Herman Melville's novel, Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life, is said to depict common travel writing themes such as confusion, discomfort, discovery and natural beauty. However, a more careful examination of the text reveals that there are... more
Herman Melville's novel, Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life, is said to depict common travel writing themes such as confusion, discomfort, discovery and natural beauty. However, a more careful examination of the text reveals that there are strong social critiques of racism and imperialism and a struggle with what makes humans civilized beings or savages. The issue of cannibalism haunts the story, as do the abusive practices of colonial and whaling-ship officers, which provides the necessary suspense to carry the reader through the story to its end. Cannibalism as a cultural practice is explained according to the social and political context of contact with European aggression and devastation. By analysing the text using the concepts of hegemony and binary opposition, it is clear that Melville challenges the narrative that South Pacific natives were savage cannibals inferior to civilized Europeans. He shows that the apparent savage aggressiveness of the Typees and other South Pacific islanders, was not inherent to their culture but was provoked by attacks from outsiders, particularly Europeans and Americans.
The goal of a disciplinary society, according to Michel Foucault (1979), is to make citizens more profitable and productive, and less individual, through mental and physical conditioning in order to turn people into compliant subjects.... more
The goal of a disciplinary society, according to Michel Foucault (1979), is to make citizens more profitable and productive, and less individual, through mental and physical conditioning in order to turn people into compliant subjects. Foucault identifies the emergence of such disciplinary power as a gradual process in which the subjected body becomes submissive when the mind has been manipulated to believe in the correctness of the functioning of the body. This notion of discipline is known as 'biopower' (literally it means control over human bodies). This form of power is illustrated in Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World, which depicts a dystopian future set in London where science progresses to perfection and creates new technologies that affect humanity and banish individuality from the face of the world. In this study, Foucault's idea of biopower as a means of control is used to comprehend the manipulation of human beings through the systematic control of thought and behaviour in various ways, such as through genetic engineering, various forms of conditioning and a predetermined route through life from birth to death. In the novel, Huxley warns of dehumanization through a disciplinary system which turns people into docile bodies that are enslaved, both mentally and physically. Huxley also attempts to challenge his readers and asks them to think about the extent to which technology should determine our social structure and cultural values.
At the intersection of psychological and literary studies and acknowledging dialogical aspects of the self in Herman's Dialogical Self Theory (DST), we coined the concept of " Virtual Fictional/Factual Positioning " (VFP), which is also... more
At the intersection of psychological and literary studies and acknowledging dialogical aspects of the self in Herman's Dialogical Self Theory (DST), we coined the concept of " Virtual Fictional/Factual Positioning " (VFP), which is also guided by Bakhtin's discussion on the author-hero relation. VFP evaluates the possible dialogical coalition of the author's positions as " I-as-artist/novelist " and " I-as-the-hero-of-my-story, " amongst other positions in literary narratives. Evaluation of the existing literature on DST and the few adaptations of this theory for literary purposes highlights the insufficient consideration paid to the dialogical possibilities of the self in literary studies. To develop our argument based on our new model, we present a textual analysis of Paul Auster's Man in the Dark and examine the protagonist's narratives and his relation with his hero in the story within the story. Furthermore, we address the question of whether this protagonist/author's self consists of polyphonized dialogical voices or merely a cacophony of various thoughts with fewer logical and no dialogical qualities.
No one would reject the fact that human has been always completely depending on nature for all his needs. However in modern days, when industry has spread its influence on human life, human gradually became alienated from nature. This... more
No one would reject the fact that human has been always completely depending on nature for all his needs. However in modern days, when industry has spread its influence on human life, human gradually became alienated from nature. This alienation was felt so threatening by scholars that they have started an attempt to revive human's connection to nature. To cooperate with these attempts, this paper is going to have a precise look at human/nature relationship. It tries to elucidates the history of this relationship, shed light on the reason of human's alienation with nature, and discusses the attempts for a reconciliation between human and nature. The paper concludes its discussion by having a subtle and deeper look at human's relationship with nature in order to illuminate the positive psychological aspect of human/nature relationship hence to make human aware about the importance and benefits of an intimate connection with nature.
Bokononism is a fictional religion Vonnegut brings into his narrative, Cat's Cradle (1963), to create a self-conscious novel known as metafiction. This innovative mode of writing narratives, along with providing a critique of their own... more
Bokononism is a fictional religion Vonnegut brings into his narrative, Cat's Cradle (1963), to create a self-conscious novel known as metafiction. This innovative mode of writing narratives, along with providing a critique of their own methods of construction, deals with the external real world to examine some established structures of the human society like religion. By exposing the fundamental structures of narrative fiction, Vonnegut's novel gives readers an opportunity to think about the possible fictionality of the world structures outside the literary fictional text. The novel tries to reorder the world perception of readers through rearranging the values and conventions of the fiction he produced. Vonnegut's fourth novel, Cat's Cradle, is the first mature work which, in its use of metafiction, presents ideas about the nature of truth, dealing as it does with science and religion as its main topics. A novel telling the story of its writing shifts its metafictional focus on writing process to social concern of the novelist by means of those very metafictional strategies. What the study refers to as metareligion is an ideological product of metafictional writing which Vonnegut introduces in his novel. The same as metafiction that " self-consciously and systematically draws attention to its status as an artefact " , Vonnegut's metareligion exposes the metaphor of its own duplicity and simulacrum not pretend any longer to pass for the reality of what human being keep as a sacred religion. As a metafictional novel, Cat's Cradle aims at leading readers to question whether the world systems in general and religion in particular could be as constructed as the novels they are reading.
Research Interests:
Reader-response theory has long been a growing infl uence in the literature classroom. The theory largely emphasizes the active and communicative role of the reader. Instead of looking at the meaning from within the text, the reader... more
Reader-response theory has long been a growing infl uence in the literature classroom. The theory largely emphasizes the active and communicative role of the reader. Instead of looking at the meaning from within the text, the reader discovers meaning from within themselves, thus negotiates meaning from outside the text. Reader-response theory has evolved in the literature classroom through many practical applications such as role-play, drama, letter writing and literary journals. literary journals are normally adopted in the classroom with the aim of encouraging students to interact with the text and to draw individual responses from it thus moving steadily towards critical appreciation of the text. This study examined the use of literary journals in advancing literary responses among 65 undergraduate students taking English Literature courses at the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia. It relied on two types of analyses. Students' responses were coded and categorised using specifi c response categories to identify the kinds of responses elicited from the students' journals. To fi nd out students' opinion regarding the use of literary journals in improving their responses to and understanding of literary texts, a structured, Likert-scale questionnaire was administered. Findings indicated that literary journals elicited a variety of literary responses from the students. In addition, students' positive feedback confi rmed the viability of literary journals as a practical application tool in the literature classroom.
While the growing body of research on Tan Twan Eng’s The Gift of Rain (2009) focuses on the protagonist, Philip Hutton’s traumatic condition, his Chinese identity, and his ambiguous identity, this study devotes particular attention to the... more
While the growing body of research on Tan Twan Eng’s The Gift of Rain (2009) focuses on the protagonist, Philip Hutton’s traumatic condition, his Chinese identity, and his ambiguous identity, this study devotes particular attention to the complexity of interactions between various cultures practised by Philip. This study aims to address this gap by applying the concept of transculturalism to analyse the processes of acquiring a foreign culture and incorporating the foreign culture into traditional cultures experienced by Philip. In other words, this study employs the concept of transculturalism to examine multicultural depictions in the novel. Scholars, such as Khan, Tiwari, Sheoran and Tan C. S. who have examined multicultural depictions in various literary texts, have found that multicultural circumstances cause certain ethnic groups to lose their cultures and identities. Hence, the multicultural circumstances depicted are perceived as negative phenomena. However, this study has found that by examining the interactions between various cultures, rather than focusing on the end products such as portrayals of hybridity, the positive sides of multicultural depictions could be revealed. The transculturation process experienced by Philip shows that the new cultural practices he has created are made up of both his traditional cultures and the foreign culture he has acquired. This means that Philip does not totally lose his traditional cultures and identities. Therefore, this study concludes that multicultural depictions in The Gift of Rain could be read positively, provided that the interactions between various cultures, which resulted in the incorporation of a foreign culture into traditional cultures, are examined.
Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook adopts a complex profile to present its characters' complex lives. However, of all existing novel's themes it is women's oppression and subjugation that come under scrutiny here. The world this novel... more
Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook adopts a complex profile to present its characters' complex lives. However, of all existing novel's themes it is women's oppression and subjugation that come under scrutiny here. The world this novel pictures is a patriarchal capitalist world highly unfavorable to women, and the society it portrays is marked by male-dominance and gender-based discrimination; a society in which – no matter how capable women are – their identity is defined by men and male-defined relations. Accordingly, this paper is looking at this novel from a socialist feminist point of view to identify the facets of sexual oppression and to show how the female characters resist, fight back and rely on their self-defined identity to subvert the oppressive structure they are living in. Based on the findings of this paper we argue that in the novel's world sexuality, motherhood and mothering are outstanding facets of oppression through which women are overwhelmingly oppressed and exploited by the male-dominated society that discriminates against women as a secondary inferior class. To our understanding, while female characters of the novel have to deal with a lot of pressure imposed by society's institutions (family and family-like circles) they are capable enough to shrewdly rely on their power and self-defined identity to fight back and subvert the patriarchal capitalist systems that intrude women's lives in a variety of ways. As we conclude Lessing confirms socialist feminism's argument that mothering and motherhood are facets of women's oppression, but she also believes that these two aspects of feminine life can be a part of feminine power to subvert the oppressive systems that are designed to define and enfeeble women's genuine identity.
She has over 25 years of teaching experience. She is currently attached to a secondary school in Kuching. Her areas of interest are literature and social issues concerning women, children, education and the natives of her homeland.
This paper examines how the society shapes and redefines women’s identity through capitalist patriarchal economy in Doris Lessing’s novel The Grass Is Singing. Being aware of women’s sufferings and problems under a patriarchal domination... more
This paper examines how the society shapes and redefines women’s identity through capitalist patriarchal economy in Doris Lessing’s novel The Grass Is Singing. Being aware of women’s
sufferings and problems under a patriarchal domination organized in the context of capitalism has consciousness-raising as its outcome. As a result, shared problems and oppressions come to the surface and planning to make a ‘change’ becomes possible. It is making a ‘change’ that stands as the ultimate aim of socialist feminists as well as others who are related to feminism(s) in one way or another. This novel relates the story of Mary who lost her economic independence and her status as a successful young woman after her marriage to Dick. The finding shows that Mary’s identity goes under a new definition according to the patriarchal capitalist ideology. Another finding suggests that in order to understand the society that Lessing depicts and the way that this society determines the life of the people, one has to look at it from two angles: capitalism and patriarchy.
sufferings and problems under a patriarchal domination organized in the context of capitalism has consciousness-raising as its outcome. As a result, shared problems and oppressions come to the surface and planning to make a ‘change’ becomes possible. It is making a ‘change’ that stands as the ultimate aim of socialist feminists as well as others who are related to feminism(s) in one way or another. This novel relates the story of Mary who lost her economic independence and her status as a successful young woman after her marriage to Dick. The finding shows that Mary’s identity goes under a new definition according to the patriarchal capitalist ideology. Another finding suggests that in order to understand the society that Lessing depicts and the way that this society determines the life of the people, one has to look at it from two angles: capitalism and patriarchy.
This study investigates Alice Walker’s fictions by focusing on gender representation portrayed in her three novels The Color Purple, The Third Life of Grange Copeland and Possessing the Secret of Joy to find out whether gender is... more
This study investigates Alice Walker’s fictions by focusing on gender representation portrayed in her three novels The Color Purple, The Third Life of Grange Copeland and Possessing the Secret of Joy to find out whether gender is culturally or physically centered; whether gender establishers such as tradition and racism contribute towards gender differentiation; and whether gender is a rigid belief with stable or changeable nature. The projection of Walker’s characters reveals that gender is psychologically and culturally determined rather than physically. It varies from one ethnic or race to another. Gender is found to be a form of rigid belief of unstable nature which causes women’s identities to be reconstructed in an oppressive manner. The practice of genital mutilation by the Olinkan tradition seeks to enforce gender differentiation through drawing distinctive lines between genders and defines them in their own terms rejecting the biological nature of gender construction. Overexploited, inhumanely treated, and dispossessed from their lands by the white masters, Black men such as Mr_, Grange, and Brownfield exercise power and redefine themselves by reduplicating the same oppression on their women and create imaginary illusory identities for themselves. Black women such as Celie, Squeak, Mem and Tashi are rendered as helpless and emaciated through their husband’s atrocities. These suppressed, silent, and dependent women are the ideal characteristics dictated by the tradition, where as, transgressive women are labeled as a whore like Josie and Shug or crazy like Sofia. These ideal images absorbed as a result of Celie’s and Squeak’s ignorance; Mem’s excessive affection and sympathy; and Tashi’s blind honor to her tribe are all shattered as soon as they recognized their idealized status as nothing but a plot against them.
Many writers had already elaborated upon matters of truth and honesty, when Albert Camus characterized Meursault, the protagonist of his best selling novel The Outsider, as an honest man who 'refuses to lie…for the sake of truth'. At that... more
Many writers had already elaborated upon matters of truth and honesty, when Albert Camus characterized Meursault, the protagonist of his best selling novel The Outsider, as an honest man who 'refuses to lie…for the sake of truth'. At that time, Camus had an international fame in the world of literature, and he explained the novel and his absurd hero, Meursault, in a preface to an English language edition of L'Etranger. Yet, some commentators and critics found Camus's explanation strange and reacted against his commentaries. Chief among them is Conor Cruise O'Brien who believes that Meursault of the actual novel is not the same that Camus characterized in the explanation of the novel. O'Brien points out that Meursualt of the story lies, and he is indifferent to truth. This paper is a critical examination of O'Brien's and other critics' commentaries which stand for and against Camus's own commentaries on his absurd character, Meursault, to lead us to the heart of the matter of Camus's understanding of terms such as honesty and truth. In doing so, despite the fact that Camus is the creator of Meursault, his commentary on Meursault is analysed next to other critics' commentaries, and not as a dominant one.
Dark Demon Rising (1997) is the debut novel written by an established Malaysian horror stories author, Tunku Halim. Dark Demon Rising narrates the journey of the protagonist, Shazral Abbas, and his encounter with his dark childhood and... more
Dark Demon Rising (1997) is the debut novel written by an established Malaysian horror stories author, Tunku Halim. Dark Demon Rising narrates the journey of the protagonist, Shazral Abbas, and his encounter with his dark childhood and dangerous future. This paper aims to examine the relationship between Shazral and Minah, specifically the representation of the grotesque through deviant sexuality. To illustrate and depict grotesque romance, a textual analysis is carried out and close reference to the definition of grotesque is applied as the framework of the study. The term 'grotesque romance' is coined throughout this study to show the type of relationship entered into by the protagonist and his lover. There are three components of grotesque that are embodied in the notion of grotesque romance in the novel; 'demonic fantasy', 'the excessive and the unreal' and 'the horrifying and the attractive'. Our findings illustrate that these three components of grotesque are manifested through the action of deviant sexuality and represented in two ways; 1) premarital sex prohibited by religion and culture, and 2) the relationship between two different entities – human and demon.
Julia Kristeva's concept of abjection deals with how the subject intends to gain his/her subjectivity by rejecting the things which are not considered part of himself/herself. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), the protagonist, Edna... more
Julia Kristeva's concept of abjection deals with how the subject intends to gain his/her subjectivity by rejecting the things which are not considered part of himself/herself. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is portrayed as a married woman but one who has romantic affairs with other men. Deemed unthinkable, Edna's desire and search for true love is seen as an act of defiance by the society in which she lives. Edna's life's boundaries are blurred and confused by her ambiguous actions, a display of her attempt at abjection. By applying textual analysis as our methodology, this research aims to delve into how Edna fights for her individuality and sense of self. As a result, the analyses are divided into two parts, namely, Search for Subjectivity and Individuality and Edna Pontellier's Awakened Individuality. Besides, the reaction of patriarchal society towards Edna's search for independent subjectivity is scrutinised as it greatly affects Edna's life. By applying Kristeva's abjection to Chopin's The Awakening, the current article intends to focus on Edna's attempt at self-realization.
Native American storytelling has become a very vital issue in education. It preserves Native American history for the next generation and teaches them important lessons about the Native American culture. It also conveys moral meanings,... more
Native American storytelling has become a very vital issue in education. It preserves Native American history for the next generation and teaches them important lessons about the Native American culture. It also conveys moral meanings, knowledge and social values of the Native American people to the universe. More importantly, Native American storytelling teaches people not to be isolated, and the key issues discussed in this paper are borrowed from the selected poems of Native American Luci Tapahonso: 'The Holy Twins' and 'Remember the Things that you told.'
This article examines the development of paranoia in John Burnside's A Summer of Drowning. The study will mainly focus on anxiety as the main cause of the protagonist's anxious feelings. The protagonist, Liv, suffers from paranoid... more
This article examines the development of paranoia in John Burnside's A Summer of Drowning. The study will mainly focus on anxiety as the main cause of the protagonist's anxious feelings. The protagonist, Liv, suffers from paranoid feelings as a result of drowning her schoolmates. Consequently, she becomes psychically anxious.Her anxiety intensifies when she meets people whom she suspects of complicity in murdering her schoolmates.The study, in this respect, will follow a textual analysis of the protagonist's paranoia which constitutes her anxiety.It will provide a close reading of the protagonist's behaviors, feelings, and suspicion of other people.These behavioral attributes will be scrutinized as lucid indications of her psychic disorder. As such, Sigmund Freud's concept of anxiety is going to be applied in order to analyze the latent causes of the protagonist's anxiety, and paranoia thereof. The application of Freud's concept of anxiety will be detailed by discussing the psychoanalytical critical insights suitable to interpret anxiety and its negative effects upon the protagonist's behavior. She is triggered by her mother's predilection to nature, and she decides to resort to wild landscapes as exits for her paranoia.She prefers being away of people.Just so,she becomes aware of her natural surroundings, such as landscapes and meadows. Accordingly, Cheryll Glotfelty's concept of eco-consciousness and Greg Garrard's concept of dwelling will be utilized to analyze the novel's natural settings as exits for the protagonist's anxiety.Together, these concepts are going to be the interdisciplinary approach to explore the protagonist seeking of solace and peace of mind in nature.
Mrs. Dalloway (1925), one of Virginia Woolf‘s widely read novels, has often been studied through the concept of time or from the feminist perspective highlighting the modernist features. But the present study draws on the concept of... more
Mrs. Dalloway (1925), one of Virginia Woolf‘s widely read novels, has often been studied through the concept of time or from the feminist perspective highlighting the modernist features. But the present study draws on the concept of abandonment to analyze the underlying development of thanatos in the life of the major characters of the novel that to what extent can be a derivation of the author’s personal life.
Julia Kristeva's notion of the melancholic subject deals with the subject's sense of loss in the absence of the unnameable Thing. As a result of melancholia, the melancholic subject is a stranger to his mother tongue and cannot express... more
Julia Kristeva's notion of the melancholic subject deals with the subject's sense of loss in the absence of the unnameable Thing. As a result of melancholia, the melancholic subject is a stranger to his mother tongue and cannot express his feelings through language; therefore, he cannot communicate with others. Using this framework, this article focuses on Alice Walker's The Third Life of Grange Copeland in light of Julia Kristeva's melancholic subject. In this novel, Mem is tormented, both physically and psychologically, by her husband. As a result of her loss of a mother figure and husband's affection, she falls into melancholia. This article sheds light on how Mem's loss of a mother figure and lack of love from her husband leads her to melancholia and how she reacts to the physical and psychological pressures she must confront.
Paper Abstract: Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale (1985) has enabled us to see how science can be used to interpret, analyze and relate to the various aspects highlighted in it. Prompted by the seminal reading of this text by June Deery... more
Paper Abstract: Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale (1985) has enabled us to see how science can be used to interpret, analyze and relate to the various aspects highlighted in it. Prompted by the seminal reading of this text by June Deery (1997), this article revisits the scientific approach relating to physics to explore different elements in the novel. The representation of time and its relation to space and matter is explored in a manner that casts new light on the understanding of: how time could actually affect characters' past, present and future; how the effects of the space-time relation could affect one's energy by relating it to the characters' disorientated state of mind; how science makes a connection between nature and male dominance, and the portrayal of women and men based on Newtonian mechanics and quantum physics. From this novel, much can be analyzed and explored using science as an instrument, thus offering many possibilities and a different perspective to readers consider and which revolve around the issue of how men and women are viewed.
A well-known Middle Eastern author, Nawal El Saadawi shouldered the grave responsibility of defending the rights of women in her country and the Middle East in general. Hysteria is one of the main problems inhabiting the female characters... more
A well-known Middle Eastern author, Nawal El Saadawi shouldered the grave responsibility of defending the rights of women in her country and the Middle East in general. Hysteria is one of the main problems inhabiting the female characters of El Saadawi's fiction. Many of those female characters suffer hysteric symptoms which manifest as a consequence of sexual violations such as rape, molestation and female circumcision in patriarchal-centered communities. These violations lead to psychological traumas which can eventually give rise to hysteria. Symptoms of alienation, loss of speech, fear, anorexia, disturbed sleep and many others are classified under the bold title of hysteria. Freud attributes the emergence of hysteria to sexual experiences that a subject goes through in childhood, which appear later in the guise of the aforementioned symptoms. This paper will focus on Hysteria according to Freudian perspectives, in order to explore its symptoms and reaction, as well as action undertaken to absolve and actualize the self in El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero. It also underscores how characters go through this process to gain their subjectivity in this novel.
This is an interdisciplinary study to show human manipulation through Foucault " s concept of biopower in Aldous Huxley " s Ape and Essence (1948). The anxieties of WII stimulated Aldous Huxley to express his fear about the dark future of... more
This is an interdisciplinary study to show human manipulation through Foucault " s concept of biopower in Aldous Huxley " s Ape and Essence (1948). The anxieties of WII stimulated Aldous Huxley to express his fear about the dark future of humanity through composing Ape and Essence. In this dystopian fiction, Huxley illustrates a society in which the postwar government employs disciplinary systems to control and manipulate its citizens. In Ape and Essence, Huxley indicates that people and their lives are highly controlled and regulated by the totalitarian State. Not only are their minds controlled by the disciplines, but also physical bodies are disciplined into submission and literally taken away from their rightful owners, as people are considered the property of the State. Thus, their goals and ambitions revolve around satisfying the State " s needs. In this interdisciplinary study, we observe dystopia in Ape and Essence as a consequence of Foucauldian disciplinary system. Huxley shows after war, the totalitarian government employed disciplinary ways to control and manipulate people. This analysis investigates the effects of the nuclear bomb and disciplinary systems on humanity, and explores the ways through which humans have become dehumanized in Ape and Essence.
Human beings need to associate and mingle with their surroundings, be they the family, neighbours, colleagues, nature or a place, in order to feel attached and belonging to a particular society and its environment. This article explores... more
Human beings need to associate and mingle with their surroundings, be they the family, neighbours, colleagues, nature or a place, in order to feel attached and belonging to a particular society and its environment. This article explores the concept of a sense of belonging in Margaret Atwood's novel Cat's Eye (1988). The story is about the protagonist, Elaine, revisiting her childhood memories, where she learned about friendship, longing and betrayal. Although she was being bullied by her own best friends, Elaine remained with them as she feared being alienated. Despite the many years spent outside Toronto and away from her sad childhood memories, Elaine still felt that her hometown was her real home. The notions of belongingness used in this analysis are aided by Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and William Glasser's Choice Theory. Elaine's strong attachment to her hometown and her childhood memories is due to the human needs for love and belonging and in an attempt to evade alienation and loneliness. Parallel to what Maslow defines as a sense of belonging, humans on a very basic level long for belonging, respect and love, and Elaine's actions are seen as a desperate attempt to get through her days in the way that Glasser outlines in Choice Theory – the need for love and belonging is closely linked to the need for survival.
Henry James, as a prominent American novelist, is famous for his international novels, in which he practiced his famous international theme, to show the conflicts between America and Europe. It includes the conflicts between their... more
Henry James, as a prominent American novelist, is famous for his international novels, in which he practiced his famous international theme, to show the conflicts between America and Europe. It includes the conflicts between their societies, cultures, ideals, conventions and characters. James is called by Howells as the master of portraying the American girls, because usually, James practiced his international theme through portraying the American girls in the European society. It was through the adventures of these American girls that the conflicts between America and Europe are flourished in his international novels. In The wings of the Dove, through the adventure of Milly Theale, who is an American girl, James had tried to show the conflicts between America and Europe. These conflicts are mostly between American morality and European high culture, which is out of morality. This paper is going to discuss that in The wings of the Dove, James is complaining the materialistic Europe. It aims at representing that how the sophisticated materialism in European society is in contrast with morality of American innocence. The American innocence and European materialism propel the story of a deceived American in Europe, so the heroine, Milly Theale, who is an innocent American, is deceived by materialistic Europeans.
Among the subjects and the themes in the works of Henry James, his international theme of 'America versus Europe' is the most recurrent one. James' literary career is divided into three periods, and the international theme is the main... more
Among the subjects and the themes in the works of Henry James, his international theme of 'America versus Europe' is the most recurrent one. James' literary career is divided into three periods, and the international theme is the main subject of the first and the third period. Through his international theme, James had tried to show the contrasts which he believed to exist between America and Europe. The Portrait of a Lady is his most well-known masterpiece; which again deals with the international theme of America versus Europe. All parts of this novel, like its characters, settings and events are used like a chain to show the contrast between America and Europe. But this study is going to discuss that although James tries to show the contrast between America and Europe, he remains neutral towards America and Europe completely skillfully. He defined neither America nor Europe to be the superior or the inferior one. As a realist writer, he only shows the reality about America and Europe and leaves it to his audiences to decide about them. The main contrast in this novel is between American morality and innocence and European high culture and sophistication.
Ian McEwan is one of the modernist writers who utilises new and uncommon ways of narrating. We find him dealing with history, wars and social themes, all knitted together in a manoeuvring way. The unreliable narrator, a technique he... more
Ian McEwan is one of the modernist writers who utilises new and uncommon ways of narrating. We find him dealing with history, wars and social themes, all knitted together in a manoeuvring way. The unreliable narrator, a technique he employs, is an innovation first seen in the modern era in Wayne C. Booth's 'The Rhetoric of Fiction' in 1961. McEwan's employment of this technique is an issue needing further analysis. In 'Atonement', his character Briony, who is still a child, narrates parts of the novel but her narration is questioned, for she might not be truthful or honest. Her being unreliable adds much to the novel and affects the fates of her sister Cecelia and the latter's lover, Robbie. It is not only a matter of telling the story, it also interferes in the discourse of the action and propels the events in a different direction. As a result, it seems dubious to give the role of talking to a character (Briony) to narrate and cope with events, and so her telling is questioned to a certain extent because the events she narrates are deceitful on the one hand, while on the other, she is too young and hard to be trusted. The present paper attempts to read 'Atonement' from a new perspective and show what is meant by an unreliable narrator and how this technique is employed. How significant is the technique in terms of recounting the events in a piece of fiction? This paper illustrates the significance of the aforementioned technique, which adds new understanding to the reading of McEwan's 'Atonement'.
This study examines the metamorphosis of the body in cyberspace. From the late twentieth century to the early twentieth-first century, we have witnessed a remarkable development of new technologies that have affected our concept of being.... more
This study examines the metamorphosis of the body in cyberspace. From the late twentieth century to the early twentieth-first century, we have witnessed a remarkable development of new technologies that have affected our concept of being. The body has been metamorphosed into pattern and has lost its possession in order to gain immortality. Its function or meaning no longer depends on an interior truth or identity, but on the particular assemblages it forms with new technologies. In this study, we draw on the work of Hayles, Haraway, Deleuze and Guattari among some other scholars to explore what happens to the body when it is rethought as pattern in Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis (2003). In the present study, we argue on a departure from capital to cyber-capital with the idea of futurity. We also demonstrate the construction of a megalomaniac in the virtual realm and that how technology and cyber-capital have affected the human body.
Among the subjects and themes which are found in the works of 19 th American great novelist Henry James, the international theme of America versus Europe is the most recurrent one. Actually Henry James is well-known based on his... more
Among the subjects and themes which are found in the works of 19 th American great novelist Henry James, the international theme of America versus Europe is the most recurrent one. Actually Henry James is well-known based on his international novels through which he uses his own experiences as an American in Europe and wrote about the adventures of Americans abroad, mostly in Europe. Actually through his international theme he deals with America and Europe, he practiced this matter so well in his works that he is in some degree known as the master of international novel. James through his international novels or better to say through his international theme of America versus Europe wanted to show the contrasts between America and Europe and between their societies, cultures, ideals, conventions and characters. Indeed Henry James is the most merited novelist to write about these contrasts and conflicts because he had the experience of living both in America and in Europe for a long time, so he was completely familiar with the societies, cultures, conventions, ideals, and the characters of both America and Europe. This research is going to first discuss international theme in its general meaning and then the international theme of Henry James and the reasons which caused James to practice the international theme through his works.
Transgression in postmodern age marked a unique social and cultural aspect in re-forming the identity of the postmodern man. Martin Amis mirrors the identities of his characters through their transgression of the social norms,... more
Transgression in postmodern age marked a unique social and cultural aspect in re-forming the identity of the postmodern man. Martin Amis mirrors the identities of his characters through their transgression of the social norms, specifically, the established norms of truth of masculinity. However, this idea of truth transgression in Amis's novel Money has not been fully taken into account and there has been little discussion about it in terms of identity formation. Thus, the aim of this paper is to investigate the way in which transgression of truth affects the idea of identity formation in Amis's novel Money. Drawing on Michel Foucault's technique of problematisation, the present paper investigates the notion of transgressing the historical truth of masculinity which becomes a significant idea that the protagonist John Self manipulates to actualise himself and to pick up his own identity. The paper reveals a conclusion in which transgression of truth can be instrumental in realising the self and re-affirming subjectivity as the case is in John Self.
Women rape at warfare was considered a consequence of war in the social, literary and political world for a long period of time. Some criminals of rape escaped justice and others were persecuted on the basis that they were involved in... more
Women rape at warfare was considered a consequence of war in the social, literary and political world for a long period of time. Some criminals of rape escaped justice and others were persecuted on the basis that they were involved in mass rape because it was a natural consequence of war. But, women are targeted with rape in time of war because they are the symbolic representation of a culture, ethnicity, and the unifying fabric of their people and nation. The objective of this paper is to show that war rape is not a result of war; instead it is a means of human destruction through moral attack and emasculation. It aims to show that women rape in warfare is neither a misogynist act nor a sexual violence but it is a pre-planned weapon used strategically and systematically to fulfill certain political and military agenda. The study focuses on the sexual abuse of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo in time of war in Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize play, Ruined (2007). The study applies Jonathan Gottschall's Strategic Rape theory, which highlights war rape as a pre-planned military strategy. The enemy emasculates men and attacks them morally by raping their women. Consequently, men's failure to protect their women causes them to give up resistance, leave their lands and families because of shame and humiliation. The study concludes that women rape in time of war is a tactic followed by conquerors intentionally to facilitate and guarantee the achievement of certain pre-planned goals as was the case of mass rape in the DRC.
Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano (1952) illustrates people who become enslaved to a controlling system of cybernetics that enhances its power through computer, consumer culture, and advertising industry in postwar America. In this study, I... more
Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano (1952) illustrates people who become enslaved to a controlling system of cybernetics that enhances its power through computer, consumer culture, and advertising industry in postwar America. In this study, I investigate Player Piano through the idea of cybernetics that reduces human beings into intelligent machines and mindless bodies. Player Piano constitutes an effort to make sense of powerful systems through the metaphors of the machine. It is a struggle to illustrate a deterministic attitude of the universe that leaves human with no choice.
In White Noise (1985), Don DeLillo shows the web of systems predominating late twentieth century society. DeLillo illustrates the organizations of supermarket, media, and even drug as new discourses of power in postmodern condition in... more
In White Noise (1985), Don DeLillo shows the web of systems predominating late twentieth century society. DeLillo illustrates the organizations of supermarket, media, and even drug as new discourses of power in postmodern condition in which, according to Michele Foucault, power is diffuse, and power conflicts can happen at many different sites and levels. This study is an exegesis of Foucault's central concept for understanding representations, and the intersections of discourse, power, and the subject in Don DeLillo's White Noise in which power disseminates through different social and cultural discourses.
Toni Morrison is an acknowledged master of trauma literature, however trauma theory and a gender response to trauma remain largely unaccounted for her migration literature, specifically Jazz (1992). In her novel, two migrant women are... more
Toni Morrison is an acknowledged master of trauma literature, however trauma theory and a gender response to trauma remain largely unaccounted for her migration literature, specifically Jazz (1992). In her novel, two migrant women are affected by the same trauma, a crime of passion. But they choose different reactions and coping strategies. This causes a fundamental change to their mental health. Morrison's migrant women are not only faced with migration stress factors, but also exposed to trauma. Managing migration stress factors in the receiving society and dealing with trauma within the migrant community demand appropriate coping strategies. Migration and segregation dissociate the black migrant community from the receiving society. Trauma and stigma, on the other hand, marginalize migrant women within the African-American community. Consequently, migration, segregation, trauma and stigma lead to isolation. Lack of social ties and social identity is associated with different mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study aims to identify major elements of trauma theory in Morrison's Jazz. Furthermore, this article explores the coping strategies that female characters use to deal with trauma. Although extensive studies have been carried out on Jazz, no single study exists which adequately covers the effects of migration, trauma, coping strategies on the female characters. The novelty of this paper lies in its inter-disciplinary approach to gender and mental health with reference to migration literature.
This paper deals with the love attitude between men and women among young generation of Chinese ethnicity in Malaysia. Sixty-eight students from a public university were presented with a German literary text, Maid Maleen, and were asked... more
This paper deals with the love attitude between men and women among young generation of Chinese ethnicity in Malaysia. Sixty-eight students from a public university were presented with a German literary text, Maid Maleen, and were asked to fill out a questionnaire with 32 items. The results show the similarities and differences between the characters' (Maid Maleen, the prince and the kings) and Chinese Malaysians' attitudes towards love. In Chinese Malaysian culture, family plays an important role in romantic relationships; however, Maid Maleen thinks otherwise. Prearranged marriage is unacceptable although it takes place in a very short time. Both Chinese Malaysians and Maid Maleen expect to find their ideal partner regardless of time. In sum, the German story is generally perceived positively by Chinese Malaysians, except they disagree with prearranged marriage (by the kings) and disrespect for parents (by Maid Maleen).
The goal of a disciplinary society, according to Michel Foucault (1979), is to make citizens more profitable and productive, and less individual, through mental and physical conditioning in order to turn people into compliant subjects.... more
The goal of a disciplinary society, according to Michel Foucault (1979), is to make citizens more profitable and productive, and less individual, through mental and physical conditioning in order to turn people into compliant subjects. Foucault identifies the emergence of such disciplinary power as a gradual process in which the subjected body becomes submissive when the mind has been manipulated to believe in the correctness of the functioning of the body. This notion of discipline is known as 'biopower' (literally it means control over human bodies). This form of power is illustrated in Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World, which depicts a dystopian future set in London where science progresses to perfection and creates new technologies that affect humanity and banish individuality from the face of the world. In this study, Foucault's idea of biopower as a means of control is used to comprehend the manipulation of human beings through the systematic control of thought and behaviour in various ways, such as through genetic engineering, various forms of conditioning and a predetermined route through life from birth to death. In the novel, Huxley warns of dehumanization through a disciplinary system which turns people into docile bodies that are enslaved, both mentally and physically. Huxley also attempts to challenge his readers and asks them to think about the extent to which technology should determine our social structure and cultural values.
Tunku Halim's novella Juriah's Song (2008) revolves around the protagonist, Akri, and his encounter with the ghost of his late girlfriend, Juriah. Categorised as a horror genre, the characters and settings of this novella serve as... more
Tunku Halim's novella Juriah's Song (2008) revolves around the protagonist, Akri, and his encounter with the ghost of his late girlfriend, Juriah. Categorised as a horror genre, the characters and settings of this novella serve as important ground where elements of nature and the grotesque interweave to enhance the plot. In this paper, we examine the roles and functions of nature and the grotesque through a textual analysis of the chosen text by utilising the notion of 'the relationship between humans and nature' and the concept of the grotesque as proposed by Wolfgang Kayser, Sherwood and Phillip Thomson. Nature is depicted as a mirror that reflects the relationship between humans and nature. The grotesque, on the other hand, refers to various kinds of exaggerated emotions and distorted forms. Our findings demonstrate that both nature and the grotesque take on significant roles and affect the characters' perceptions, judgements and emotions, either positively or negatively. The generic designation of the grotesque applies to both actions and characters in the novel. Apart from functioning independently from each other, nature and the grotesque are also significant when they intertwine. When the two concepts are used together, nature acts as a catalyst to develop grotesque actions.
Among the subjects and themes which are found in the works of 19 th American great novelist Henry James, the international theme of America versus Europe is the most recurrent one. Actually Henry James is well-known based on his... more
Among the subjects and themes which are found in the works of 19 th American great novelist Henry James, the international theme of America versus Europe is the most recurrent one. Actually Henry James is well-known based on his international novels through which he uses his own experiences as an American in Europe and wrote about the adventures of Americans abroad, mostly in Europe. Actually through his international theme he deals with America and Europe, he practiced this matter so well in his works that he is in some degree known as the master of international novel. James through his international novels or better to say through his international theme of America versus Europe wanted to show the contrasts between America and Europe and between their societies, cultures, ideals, conventions and characters. Indeed Henry James is the most merited novelist to write about these contrasts and conflicts because he had the experience of living both in America and in Europe for a long time, so he was completely familiar with the societies, cultures, conventions, ideals, and the characters of both America and Europe. This research is going to first discuss international theme in its general meaning and then the international theme of Henry James and the reasons which caused James to practice the international theme through his works.
Identity is an extremely complex and subjective theme to discuss – especially when it comes to setting a fixed definition. This article examines the construction of identity through the lens of social constructionism and draws in several... more
Identity is an extremely complex and subjective theme to discuss – especially when it comes to setting a fixed definition. This article examines the construction of identity through the lens of social constructionism and draws in several working definitions from various sociologists to purport the core of this article. The sociological concept will be applied on three different texts: Escape from Harem by Tanushree Podder (2013); The Poor Christ of Bomba by Mongo Beti (1971); and The Book of Night Women by Marlon James (2009). Focusing only on the protagonist from each text, we attempt to carry out the analysis of this paper by looking at the flux of identity within them. We argue that identity is not a fixed and permanent state of a character; instead it is constructed by social, political, economic, and personal experience. All the three protagonists, Zeenat, Denis, and Lilith experience specific identity fluctuation in their lives. As such, we will be looking at the psychological growth and changes in each character and determine whether or not his/her sense of self is reconstructed or deconstructed at the end of their journey to self-discovery.
Emerging from the1980s, the concept of masculinity has slowly started to make its way towards social studies. Instead of a singular fixed identity, masculinity has now been claimed to be branching into several types – hegemonic... more
Emerging from the1980s, the concept of masculinity has slowly started to make its way towards social studies. Instead of a singular fixed identity, masculinity has now been claimed to be branching into several types – hegemonic masculinity, complicit masculinity, marginalized masculinity, and subordinated masculinity. By utilizing the notion of hegemonic masculinity, this paper observes the thoughts and decisions made by men in Kathleen Winter's Annabel. This paper explores and reexamines the position of men in their society with reference to the effect of hegemonic masculinity, as proposed by Connell. It is also within the scope of the study to trace the position of men in the novel through a series of negotiations made within themselves. This study reveals the typical behavior of an alpha male of hegemonic masculinity in Annabel. For hegemony to pan out, all members of society should have respective social duties in order for the entire mechanism to function. The paper demonstrated that male characters of the novel exude the position of men in the hegemonic masculine setting by showcasing the firmness in making decisions, having knowledge on faith, religion, and monetary issues.
Martin Amis's manipulation of the patriarchal concept of power is a notable indication of his transgressive attitudes that raise remarkable questions about the human identity. Transgressing power investigates the violation of the normal... more
Martin Amis's manipulation of the patriarchal concept of power is a notable indication of his transgressive attitudes that raise remarkable questions about the human identity. Transgressing
power investigates the violation of the normal and familiar trends of literature in order to circulate a new discourse by which a new identity is reframed. Hence, the study of power in Martin Amis's novels, as an important technique of identity re-definition, is not taken into consideration in the light of Michel Foucault's theory of power. The objective of this study is to examine the role applied by transgression as a technique of subverting the common discourse of power in the field of identity re-formation. The study investigates the concept of power manipulated in Amis's Money to define the identity of the 'New Man'. Accordingly, the Foucauldian theory of power is taken as a framework of this study. The study reveals a conclusion in which the transgressive aspects of power are effectively utilized by Amis to re-define the identity of his protagonist in the novel. Although John Self has finally lost his name and fortune, which are necessary demands to define one's self in the patriarchal society, he finds his own new identity away from the materialistic norms of the common discourse.
power investigates the violation of the normal and familiar trends of literature in order to circulate a new discourse by which a new identity is reframed. Hence, the study of power in Martin Amis's novels, as an important technique of identity re-definition, is not taken into consideration in the light of Michel Foucault's theory of power. The objective of this study is to examine the role applied by transgression as a technique of subverting the common discourse of power in the field of identity re-formation. The study investigates the concept of power manipulated in Amis's Money to define the identity of the 'New Man'. Accordingly, the Foucauldian theory of power is taken as a framework of this study. The study reveals a conclusion in which the transgressive aspects of power are effectively utilized by Amis to re-define the identity of his protagonist in the novel. Although John Self has finally lost his name and fortune, which are necessary demands to define one's self in the patriarchal society, he finds his own new identity away from the materialistic norms of the common discourse.
Men have long been associated with dominance, strength and confidence and the issue regarding being compliant to the acceptable masculine ideal has always been part of a culture's social identity. This study focuses on the critical... more
Men have long been associated with dominance, strength and confidence and the issue regarding being compliant to the acceptable masculine ideal has always been part of a culture's social identity. This study focuses on the critical discussion on masculinity studies in the classic fiction of D.H Lawrence. Drawing on narrative data from his novel Sons and Lovers (1913), the study examines how hegemonic masculinity is conformed by the male protagonist, Walter Morel, in his gendered relationship. More specifically, the analysis focuses on how the male character aligns himself with the hegemonically authoritarian philosophy of 'tough' masculinity. The effects of social practices and socio-historical context in which Lawrence wrote these novels are also examined. The study utilises Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity to explicate Lawrence's depiction of dominant masculinity through his character. The findings reveal that Lawrence aligns his male protagonist to the dominant role by sanctioning aggressiveness, autonomy and violence.
This paper is an attempt to examine notions of postmodern self in a landscape of twenty-first century postmodern Malaysia as depicted in Huzir Sulaiman's play. Definition of the self using postmodern vocabularies coined by postmodern... more
This paper is an attempt to examine notions of postmodern self in a landscape of twenty-first century postmodern Malaysia as depicted in Huzir Sulaiman's play. Definition of the self using postmodern vocabularies coined by postmodern theorists such as Francois Lyotard, Jean Baudrillard, and Frederic Jameson are used in the analysis of this play. It seeks to extrapolate how a Malay identity has been affected by the postmodern condition; what conflicting models of selfhood have been considered and rejected, and what have replaced them. The traditional concept of the bounded, stable, Malay self is under siege. The postmodern image of the Malay self is one who has no center, who is drawn in many directions, is constantly changing, and being defined externally by the various relations that the self has with others.
This paper starts with some provocative thoughts and speculations that might be derived from common observation. However, the point of destination, vague and causing first resistance may lead to some insights that can confirm some truth... more
This paper starts with some provocative thoughts and speculations that might be derived from common observation. However, the point of destination, vague and causing first resistance may lead to some insights that can confirm some truth provided through these provocative thoughts. Since the mid twentieth century, with the emergence of visual technologies (e.g.TV, computer), the aural has been seen as secondary to visual. However, the idea of how sounds have affected lifestyle, culture, observation, and experience of the world is still challenging. In fact, life is not only a visual experience, but still in an aural environment which conducts and manipulates livelihoods indirectly. Saturated with various kinds of sound, noise, and music, most acoustic environments are ignored and seem to be secondary to the visual world. Conscious consideration of this aural environment is not readily receivable. Indeed, more attention may be needed to the surrounding sound and music as they can be both constructive and deconstructive regarding culture, ethics, and community. Thus, literary authors as well as musicians can play influential roles in making people aware of the function of sound and music in an age of visual culture. The present study is an attempt to show the significance of the aural environment. In this study, we examine the power of sound through literary works. Indeed, literature is a medium that encourages speculation about the sounds, music and noise surrounding and manipulating us.