AVERTISSEMENT ET POSSIBILITÉ DE REINVENTER LE SENS DANS « LOBOCOAGULAREA PREFRONTALĂ » DE VASILE VOICULESCU
WARNING AND POSSIBILITY OF REINVENTING MEANING IN VASILE VOICULESCU'S "LOBOCOAGULAREA PREFRONTALĂ"

Summary/Abstract: In the context of the Romanian Gulag literature, dystopian writings occupy a prominent place; among these is the short story Lobocoagularea prefrontală (Prefontal Lobocoagulation) by Vasile Voiculescu, written in 1948, a year that clearly signals the consolidation of the communist regime in the newly proclaimed Romanian People’s Republic. Voiculescu’s allegorical prose explores a theme frequently encountered in dystopian narratives that construct their universe based on the reality of the communist camp: the re-education of the subjects’ thinking, through prefrontal lobocoagulation - a procedure devised by the Supreme Presidium and intended to emotionally immunize the individual. Starting from the premise that dystopia represents not only a warning but also a possibility for the reinvention of meaning, this paper analyzes Vasile Voiculescu’s prose by highlighting the dual function of dystopian discourse in the political imagination: critical and regenerative at the same time.

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