Date of Award
Fall 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Kelly Nims
Second Advisor
Marlene Hennessy
Academic Program Adviser
Amy Robbins
Abstract
This paper theorizes that authors, in an act I have termed “literary exorcism,” project and expunge parts of their identities that are in conflict with the overriding political agenda of their texts, into the figure of the villain. Drawing upon theories of power put forth by Judith Butler, I argue that this sort of projection arises in reaction to dominant ideas and institutions, but that authors find ways to manipulate this process over time. By examining a broad cross-section of English-language literature over several centuries, this phenomenon and its evolution can be observed, as well as the means by which authors have used it as a method of challenging or subverting dominant ideologies.
Recommended Citation
Jarzemsky, John, "Exorcising Power" (2017). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/239
Included in
African American Studies Commons, American Literature Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other English Language and Literature Commons, Political History Commons, Reading and Language Commons, United States History Commons