Thesis (M.A.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Arts - Department of English

The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of utopian systems by investigating Margaret Atwood{u2019}s The Handmaid{u2019}s Tale (1986), The Testaments (2019) and The Heart Goes Last (2015). Set in different ages, the selected novels discuss the changes that happen in the lives of different characters who live in utopian societies that eventually turn into dystopias. The theoretical framework applied in this study is Michel Foucault{u2019}s theory of power specifically the concepts of surveillance, discourse and governmentality.{u2018}Surveillance{u2019} is the continuous observation and assessment of citizens.{u2018}Discourse{u2019} is the language that shapes a society{u2019}s relationships and constitute knowledge and meaning. Lastly, {u2018}governmentality{u2019} is implementing certain rules and regulations in order to manipulate the minds of the citizens. These three concepts allow the people in authority to control the lives of the citizens. In order to examine that in the selected novels, different questions such as what is power, what is utopia and what is a dystopia will be addressed

Issued also as CD