RESISTING POWER, UNVEILING TRUTHS AND SUBVERTING NORMS: FOUCAULDIAN THEMES IN JANE HARRIS’S NOVEL „THE OBSERVATIONS“ (2006)

Липар 88 (2025) (2025) (143-157 стр.)

АУТОР(И) / AUTHOR(S):Anja B. Petrović 

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DOI: 10.46793/LIPAR88.143P

САЖЕТАК / ABSTRACT:

This paper explores the manifestation of Foucauldian themes of resistance, truth, and social norms in the novel The Observations (2006) by Jane Harris. Set in Victorian Scotland, the novel follows Bessy Buckley, a young Irish woman who becomes a maid for the mysterious Arabella Reid. While the novel does not explicitly engage with l Foucault’s theories, the portrayal of power in the novel aligns with Foucault’s concepts of power as relational and productive, as Arabella Reid manipulates and controls Bessy Buckley. According to Foucault’s acknowledgment of resistance within power relations, Bessy’s act of writing her life story in a journal serves as a form of resistance. By engaging in self-expression and reflecting on her experiences, Bessy asserts her agency and challenges the power imbalance with Arabella. Furthermore, Bessy’s discovery of hidden truths disrupts the power dynamics, aligning with Foucault’s view of power’s connection to the control and dissemination of knowledge. By unveiling these truths, Bessy undermines Arabella’s authority and challenges the dominant knowledge produced by her. Lastly, Bessy’s resistance involves questioning and defying societal norms, particularly traditional gender roles, as Foucault suggests power operates through social norms and expectations. To provide a broader critical perspective, this paper also incorporates neo-Victorian literary theory and feminist critiques of gender roles and female subjectivity. These approaches help to illuminate how the novel portrays various forms of resistance, the role of knowledge in power dynamics, and the subversion of social norms through a richly layered and historically conscious narrative.

КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ / KEYWORDS:

Jane Harris, Michel Foucault, neo-Victorian literature, power dynamics, resistance

ПРОЈЕКАТ / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Ovaj članak je prvobitno izložen kao usmeno saopštenje pod istim naslovom na konferenciji Language, Literature, Intersectionality Conference 2024, održanoj na Filozofskom fakultetu Univerziteta u Nišu.

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