This thesis examines how patriarchal dystopian societies attempt to control their citizenry through the homogenization of discourse and the employment of Foucauldian panopticons. In the context of these power structures, I argue that nonviolent storytelling and restorative memory are more effective in resisting oppression than violent, openly subversive forms of rebellion. In my discussion of The Handmaid’s Tale, I examine how Gilead’s manipulation of public discourse through religious hegemony and restrictions on literacy suppresses the efficacy of individually heroic acts by characters such as Ofglen and Moira. I assert that Offred’s playful deconstruction of language, defiant remembering of her past experiences, and insistence on bearing witness to Gilead’s atrocities without the promise of a listener allows her to successfully resist power and maintain a distinct self. In the analysis of Salt Fish Girl that follows, I study how the Big Six employ a series of cooperative hegemonies to promote neoliberal policies, dehumanize Othered bodies, and rob people in diaspora of cultural memory. Though protagonist Miranda fails in a conventional sense, I conclude that she succeeds due to her remixing of Western texts, hybridization of histories and values, and role in birthing a new, more hopeful future. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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[pt] Este trabalho investiga a história que Leibniz acrescenta à narrativa do humanista italiano Laurent Valla, transformando-a de uma anedota a respeito da liberdade humana diante presciência e vontade divinas em um estudo sobre a natureza da criação. Na história, os infinitos mundos possíveis são apresentados a Teodoro, em sonho, por Palas Atena, filha de Júpiter. O que ele vê pelos cômodos do palácio são infinitas histórias alternativas ao destino infeliz de Sexto Tarquínio, filho do último dos reis da monarquia romana. Esses mundos possíveis estão organizados em ordem decrescente de perfeição, sendo que o mais rico em variedade se encontra no alto da pirâmide, que é a forma geométrica a que Leibniz identifica o lugar em que Deus delibera sobre o melhor. Este trabalho percorre a estrutura da pirâmide para compreender o que Teodoro vê em cada cômodo e o que garante a própria divisória entre os cômodos. Nesse trajeto, verifica-se que um dos cálculos envolvidos na arquitetura da pirâmide é a dissemelhança entre a parte e o todo no melhor dos mundos. Sexto participa da variedade do mundo existente com seu infortúnio. No interior de um dos cômodos, Teodoro é introduzido aos problemas da análise infinita ao folhear o livro dos destinos. Por fim, este trabalho mostra que a natureza distópica da pirâmide não se restringe às histórias alternativas que Teodoro encontra em cada cômodo, mas há também outros mundos no interior do próprio mundo existente. O mundo mais perfeito se distingue por conter mais variedade que os demais, o que faz dele um mundo denso. É possível transitar pela densidade desse mundo através das distopias, ora entendidas como uma imitação da estrutura da lei do contínuo, ora consideradas como um suporte corporal que permite percorrer, alternadamente, os mundos fenomênicos. / [en] This thesis investigates the story that Leibniz adds to the narrative of the Italian humanist Laurent Valla, transforming it from an anecdote about human freedom in face of divine foreknowledge and will in a study about the nature of creation. In the story, the infinite possible worlds are presented to Theodorus in a dream by Pallas Athena, daughter of Jupiter. What he sees through the rooms of the palace are infinite alternative stories to the unfortunate fate of Sextus Tarquinius, son of the last king of the Roman monarchy. These possible worlds are organized in descending order of perfection, so that the richest in variety is at the top of the pyramid, which is the geometric form to which Leibniz identifies the place where God deliberates on the best. This work traverses the structure of the pyramid to understand what Theodore sees in each room and what ensures the very partition between the rooms. On this route, it is verified that one of the calculations involved in the architecture of the pyramid is the dissimilarity between the part and the whole in the best of the worlds. Sextus participates in the variety of the existing world with its misfortune. Inside one of the rooms, Theodorus is introduced to the problems of infinite analysis by leafing through the book of fates. Finally, this work shows that the dystopic nature of the pyramid is not restricted to the alternative stories that Theodorus finds in each room, but there are also other worlds within the existing world itself. The most perfect world stands out for containing more variety than the others, which makes it a dense world. It is possible to transit through the density of this world through dystopias, understood firstly as an imitation of the structure of the law of the continuum and, secondly, as a bodily support that allows one to traverse, alternately, the phenomenal worlds.

The aim of this dissertation is to study the evolution of the Russian anti-utopian literary genre in the new post-Soviet environment in the wake of the defunct Soviet socialist utopia. The genre has gained a renewed importance during the 2000s, and has been used variously as a means of dealing satirically with the Soviet past, of understanding the present, and of pondering possible courses into the future for the Russian Federation. A guiding question in this study is: What makes us recognize a novel as anti-utopian at a time when the idea of utopia may appear obsolete, when the hegemony of nation states has been challenged for several decades, and when art has been drawn towards the aesthetics of hybridity? The main part of the dissertation is comprised of detailed analyses of three novels: The Slynx (Kys', 2001) by Tatyana Tolstaya; Homo Zapiens/Babylon (Generation ‘P’, 1999) by Viktor Pelevin; and Ice Trilogy (Ledianaia Trilogiia, 2002−2005) by Vladimir Sorokin. The further development of the genre is subsequently discussed on the basis of seven novels published in the past decade. A main argument in the dissertation is that the genre has been modified in ways which can be seen as a response to social and political changes on a global scale. The waning power of the nation state, in particular, and its broken monopoly as the bearer of social projects marks a new context, which is not shared by the classic works of the genre. Analysis of this evolution in post-Soviet anti-utopian novels draws on sociological as well as literary studies. The dissertation shows how the analysed novels use the possibilities of the genre to problematize various forms of societal discourse, and how these discourses work as mutations of utopia. Prominent among these are historical discourses, which reflect the increasing importance of historical narratives in public political debates in the Russian Federation.

Cette thèse analyse le corps dystopique dans La Servante Ecarlate. Elle vise à examiner les façons dont le pouvoir masculiniste subjugue les servantes à travers l'objectivation et l'effacement de leur corps, puis à analyser le corps féminin comme un élément perturbateur, un site où se produit une constante subversion du pouvoir tout au long du roman. L'introduction offre une brève discussion sur la raison derrière le choix de La Servante Ecarlate comme une étude de cas, qui est dans le but de développer le concept du corps dystopique à partir d'un point de vue féministe. Elle délimite aussi mon argument sur le corps dystopique et le pouvoir. Le premier chapitre intitulé ‟Perspectives Critiques” présente une revue critique de la littérature, introduit ma contribution à l'étude du roman, et expose mes arguments sur l'utopie féministe, la dystopie, le corps dystopique et la circulation du pouvoir. Dans le deuxième chapitre intitulé ‟Le Corps Dystopique” je démontre que la dystopie dans une certaine mesure est déjà profondément enracinée dans le présent. Cette section se concentre sur les différents aspects de la dystopie principalement la reproduction, la sexualité, la surveillance et le code vestimentaire tout en étudiant leur impact sur le corps de la servante. Ces aspects sont abordés en détail dans des sous-chapitres séparés. Le dernier chapitre intitulé ‟La Subversion du Pouvoir” examine dans un premier lieu le mode d'échange de pouvoir entre le commandant et son épouse Serena Joy. Il étudie les façons dont chacun des personnages se positionne par rapport au pouvoir afin d’exploiter le corps d’Offred. Puis, il examine l'ironie qui se cache derrière le jeu de pouvoir constant dans le roman, dévoilant ainsi la perpétuation de la dystopie corporelle étant donné que le corps de la femme ne cesse d'être l'objet de la lutte. Ce travail étudie l'expérience corporelle de la femme dans un régime totalitaire et les façons dont le corps féminin devient dystopique. Il présente le corps féminin comme la proie des hommes et des femmes, et la dystopie comme étroitement dépendante et générée par la conception de ce corps dans la société de Gilead. Mots clés: Dystopie, Corps, Pouvoir, Féminisme, Ironie, Margaret Atwood / The present thesis analyzes the dystopic body in The Handmaid’s Tale. It aims at examining the ways with which the masculinist power subjugates Handmaids through the objectification and erasure of their bodies, then analyzing the female body as a disruptive force, a site where constant powerplay occurs throughout the novel. The introduction provides a brief discussion of my reasons for choosing The Handmaid’s Tale as a case study, which includes a desire to develop the concept of the dystopic body from a feminist standpoint. It also delineates my argument on the dystopic body and power. In the first chapter entitled “Critical Perspectives”, I present a critical review of literature, introduce my contribution to the study of the novel, and expose my arguments on feminist utopia, dystopia, the dystopic body and power play. The second chapter entitled “The Dystopic Body” demonstrates that dystopia is already deep-rooted in the present. It focuses on the different aspects of dystopia mainly reproduction, sexuality, surveillance and the dress code, and studies their impact on the Handmaid’s body. These aspects are discussed in detail in separate subchapters. The final chapter entitled “Power Subversion” examines at one level the mode of power exchange between the Commander and his wife Serena Joy. It investigates the ways with which each of the characters positions themselves to power in order to take ownership of Offred’s body. At another level, it studies the irony that lies behind the constant power play in the novel, uncovering the perpetuation of bodily dystopia since the female body never ceases to be the object of struggle. This thesis examines the bodily experience of women under such totalitarian regimes and the ways in which the female body becomes dystopic. It presents the female body as the prey of both men and women, and dystopia as closely dependent on and generated by the conception of that body in the society of Gilead. Keywords: Dystopia, Body, Power, Feminism, Irony, Margaret Atwood

The aim of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive and focused reflection with regard to role of mass media in selected dystopian films, respectively in movies where some significant dystopian elements do appear. This thesis is based on themes that have been the content of bachelor thesis written by the same author and expands on it - however, the bachelor thesis analysed exclusively three novels (Brave New World, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451). Nevertheless this thesis does not include any film adaptation of these novels. Within this work a wider range of resources was employed as it allows highlighting multiple topics associated with the mass media. The main theme is therefore related to the use of mass media and their impact on society. The thesis contains interpretation (from media studies perspective) of a total of 12 films, which are then divided into three categories based on the prevailing perception of the role of mass media. The first part is focused on the mass media as a constitutive element of dystopian regimes. In this case the mass media affect the society as a whole. The second part deals with the films, in which, in which the media significantly influence the lives of specific individuals (although the whole society may not be affected). Finally, the third part includes movies, in...

In this thesis I mainly analyzed the canonical dystopian works, like J. Zamjatin We and G. Orwell 1984, based on this observation I circumscribe the five criteria by which the dystopian fictional world works. In the following sections, I observed the role and place of these criteria in the 20th century Czech literature works.

This thesis examines the topic of representation of totalitarianism in videogames. It aims to show how the totalitarianism is depicted in selected games and whether the videogame as a medium has some influence on this depiction. Theoretical part introduces and examines all sorts of different approaches, based on which one can study videogame as a medium. An argument about the videogames as a medium of control is presented further on and is also discussed in relation with totalitarianism. Second half of theoretical chapter focuses on definition of totalitarianism which is used in the case studies later on. Empirical part analyzes four games - Half-life 2, Papers, please, Wolfenstein: the New Order and BioShock with focus on representation of totality or dystopia. The games are analyzed both with regards to their rules and fiction. The conclusion shows that totalitarianism was represented mostly by its outer activities rather than ideology which were usually represented rather marginally. However, in all cases there could be found some examples of how was the representation of totalitarianism used to merge with system of control in games.

Através da utilização de letras de músicas produzidas entre os anos de 1981 e 1989, busquei analisar o papel que o rock brasileiro teve como elemento de manifestação da juventude que havia crescido sob a ditadura de 1964. Utilizei os conceitos de utopia e distopia para compreender de que maneira essas letras, ao mesmo tempo, serviram como representação da compreensão desses jovens de seu momento histórico e como instrumento de crítica da realidade econômica e social ao seu redor. Mais do que reflexo cultural de seu período, tais letras manifestavam a contradição ideológica da época, na qual a utopia em torno de uma sociedade melhor era negada pela própria distopia presente nas relações econômicas e sociais cotidianas. Esta mesma contradição foi observada na relação entre arte e mercado, criticada por muitas bandas, mas necessária para que suas músicas alcançassem seus ouvintes. É importante ressaltar que o movimento punk brasileiro teve papel fundamental para as bandas do rock brasileiro da década de 1980, pois ele mostrou que era possível produzir músicas para e pela juventude que vivia a transição da ditadura para a democracia. / Using lyrics of songs produced from 1981 to 1989, I tried to analyze the role Brazilian rock n roll had as an element of manifestation of youngsters who had grown up during the 1964 dictatorship. I used the concepts of utopia and dystopia to understand in which way these lyrics, at the same time, served as a representation of the understanding of these youngsters of their historical moment and as an instrument of criticism of the economic and social reality that surrounded them. More than just a cultural reflex of their period, these lyrics demonstrated the ideological contradiction of their time, in which utopia regarding a better society was denied by dystopia that could be found on daily economic and social relations. That same contradiction was observed on the relation between art and market, criticized by many bands, but necessary for the dissemination of their songs among their listeners. It is important to say that the Brazilian punk movement had a fundamental role for the Brazilian rock bands of the 1980s, since it showed it was possible to make songs for and by the youngsters that were living the transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Esse trabalho buscou dar conta de três conceitos gerais dentro da obra de Marge Piercy. Primeiramente apresentamos um pouco sobre a vida da autora, seus alinhamentos e como ela se engaja com os assuntos mais importantes de seu momento histórico. Dois entre seus diversos romances, Woman on the Edge of Time e He, She and It materializam em si uma série de temas e questões, com suas soluções simbólicas e contradições, que buscamos apontar e comentar. O primeiro aspecto que se fez preemente para nossa discussão foi a definição do conceito de Utopia, enfatizando ora suas características formais, ora de conteúdo e, alternativamente, sua função. Ideias como o sonho social e a educação do desejo pautaram nossa análise. Além disso, Fredric Jameson e sua ideia de Utopia enquanto neutralização foi essencial, ou seja, a demonstração de nossa incapacidade de imaginar o futuro. Definimos que a utopia seria para nós um modo de mediação da imaginação, uma ligação entre aquilo que é a uma forma radical de pensar ou agir: a representação da diferença, portanto, uma ferramenta política, um mapeamento das possibilidades e dos limites históricos, importante em um contexto no qual a própria concepção de alternativas está problematizada ou impedida. Além das características gerais da Utopia, se fez importante estabelecer àquelas específicas para as utopias literárias, que são nosso objeto de estudo. Falamos igualmente sobre a Distopia, e suas categorias, além de apresentar uma conceituação de suas vertentes críticas. Nossa tese foi que as obras de Piercy abrem espaço para o pensamento autorreflexivo de alternativas em uma época de crise política e histórica. Elas assim o fizeram na época em que foram escritas e ainda o fazem nos dias de hoje. Guardadas as proporções dos respectivos momentos históricos, as obras representam uma recuperação de aspectos relevantes do passado e um salto para o futuro, na sua mistura de desejos e medos, utopia e distopia. O próximo movimento da pesquisa foi a de explicitar os conceitos de história trazidos pelos romances. Trata-se de uma constante luta contra o apagamento e repressão dos momentos explosivos da História: tanto memória e história são sociais e coletivas quanto o esquecimento e o apagamento da história permeiam a sociedade contemporânea e têm motivações políticas. Finalmente houve uma análise da violência. Fizemos um levantamento de instâncias subjetivas, simbólicas e objetivas dela, analisando episódios do romance que diretamente questionavam as questões da violência. Depois, estudamos as cenas de fechamento dos romances e a forma como a violência passa a ser ressignificada: a defesa se torna um ataque e tal ataque está relacionado a um sacrifício. E o ato individual dos sujeitos é colocado em uma perspectiva coletiva pelas forças do romance, um passo, pequeno, mas prospectivo, na luta por uma alteridade radical. / This thesis aimed at coping with three general concepts within the work of Marge Piercy. Firstly, we introduced some facts about the authors life, her alignments and how she engaged in important issues of her historic moment. Two of her novels Woman on the Edge of Time and He, She and It materialize a series of themes and questions, with their symbolic solutions and contradictions, which we tried to indicate and comment on. The first important aspect of our discussion was the definition of Utopia, its formal characteristics, content or function. Ideas like social dreaming and education of desire were bases for our analyses. In addition to that, Fredric Jameson and his idea of Utopia as neutralization was essential to demonstrating our incapacity to imagine the future. We defined Utopia would be a mediation of imagination, a link between what is and a radical new form of thinking or acting: a representation of difference as well as a political tool, a mapping of possibilities and historical limits, important in a context when even the conception of alternatives are damaged or neutralized. Also, it was important to establish more specific characteristics to literary utopia, which are our object, and we presented Dystopia, its categories and their criticism. Our thesis was that Piercys works enable us to the self-reflexive thinking of alternatives in a time of political and historical crises, both when they were written and now. Regarding their moments of production, they represent a recovery of relevant aspects of the past and a projection into the future, in their mixture of desires, fears, utopia and dystopia. The next step in the research was to explain the conceptions of History within the novels. It showed us the constant fight against the erasing and repression of explosive moments in History: memory and history are social and collective and forgetting and erasing of History are pervasive in our society and have political motivations. There was then an analysis of violence. We selected some examples of subjective, symbolic and objective violence, studying the episodes in the novels that questioned their uses. Finally, we looked to the closing of the novels and the way violence comes to be resignified: defense becomes an attack and such attack is related to a sacrifice. And an individual act of subjects is put into perspective by the collective forces within the novels and are shown to be a small step, yet forward, in the fight towards radical Otherness.