عنوان مقاله:

نویسندگان:

Roya Fatahpour

This study intends to carry out a Foucauldian analysis of Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel, the Testaments, focusing on the relationship between power and discourse and their use in leading a fictional dystopian society. The Testaments is the story of a society managed by dictator, corrupt and illegitimate leaders who tactfully govern people and suppress women by using techniques similar to those described in Foucault’s theories of power. Therefore, this type of analysis is well suited for discovering the mechanisms of power in a dystopian society. In order to fully accomplish this purpose, the discourse created and used by the oppressors and power players in Gilead was analyzed and the effects of them in the process of controlling people and gaining power over them were detected. Along with the discourse analysis the researcher found manipulation of knowledge and truth by using discourse a prevailing method used by the leaders to legitimize themselves and deny their own corruptions. Focusing on this novel through the lenses of Foucauldian theories also led to in-depth understanding of the operations of power and discourse in societies and recognizing the relationship between power, discourse and governance. Taking into account the results of the analysis, it was concluded that discourse and power, the way Foucault defines them, are interrelated and critical in keeping control over people. Moreover, Atwood’s ability in suggesting the functions of such techniques in a fictional dystopian society was demonstrated. The findings, considered as research implication can have impact on future research on discourse and power in similar societies.

The Testaments, Foucault, Discourse, Power, Knowledge

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Fatahpour، Roya، 1398، A Study of Discourse and Power in Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments: A Foucauldian Reading، اولين کنفرانس بين المللي مطالعات زبان انگليسي، https://conf.ui.ac.ir/fa/archive_index.php?c=icels&aid=1505789