Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2023

Date of Submission

2023-06-12

Advisor

Nudrat Kamal, Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Abstract

This project conducts a comparative analysis of stories falling under the science fiction-realism and fantasy genres from two distinct parts of the world – East Asia and North America – and highlights how these can become social commentaries underlining prevalent issues and themes in societies, relating to capitalism, patriarchy, the class imbalance, and resistance. The key element of this thesis is to relay how imagined utopias and dystopias, prevalent in the chosen short story pairs by Ursula K. Le Guin and Bora Chung – “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” (2016) and “Snare” (2017) in Chapter 1, and “The Matter of Seggri” (2016) and “The Embodiment” (2017) in Chapter 2 – can become temporary sites of resistance by realizing and bringing to light prevalent societal issues, all the while having a lasting effect in the real world.

The completed analysis reveals that, firstly, authors are able to voice the aforementioned issues through fictional texts as this genre provides them with a platform to emphasize important notions without consequences. Secondly, the study reveals that these problems in societies are universal wherein they exist and impact communities in different parts of the world in a largely similar manner. Finally, at the core of the conducted analysis is the notion that imagined utopias and dystopias can morph into essential ustopias, where fictional characters, moreover readers, are able to revel in the resistance to control and subjugation, consequently providing hope for the future of current societies. The thesis also suggests new angles for a similar analysis for future studies.

Pages

VI, 72

Download

The full text of this document is only accessible to authorized users.

Share

COinS