On Discipline And Resistance In The Known World Under Foucauldian Analysis

Edward P.Jones is an outstanding African-American novelist and short story writer in contemporary America.He is regarded as a bright star in the contemporary American literary world.His works put emphasis on the black lives and black experiences,but not centering on the race matters.However,his works mainly focuses on the exploration and expression of universal human nature.He does not stick to realistic artistic methods and inherits,integrates,and develops the fine traditions of black literature and white literature,pushing his works to new heights.His contribution to African American literature and even American literature made him one of the best American writers in recent years.Edward P.Jones? first novel,The Known World,is based on the little known fact that there are black people who owned slaves in the Antebellum South.It is the story of the life and death of Henry Townsend,and the community in which he was born and raised—Manchester,Virginia.Since the publication of The Known World,it has made a stir in American literature and enjoyed great popularity.The Known World is the winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.It is a masterpiece that a place in the American literary canon.Although the previous studies of The Known World at home and abroad are abundant,few researches make analysis of this novel on the basis of the power of Foucault.Therefore,an interpretation of The Known World,which attempts to enrich and deepen the study of works of Edward P.Jones,will be given under Foucauldian analysis and with the method of close reading.This thesis attempts to make an analysis of how the disciplinary power establishes and maintains and how people who are controlled by disciplinary power rebel to pursue freedom.Through the analysis of disciplines and resistances in The Known World,a conclusion can be drawn that people are in the ubiquitous net of power and they can use strategies to resist against disciplines and achieve self-fulfilment.This paper consists of three parts: introduction,body and conclusion.The main contents are as follows:The first part is the introduction.First of all,in order to lay the foundation for the following interpretation,the author mainly makes a brief introduction of Edward P.Jones and The Known World.Secondly,a concise literature review is given.The summary of previous researches would be a strong demonstration of the feasibility and innovation to conduct a study under Foucauldian analysis of power.The second part is the body,consisting of four chapters.In chapter one,the author provides some necessary information about Foucault and Foucauldian analysis of power.Of course,it is the theoretical basis for the thesis.Moreover,it also points out the internal connection between The Known World and Foucauldian analysis of power.In chapter two,the author makes an analysis of the factors contributing to the establishment of disciplinary power in this novel,mainly from two aspects,social factor and individual factor.The social background,mainly including slavery,plantation economy and the prevalent culture of white supremacy,offers the fertile land for the germination of power.Moreover,the personal desire for power and fortune stimulate individuals to exert all their energies to stand in the dominant position of the net of power,which exactly nourishes the development of power.In chapter three,following closely the text of The Known World,it mainly elaborates that how the disciplinary power using techniques to discipline people in the power net under certain social environment.With the theoretical framework by Foucault,the exercise of power is illustrated,aiming at showing the disciplines on main characters in The Known World.Hierarchical observation makes the main characters live in an environment of ubiquitous surveillance.Consequently,they have to behave in strict accordance with norms set up by authorities.Their behaviors will be assessed by authorities,getting themselves corresponding rewards or punishments,which is the so-called normalizing judgment.Moreover,examination,as a combination of hierarchical observation and normalizing judgment,is also used to help authorities have a good knowledge of objects in the net of power,making corresponding adjustment to improve their management.In chapter four,taking advantage of two strategies of resistance proposed by Foucault,namely partial struggle and aesthetics of existence,the resistances of main characters in The Known World are analyzed.From the perspective of Foucault,people can use the strategy of partial struggle and aesthetics of existence to break out of the net of power.The successful resistance surely brings them with brand new life.Certainly,resistances may not always end in success;fruitless resistance may stir no waves in the disciplinary environment but it does assist them with the erection of a clear outlook of their lives.The last part is the conclusion which again gives a recapitulative summary of the whole thesis.With the support of Foucault?s analysis of power,the author has an access to analyze this masterpiece from a special perspective and probe into its profound significance.Through the analysis,we found that the Manchester County in the novel is a disciplinary society in which discipline are exerted on blacks.And people who are oppressed by disciplinary power can break out of the net of power and realize self-fulfilment through the resistance strategies.Moreover,the innovation and limitations of this thesis will be pointed out at the end of the thesis.