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289996

A Foucauldian Reading of Utopias/Dystopias in Selected Novels by Margaret Atwood

Article

Last updated: 25 Dec 2024

Subjects

-

Tags

Studies in World Literature

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of utopian systems by investigating Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1986), The Testaments (2019) and The Heart Goes Last (2015). Set in different ages, the selected novels discuss the changes that happen in the lives of different characters who live in utopian societies that eventually turn into dystopias. The theoretical framework applied in this study is Michel Foucault's theory of power specifically the concepts of surveillance, discourse, and governmentality. ‘Surveillance' is the continuous observation and assessment of citizens. ‘Discourse' is the language that shapes a society's relationships and constitute knowledge and meaning. Lastly, ‘governmentality' is implementing certain rules and regulations in order to manipulate the minds of the citizens. These three concepts allow the people in authority to control the lives of the citizens. The study proves the futility of applying utopian systems in the real world as they always fail and turn into dystopias instead.

DOI

10.21608/tjhss.2023.289996

Keywords

dystopia, discourse, surveillance and assessment, governmentality

Authors

First Name

Salma

Last Name

Hanno

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Assistant Lecturer at Modern Sciences and Arts University (MSA University)

Email

salmahanno93@gmail.com

City

Cairo

Orcid

-

Volume

4

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

39283

Issue Date

2023-01-01

Receive Date

2022-12-03

Publish Date

2023-01-01

Page Start

76

Page End

90

Print ISSN

2636-4239

Online ISSN

2636-4247

Link

https://tjhss.journals.ekb.eg/article_289996.html

Detail API

https://tjhss.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=289996

Order

289,996

Type

Original Article

Type Code

1,087

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Transcultural Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Publication Link

https://tjhss.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

A Foucauldian Reading of Utopias/Dystopias in Selected Novels by Margaret Atwood

Details

Type

Article

Created At

25 Dec 2024