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THE REPRESSIVE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN AMERICAN AND BRITISH DYSTOPIAN NOVELS OF THE COLD WAR

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Date Issued:
2015
Abstract/Description:
The Cold War was a time of extreme conformity, with an equally extreme reaction against forced conformity. Representations of such reactions were not to be omitted in the literature of the time. Throughout the novels, the characters and society itself are repressed into an alternate state of being. This investigation analyzes the role that technology plays in this process in Fahrenheit 451, Sirens of Titan, 1984, Lord of the Flies, and A Clockwork Orange. The novels were all written during the Cold War and follow a dystopian society. Society is controlled and maintained in its respective disarray through the utilization of technology, whether it be pushed down upon them by their governments or by themselves. Through close analysis of the novels themselves and existing discourse related to the topic, it becomes evident that technology is able to manipulate and dictate the lives of people, diminishing their individualism. A dichotomy between creative expression and technology arises in all of the studied novels, pointing to the significance of individualism and its existence through creativity. This investigation concludes that such acts of expression, including creative writing and nonconformist acts, are vital to maintaining a stable societal system. The literature points to the ultimate evil that arises from technology and the power that inevitably comes with it, warning that humanity itself may be lost without the existence of free will and individual thought.
Title: THE REPRESSIVE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN AMERICAN AND BRITISH DYSTOPIAN NOVELS OF THE COLD WAR.
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Name(s): Wolk, Gabriela, Author
Grajeda, Anthony, Committee Chair
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2015
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The Cold War was a time of extreme conformity, with an equally extreme reaction against forced conformity. Representations of such reactions were not to be omitted in the literature of the time. Throughout the novels, the characters and society itself are repressed into an alternate state of being. This investigation analyzes the role that technology plays in this process in Fahrenheit 451, Sirens of Titan, 1984, Lord of the Flies, and A Clockwork Orange. The novels were all written during the Cold War and follow a dystopian society. Society is controlled and maintained in its respective disarray through the utilization of technology, whether it be pushed down upon them by their governments or by themselves. Through close analysis of the novels themselves and existing discourse related to the topic, it becomes evident that technology is able to manipulate and dictate the lives of people, diminishing their individualism. A dichotomy between creative expression and technology arises in all of the studied novels, pointing to the significance of individualism and its existence through creativity. This investigation concludes that such acts of expression, including creative writing and nonconformist acts, are vital to maintaining a stable societal system. The literature points to the ultimate evil that arises from technology and the power that inevitably comes with it, warning that humanity itself may be lost without the existence of free will and individual thought.
Identifier: CFH0004795 (IID), ucf:45336 (fedora)
Note(s): 2015-05-01
B.A.
Arts and Humanities, Dept. of English
Bachelors
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): dystopia
cold war
technology
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004795
Restrictions on Access: public
Host Institution: UCF

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