In a way or another, literature underlies subtle discursive processes that either inform the text with a power regime or contest it through a disruptive counter-discourse.
Taking part in circulating power-laden cultural values legitimating or countering the status- quo, literature has been a fertile ground for different currents of critical and cultural studies such as postcolonial, feminist and literary theory.
In this context, the argument of this paper investigates through examples of different literary genres how literature has always been amid a tug of war either endorsing hegemonic power representations or taking a position of resistance.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Classical Tragedy and the Worldview of Power
3. Modern Tragic Heroes and Secular Power
4. Verse, Poetic Diction, and Resistance
5. Power in Novelistic Narratives
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper investigates the interplay between literature and power, examining how diverse literary genres act either as vehicles for hegemonic power representations or as platforms for counter-discourse and resistance.
- The role of classical tragedy in legitimizing hierarchical worldviews.
- The transition from metaphysical destiny to socio-economic struggles in modern drama.
- Poetic language as both a tool for normativity and a medium for social critique.
- Ideological power structures within utopian and dystopian narratives.
- The function of literature in articulating human struggles against dominant regimes.
Excerpt from the Book
In Death of a Salesman (1949), Arthur Miller demonstrates how the power of capitalism devours the ordinary salesman Willie Loman who cannot keep up with the pace of a consumerist society.
Through a life time of toiling, the economic system exploits him to fire him at an advanced age. Moreover, growing older and economically frustrated, he becomes psychologically unstable, which shows how capitalist power relationships alienate the subordinate class. Anxious about the future of his sons, Lowman struggles to enact social mobility and create new power relationships by persisting in talking to Biff to convince him to become a businessman. Ironically, he attempts to insert his son in the same profit structure of the capitalist power that reified him as a human means of production.
Failing the ways and means to help his son, Willy crashes his car so that his son could obtain the life insurance to start his business career. In such a suicidal tragic moment, Loman voices a symbolic cry of protest against the dysfunctions of a modern capitalist power system that makes people schizophrenic and unable to enjoy life.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the paper's thesis regarding literature as a site for either endorsing hegemonic power or fostering counter-discourse.
2. Classical Tragedy and the Worldview of Power: This section discusses how ancient tragedies reinforced the "great chain of being" and neutralized human agency through supernatural subordination.
3. Modern Tragic Heroes and Secular Power: This chapter analyzes how modern playwrights like Arthur Miller shifted the conflict from metaphysical destiny to secular socio-economic pressures.
4. Verse, Poetic Diction, and Resistance: This part examines the evolution of poetic language from rigid canons of social normativity to a tool for expressing resistance against industrial utilitarianism.
5. Power in Novelistic Narratives: This section explores how novels like those of H.G. Wells and George Orwell represent ideological hegemony and individual resistance within controlled states.
6. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the complexity of the literary word, highlighting its ability to capture the irreducibility of human experience between power and the desire for freedom.
Keywords
Literature, Power, Hegemony, Counter-discourse, Classical Tragedy, Capitalism, Modern Hero, Poetic Diction, Resistance, Utopianism, Dystopia, Ideology, Human Agency, Social Normativity, Cultural Studies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores the complex relationship between literature and power, analyzing how texts function as either tools to enforce power regimes or vehicles for resistance.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The paper covers classical and modern drama, the evolution of poetic language, and the socio-political structures presented in utopian and dystopian novels.
What is the main objective of this study?
The objective is to investigate how literature across different genres has historically been involved in a "tug of war" between endorsing hegemonic power and fostering resistance.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a critical and cultural studies approach, applying frameworks from postcolonial, feminist, and literary theory to analyze the power dynamics within specific texts.
What does the main body of the work address?
The main body examines various literary forms, starting from Greek tragedy to modern plays, romantic poetry, and social novels like "1984" and "A Modern Utopia."
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include power, hegemony, resistance, counter-discourse, capitalism, tragedy, and ideology.
How does the paper differentiate between classical and modern tragic heroes?
The paper argues that while classical heroes struggle against supernatural or metaphysical forces, modern heroes struggle against secular socio-economic powers and class structures.
What critique does the author offer regarding Wells's "A Modern Utopia"?
The author critiques the work by suggesting that even in the guise of a harmonious welfare state, Wells's utopia operates through a system of homogenizing difference and suppressing individualism.
How does Orwell's "1984" illustrate the functioning of power?
Orwell is shown to demystify power dynamics by depicting a state that monitors thought, controls history, and utilizes a restricted language (Newspeak) to suppress individuality.
- Citation du texte
- Hamid Masfour (Auteur), 2016, Aspects of Power and Cultural Politics in Literature, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/349820
