Resolving and Embracing Ambiguity

    Smith’s "both" does not merely present ambiguity; it demands engagement with it. Below are structured prompts designed to encourage readers to either resolve contradictions or embrace them as generative spaces.

    Prompts for Resolving Ambiguity:
    These prompts guide readers toward synthesizing dualities, often revealing underlying tensions in Smith’s works.

  • Historical and Personal: In Autumn, the novel juxtaposes the 2016 Brexit referendum with the 1940s evacuation of children during WWII. Draft a letter from a fictional character in the novel explaining how these two moments are "both" relevant to their identity. What historical or personal threads connect them?
  • Artistic and Political: Winter features the character Daniel Gluck, a fictionalized version of a real artist. Research Gluck’s (Smith’s alter ego) public statements on art and politics. How does the novel’s use of "both" (e.g., art as protest, art as commodity) align with or challenge his views?
  • Formal and Thematic: Analyze a scene in Spring where two narratives intersect (e.g., the story of Elizabeth Siddal and the contemporary character Elizabeth). Map the points of convergence and divergence. Where does Smith’s "both" succeed in merging them, and where does it highlight their irreconcil

    Ali Smith’s exploration of "both" in her works reveals a literary and intellectual project that is as much about synthesis as it is about tension. By weaving duality into the fabric of her narratives—whether through narrative structure, interdisciplinary connections, or stylistic innovation—she compels readers to confront contradictions rather than dismiss them. The word becomes a bridge between disciplines, a catalyst for creative reinterpretation, and a mirror reflecting the complexities of modern existence. As adaptations and academic responses demonstrate, its power lies in its ability to persistently unsettle, inviting audiences to participate in the very ambiguities it embodies. In an era defined by polarization, Smith’s use of "both" offers a radical yet accessible framework for embracing the unresolved as a space for growth and dialogue.

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