THE MIGRATION OF POWER: DYSTOPIAN SPACE BETWEEN ENCLOSURE AND FLOW
THE MIGRATION OF POWER: DYSTOPIAN SPACE BETWEEN ENCLOSURE AND FLOW
Author(s): Valentina GherghinăSubject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Foreign languages learning, Fiction, Studies of Literature, Novel, Philology, Theory of Literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Editura Arhipelag XXI
Keywords: dystopian space; power; memory and forgetting; non-places; post-digital networks
Summary/Abstract: This paper explores how dystopian literature reflects the changing architecture of power through its visualisation of space. Focusing on Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition, I trace a historical shift from visible, territorial forms of control to networked systems of surveillance. In doing so, I draw on Foucault’s theories of discipline, Augé’s concept of non-places, and Ricoeur’s philosophy of memory. The central question driving this paper is how dystopian fiction reflects (and helps us understand) the historical transformation of power. What happens when walls and watchtowers are replaced by digital flows and invisible surveillance?By juxtaposing these two works, my main argument is that dystopian fiction acts as a critical cartography, making visible the invisible structures of control.
Journal: Journal of Romanian Literary Studies
- Issue Year: 2025
- Issue No: 42
- Page Range: 536-541
- Page Count: 6
- Language: English
