An Interpretation Of Nineteen Eighty-Four In Light Of Foucault’s Theory Of The Disciplinary Power

George Orwell is a famous English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic, whose work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism and outspoken support of democratic socialism(Bott, 1985). As a literary political novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four has caused great sensation since it was published in 1949. The novel is set in a province of the fictitious superstate Oceania, which is dictated by a political system, called Ingsoc( a blend for English Socialism) in “Newspeak”, the language created by its government. The almost omnipresent government’s surveillance makes life there stifling. The ruling Party controls its people through all kinds of methods such as controlling media, discourses, minds, thoughts, etc.The famous French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault whose theory focuses on the relationship between power and knowledge. In Discipline and Punish, his first major genealogical work, he elaborates that the means of social control has transformed from the old ways of corporal punishments to the way of disciplining its people. The controlling means in his theory of the disciplinary power is exactly correspondent with the ruling Party Ingsoc’s control over its people in Nineteen Eighty-Four, thus the thesis intends to interpret Nineteen Eighty-Four in light of Michel Foucault’s theory of the disciplinary power.The thesis is divided into six chapters.The first chapter introduces George Orwell, his life experience and his work Nineteen Eighty-Four. Furthermore, it gives a comprehensive literature review of the domestic and international studies on this novel.The second chapter introduces Michel Foucault and his theory of the disciplinary power including the three technologies of the disciplinary power-- the hierarchical observation, the normalizing judgment and the examination.The third chapter analyzes the ruling Party Ingsoc’s means of controlling its people both physically and mentally through controlling space, time, norms, knowledge and materials in this novel in light of Michel Foucault’s theory of the disciplinary power. In the process of the practicing power, the three technologies expounded by Michel Foucault are put into full use.The fourth chapter explores Winston and Julia, the two protagonists’ discontents with the ruling Party’s control as well as their resistances against the Party.The fifth chapter discusses the protagonists’ failure in resistances and their final returns to the state of slavery.The sixth chapter gives a comprehensive conclusion of the thesis.