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Title EMERGENCE AND DISSOLUTION OF HIERARCHY: A POST-ANARCHIST READING OF VERONICA ROTH’S FICTION

Author(s) FATIMA TARIQ

Abstract Many works of contemporary young-adult fiction in English have the common themes of domination and violence as depicted in a panoptic world. The present research deals with Veronica Roth’s three texts, Divergent (2011), Insurgent (2012) and Allegiant (2013) representing dystopian Fiction. Out of the many attributes of dystopian fiction, the selected texts depict various aspects of a specific dimension of reality by highlighting the guiding beliefs and ideals of the society as portrayed in these novels. In this research, I explore the primary texts for the causes of hierarchal domination and the elements of freedom in a society and look at possible ways for improving the societal structures for their balanced sustenance. Using Bookchin’s theorizing about the domination and oppression in hierarchical structures of a society, this study examines the recurring hostility between the multiple authority units which exercise power on other strata of society as portrayed in the selected trilogy. It also studies the represented use of subjective violence by various organizations of these novels and how they achieve and secure their political and economic interests. Applying a bricolage of selected lenses, this exploration critically studies the symbolic role of government and its institutions of the selected fiction with reference to the situation of violence and anarchy. This study also investigates how violence and insurgency on one hand, weakens and damages the society along with the lives of citizens, and on the other hand, it causes the peripheral voices of society to dismantle the authority. This qualitative study also examines the ruthless measures taken by the city to curb the violence created by dissident groups and how this insurgency impacts the fabric of society. Using textual analysis as a research tool, this investigation of the selected texts locates the reasons of domination and repression and the consequent subjugation and outbreaks due to this unchallenged authority.

Type Thesis/Dissertation MS

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2022-01-19

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