The dialectical relationship of power and freedom in Luther Blissett’s and Wu Ming’s historical novels

Di Maio, Fabrizio (2021). The dialectical relationship of power and freedom in Luther Blissett’s and Wu Ming’s historical novels. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the literary representation of power and freedom in Luther Blissett’s and Wu Ming’s historical novels (Q 1999; Asce di guerra 2000; 54 2002; Manituana 2007; Altai 2009; and L’armata dei sonnambuli 2014).

In my analysis, I highlight how the events narrated develop through a dialectical relationship between power and freedom in a framework articulated in three moments: old power (fixity) / desire for freedom (instability) / new power (assimilation). In so doing, I employ Hegel’s dialectics in which one concept, introduced as a ‘thesis’, develops into a second concept that negates or is opposed to the first (‘antithesis’), which in turn leads to a third concept, the ‘synthesis’, that unifies the first two.

Shedding light on events that have been neglected by official historiography, Luther Blissett and Wu Ming create counter-history narratives that represent crucial moments of history from a new point of view and show how they strongly embody the relationship between power and freedom.
My aim is to demonstrate how, through this dialectical process, Luther Blissett and Wu Ming have demonstrated an engaging and politically committed use of literature intended as a “strumento di lotta”. This form of impegno has the potential to contribute to the creation of a form of participatory culture whose very collaborative nature is to challenge History.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):