Power and Technology in Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies Series

• Main Authors: Yu-Fang Chen, 陳玉芳
• Other Authors: Jiann-guang Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/77742329499956860680

碩士 === 國立中興大學 === 外國語文學系所 === 98 === This thesis aims to analyze the exercise of power in Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series by adopting Foucault’s theories about power. The Uglies series contains various forms of power. The forms interact together and co-operate in every aspect of people’s everyday life. Through the analysis of diverse and complicated power forms, the reader can see how the people are dominated and manipulated in the novels. In this thesis, Foucault’s theory of “docile body” is applied to interpret the influences of technology on the human body. The human body in the novels is changed and altered through the cosmetic operation and the special operation by the disciplinary power. Both the human appearance and capacity can be improved and reinforced through technology. Also, Fredric Jameson’s theories of “waning of affect and historicity” are adopted to examine the emotional experiences and life of human beings. Through technology in the novels, human beings’ emotional experiences, memories and ways of thinking can be formalized, rewritten and twisted. Although through technology human beings’ ways of thinking can be changed, the plasticity of the human brain shows that human beings are capable of resisting the influences which are brought by technology. Catherine Malabou’s theory about the plasticity of the human brain is used to elaborate the possibility of human beings to resist technological force in the Uglies series.