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Title Hyperreality and the Simulacra: A technological Dystopian Representation of COVID-19 in Burntcoat by Sarah Hall and Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Author(s) Arooj Fatima Abbasi

Abstract The research deals with technological dystopia which is a new variant of dystopia where hyperreality and simulacra dominates the modern world. The study applies the theoretical frameworks of Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation (1981) and Neil Postman’s Technology: The Surrender of Culture to Technology in the selected texts which are Picoult’s Wish You Were Here and Hall's Burntcoat. People used to spend the majority of their time at home looking at screens since they were not permitted to leave their homes during COVID-19. Technology reliance has exacerbated the dystopia, which has essentially led to simulacra and hyperreality. It appears to dehumanize characters by causing them to lose their uniqueness and originality while also blurring the distinction between reality and representation. Simulation therefore appears more authentic than the genuine thing. This research is purely qualitative. The major focus is on textual analysis of primary and secondary sources as illustrated by Catherine Belsey. In both novels, the characters are trapped in hyperreality, which plays a crucial part in the rise of technological dystopia. It is concluded that due to technological dystopia, characters in the novel become so immersed in the simulated universe that they perceive representations as real without distinction, preferring the unrestricted power of illusion and its consequences over the constraints of reality

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2024-04-01

Subject Literature

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