Rethinking Nineteenth-Century America By Imagining Other Spaces

Edgar Allan Poe has long been considered as a writer who only followed the principle of“art for art?s sake”in writing.However,it is far from enough to understand him as such.As a matter of fact,his literary works are rich in meanings in that he pondered over politics,economy,art,technology as well as one?s life experiences through his artistic and imaginative construction of texts.Therefore,since the beginning of the 21^st century,more and more researchers of Poe have been devoted to analyzing the cultural,political and social significance underlying his works.In this way,Poe?s image as a writer has become more profound and better understood.Nevertheless,no one has ever attempted to analyze the heterotopias in Poe?s tales from the perspective of cultural politics so far.Thus this dissertation will focus on this aspect and point out Poe?s reflections on the 19^th-century American society in these heterotopias.This dissertation will mainly apply Michel Foucault?s concept of heterotopias to analyzing Poe?s literary works while other approaches,such as cultural studies,post-colonialism,eco-criticism,social and political studies,will also be taken.The reasons are that there are many fantastic spaces in Poe?s tales,which correspond to the different forms of heterotopias summarized by Michel Foucault.Through the depictions of these spaces,Poe reflected on many serious issues in the 19^th-century United States,including colonial expansion,empire building,democracy,scientific development and technological advancement.Poe?s concern and discussions of these issues are significant not only to his age but also to our times,especially when it comes to such matters as politics,economy,diplomacy,science and technology as well as humanity.Based on this,this dissertation will choose from Poe?s tales representative texts to discuss,analyze the cultural politics hidden therein by applying the concept of heterotopias as well as reveal Poe?s thoughts about the problems facing the American society of his time and his concern about man?s future.In order to achieve this purpose,five chapters will be given in this dissertation for discussion.Chapter One is the introduction.This part will first focus on the literature review of Poe and his works both at home and abroad throughout the ages and point out the originality in discussing heterotopias in Poe?s writing.Then Michel Foucault?s concept of heterotopias will be introduced,followed by an overall discussion of different forms of heterotopias exhibited in Poe?s works.After that,the main idea and basic framework of this dissertation will be stated.Chapter Two is the discussion of expeditionary heterotopias in Poe?s works.This part will focus on Poe?s“MS.Found in a Bottle”,The Journal of Julius Rodman and“A Tale of the Ragged Mountains”,in which three different explorations,which cover long distances,are represented respectively,that is,ocean travel,westward expansion and colonization as well as time and space travel between different colonies.Through a detailed analysis of these heterotopias,Poe?s reflections on the 19^th-century United States?overseas expansion and trade as well as its interior colonization of Native Americans will be pointed out to show his worries about United States?blind overseas expansion and trade,its age-old prejudice against Native Americans and the harsh policies targeted at them.Chapter Three is the discussion of time heterotopias or heterochronism.This part will focus on Poe?s“Some Words with a Mummy”,“Mellonta Tauta”and“The Colloquy of Monos and Una”,in which Poe?s reflections on the U.S.modernization process are well exhibited through sarcasm.The first tale satirizes Poe?s age through an ancient speaker,while the second through the mouth of a future man.The third reflects on man?s living conditions as a whole through the conversation of two souls.All of these three tales show Poe?s concern in the 19^th-century United States?modernization process.At that time many serious issues occurred in the American society,such as technologism and scientism,man?s alienation,consumerism,pragmatism,utilitarianism and anthropocentrism.As Poe was writing about time heterotopias,he discussed the problems facing the United States?modernization process and expressed his concern about how the American society could develop in a positive way.Chapter Four is the discussion of heterotopias of deviance.This part will focus on Poe?s“King Pest”,“The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether”and“The Pit and the Pendulum”,in which three different spaces are exhibited respectively,that is,the isolation area,the lunatic asylum and the prison.All of these heterotopias of deviance show Poe?s concern and thoughts about the management system of the United States in disease control in the 19^th century,the treatment of mental illness as well as the biopolitics exhibited in the penal system.In his tales,Poe revealed the way power and discourse worked to discipline people?s life and violate their basic human rights,called for the concern of the living conditions of the sick,the mentally-ill and the imprisoned,and looked forward to the reform of related institutions.Chapter Five is the conclusion.This part will summarize the ideas stated in this dissertation and point out that though the other spaces depicted in Poe?s heterotopias are quite different from the 19^th-century United States,they are significant culturally,historically and politically in that they are representations of such important issues in the19^th century American society as colonialism,imperialism,modernization process and biopolitics.And Poe?s discussion about the relationship between man and nature,man and technology,man and man,different races as well as different countries and regions that occurred in Poe?s age and aroused his concern are still applicable in the 21^st century and thus worth paying attention to.