Fall Of Subjectivity In John Updike's Memories Of Ford Administration

John Updike is a prestigious American writer whose works are under unfailing study among the reviewers and critics.Yet Memories of Ford Administration,one of Updike's novels,is a relatively mild-received novel published in 1992.In this novel,the narrator,named Clayton,alternates his two narratives concerning the history of Buchanan and Ford era,endeavoring to establish a sense of self both in his intellectual investment and in his personal life.The thesis works on the dissolution of Clayton's subjectivity through studying the mixed conditions of Clayton.Relying heavily on Foucault's theories on Subjectivity,the present author attempts to deconstruct the alleged conception on man's subjectivity,and the argument of fall of subjectivity is carried out from two traditionally rival facets: mind and body.While Clayton makes efforts to establish his identity through writing,recollecting of history,and remaining resistant to the newly developed intellectual currents,his assured self fails to be constructed because he has become the function of his writing in postmodern context,and his retrieving of the past only demonstrates that he is the prey to the network of social discourses.Seemingly,he is assimilated by deconstructionism because there is a constant necessity for accepting and mastering new theories and knowledge in his academic practices.The frustrated narrator resorts to physical domain where his quest for sensual pleasures is largely highlighted by his fascination with female bodies.Undoubtedly,Clayton's pursuit for an authentic sense of self is doomed to fail because he is used in every sexual adventures as the projection of desire for power and his obsessive interest in depicting female bodies displays that the traditionally authoritative role played by male protagonist in sexual praxis is dissolved in postmodern landscape,and thus Clayton does not succeed in constructing his subjectivity in his physical life.