Relative Truth in Briefing for a Descent into Hell from the Perspective of Foucault’s “Power-Knowledge” Theory
Abstract
Briefing for a Descent into Hell is one of Doris Lessing’s lesser-attended science fiction novels, depicting the experiences of the protagonist, Charles, as he suffers a breakdown and is transported to oceans, deserted islands, and space in a dream world. In the novel, Lessing uses the experiences of the Charles to create three false truth for the reader, which fit in with Foucault’s “power-knowledge” theory. Analyzing the texts through Foucault’s “power-knowledge” lens provides insight into the impact of Lessing’s plotting in this work on the conclusion of “Truth is not absolute”, and deepens our understanding of Lessing’s aspirations to dismantle traditional dualistic views of truth.
Keywords
Doris Lessing; Briefi ng for a Descent into Hell; Relative truth;“Power-knowledge” theory
Full Text:
PDFReferences
[1] Bolling, Douglass. “Structure and Theme in ‘Briefing for a Descent into Hell’.” Contemporary Literature 14.4 (1973): 550-564.
[2] Khatri, Durga Bahadur. Fluctuation of Identity in Doris Lessing’s Briefing for a Descent Into Hell. Diss. Department of English, 2011.
[3] Lessing, Doris. Briefing for a Descent into Hell. London: Vintage, 1981
[4] Von Schwarzkopf, Margarete. “Placing Their Fingers on the Wounds of Our Times.” Doris Lessing: Conversations (1994): 102-108.
[5] Wu, Fei. “On the Literary Ethics of Doris Lessing’s Future World.” Journal of North University of China (Social Sciences Edition). 4(2022): 71-76.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18686/ahe.v8i5.13391
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
