(ممکن است هنگام انتقال از فایل اصلی به داخل سایت بعضی متون به هم بریزد یا بعضی نمادها و اشکال درج نشود ولی در فایل دانلودی همه چیز مرتب و کامل است)

                                               Abstract

This research investigates the constitution and formation of social subject in the selection of short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut. In this regard, the researcher determines to benefit from Jean-François Lyotard’s postmodern theory to scrutinize the authoritative system in the postmodern society. In fact, Lyotard and other prominent postmodernist philosophers are of the opinion that the individual is severely influenced and manipulated by the capitalist system. In the postmodern social theory, the individual is defined as a dependant, fluid, receptive and inert being; he is a minor constituent of the global capitalism which exploits him to serve its interests. The researcher applied the theory of Lyotard on “Thanasphere”, “The Package”, “Poor Little Rich Town”, “Souvenir”, “The Cruise of the Jolly Roger”, “Custom-Made Bride”, and “2BR02B” from the collection of Bagombo Snuff Box; since, all the selected short stories narrate the social atmosphere after the Second World War while the capitalist economic system flourished to global capitalism. The researcher concludes that in the selected short stories the system of post-industrial capitalism produces its legitimated social institutions and apparatuses such as knowledge and truth by which it implements the normative behavior, standards and prevalent values in the social body. Capitalism regulates the social activities by the processes of homogenization and universalization; therefore, it produces the grand narratives and language games to direct the social interactions. In addition, the social subject is the product of power system. The postmodern social subject is a relational self as he is inevitably influenced by the legitimated social activities and participates in them. He has to learn the rules of the legitimated genres of discourse and to perform efficiently. Accordingly, during these social participations, he is gradually manipulated to conform to the advantage of power.

Key Terms: capitalism, power, language game, grand narrative, social subject, performativity.

چکیده

این پژوهش ساختار و شکل گیری فردیت اجتماعی را درگلچینی از داستان های کوتاه کرت وانگات بررسی میکند.در این رابطه٬ پژوهش گر بر آن شد تا از تئوری پست مدرن ژان فرانسوا لیوتارد برای بررسی نظام قدرتمند اقتصادی عصر پست مدرن سود جوید. در واقع٬ لیوتارد و دیگر فیلسوفان برجسته مکتب پست مدرن بر این باورند که انسان به شدت تحت تاثیر سلطه نظام سرمایه داری است. در تئوری پست مدرن انسان به عنوان موجودی وابسته٬ متغیر٬ پذیرنده و منفعل تعریف شده است. او یک جزء کوچک در نظام جهانی سرمایه داری است که منافع آن از طریق بهره کشی از انسان ها تامین میشود. پژوهش گر تئوری لیوتارد را بر داستانهای کوتاه تاناسفر٬ مجموعه٬ شهر غنی کوچک فقیر٬ سوقاتی٬ سفر جالی راجرز٬ عروس سفارشی و 2ب ر20ب از مجموعه داستان انفیه دان باگومبو پیاده کرد. همه داستان های کوتاه فضای اجتماعی پس از جنگ جهانی دوم که با شکوفایی اقتصاد سرمایه داری جهانی همراه بود را روایت میکنند. پژوهش گر به این نتیجه دست یافت که در داستان های کوتاه انتخاب شده سرمایه داری فراصنعتی نهادها و ابزارهای اجتماعی مشروعی چون دانش و واقعیت را تولید میکند و با استفاده از آن ها رفتار هنجاری٬ معیارها و ارزش های رایج را در متن جامعه به اجرا میگذارد. سرمایه داری فعالیت های اجتماعی را با فرآیندهای هم جنس سازی و همگانی سازی اداره میکند؛ بنابراین٬ برای مسیردهی به برهم کنش های اجتماعی بازی های زبانی و کلان روایت ها را تولید میکند. علاوه بر آن٬ فردیت اجتماعی محصول نظام قدرت است. خود اجنماعی پست مدرن در ارتباطات شکل میگیرد. او به طرز اجتناب ناپذیری متاثر از شرکت در فعالیت های اجتماعی مشروع است. او ناگزیر از فراگیری گونه های مشروع گفتمان برای ایفای نقش کارآمد است. از این رو در خلال فعالیت های اجتماعی او به طور تدریجی به سمتی که در جهت منافع قدرت است هدایت میشود.

واژگان کلیدی: سرمایه داری٬ قدرت٬ بازی زبانی٬ کلان روایت٬ فردیت اجتماعی٬ قابلیت اجرایی

Table of Contents

Abstract

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1. General Background

1.2. The Argument

1.2.1. Research Questions

1.3. Literature Review

1.4. Thesis Outline

1.5. Methodology and Approach

1.6. Motivation and Delimitation

1.7. Definition of Key Terms

Chapter 2: The Postmodern Theory of Jean-François Lyotard

2.1. Jean-François Lyotard

2.2. The Postmodernist Movement

2.3. Early Marxist Activities

2.4. The Pragmatics of Knowledge

2.5. Modern Criteria of Legitimation

              2.6. Postmodern Criteria of Legitimation

2.7. The development of Capitalist System

2.8. The Semiotics and the Linguistic Based Culture

2.9. The Postmodern Self (Social Subject)

2.10. The Complementary Approaches of Baudrillard and Foucault

Chapter 3: Language Games

3.1. Studying Capitalism, Power, Language Game and Reality in “Thanasphere”

3.1.1 Synopsis

3.1.2 Commentary

3.2. Studying Capitalism, Reality, Language Game and Power in “Souvenir”

3.2.1 Synopsis

3.2.2 Commentary

3.3. Studying Language Game, Power, Capitalism and Alienation in “The Cruise

of the Jolly Roger”

3.3.1 Synopsis

3.3.2 Commentary

3.4. Studying Capitalism, Disciplinary Power, Language Game and Reality in

“2BR02B”

3.4.1 Synopsis

3.4.2 Commentary

Chapter 4: Grand Narratives

4.1. Studying Grand Narrative, Capitalism and Social Class in “The Package”

4.1.1 Synopsis

4.1.2 Commentary

4.2. Studying Grand Narrative, Capitalism and Performativity in “Poor Little Rich

Town”

4.2.1. Synopsis

4.2.2. Commentary

4.3. Studying Grand Narrative, Capitalism and Commodity in “Custom-Made

Bride”

4.3.1. Synopsis

4.3.2. Commentary

Chapter 5: Conclusion

5.1. Summary

5.2. Findings

5.3. Suggestions for Further Research

Works Cited

Chapter One

                                           Introduction

1.1. General Background

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007) is renowned as a prominent American novelist and essayist. Vonnegut was one of the celebrated writers of post-World War ΙΙ in American literature. He defined himself as an atheist, agnostic and freethinker. The significant characteristic of his writing career is that for the most part in his works he combined satiric social observation and black comedy; also, he utilized surrealist and imaginary elements.

Several of his novels included science fiction themes. Actually, Vonnegut made use of the elements of science fiction and metafiction to direct the reader’s attention to the more serious issues associated with ethics and politics. His simple writing style is deceptive since it misleads the reader from perceiving the tense and unspeakable agony of the individual’s life in the twentieth century.

As a postmodern writer, in his writing Vonnegut employs some specific features; that is, the disorder in the narrative events and disruption of time or mixing past, present and future, blending of different genres, drawing the pictures, symbols or designs in the text, vicious circles and paranoia. In his works the limerick, humorous and jokes are entangled to narrate the serious facts that are really happened in Vonnegut’s lifetime.

The crucial event in Vonnegut’s life which had a profound influence on him and consequently on his writing career could be the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, by Allied armies in 1945, a horrifying happening he witnessed personally as a young captive of war. His understanding in Dresden laid the grounds for his greatest novel Slaughterhouse-Five published in 1969 as an obvious attack on the terrors of war in Vietnam, racial turmoil and cultural and social cataclysm.

Accordingly, there is linkage between Vonnegut’s life and works. War, genocide, environmental determinism, atomic bomb and technological advancement were all engendered in the postmodern epoch. He disapproved the technological science and the political economy. Common themes in Vonnegut’s works consist of the dehumanization resulted by the improvement of technology, Sexuality, fierceness, hopelessness, bewilderment, alienation, insecurity and depression.

Vonnegut was a humanist. He maintained that in the postmodern era the human being is a hapless, lonely, bewildered and desperate victim; he is robbed of his identity and integrity to transform to a totally dependent social subject. In an alien world organized by machines, the individual tries to cope with the forces beyond his control. In his novels Vonnegut compassionately praised the characters who refuse to surrender to despair and defeat.

Vonnegut’s remarkable works are Player Piano (1952), Sirens of Titan (1959), Cat’s Cradle (1963), Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), and Breakfast of Champions (1973). Galápagos (1985), Bluebeard (1987), Hocus Pocus (1990) and Timequake (1997). On the Whole, Vonnegut is the author of 14 novels and nearly 50 short stories, in addition to plentiful essays, autobiographical pieces, and plays. A number of his works have been transformed into television or film-as an adaptations- and he caused distinction to some of these with cameo role appearances.

This research is going to concentrate on seven short stories written by Vonnegut in the collection, Bagombo Snuff Box. The researcher chose to work on “Thanasphere”, “The Package”, “Poor Little Rich Town”, “Souvenir”, “The Cruise of the Jolly Roger”, “Custom-Made Bride”, and “2BR02B”. In these short stories the postmodern world after the Second World War- is depicted. The concepts which impact on the constitution and formation of the social subject in the postmodern philosophy of Jean-François Lyotard (1925-98) will be discussed by the researcher.

From the above-mentioned fictions, “Thanasphere” and “2BR02B” narrate the circumstances in advanced societies regulated by the technological knowledge. “Souvenir” and “The Cruise of Jolly Roger” deal with the events of World War ΙΙ straightforwardly. “The Package”, “Poor Little Rich Town” and “Custom-Made Bride” depict the social milieu in the American capitalist system. What inspired the researcher to undertake this study is that the entire short stories illustrate the helpless individuals entangled in the coercive environment caused by global capitalism.

In “Thanasphere”, Vonnegut shatters the borderline between the living and dead. He questions the legitimacy of the scientific knowledge since in the capitalist system this form of knowledge is deemed as ubiquitous and infallible; however, in the story some unexpected events take place that