Intimate Encounters: Representation of Violence In Literature

Abstract

Violence is in different forms like: visible and invisible, cultural and structural, open and hidden, direct and indirect, psychological and physical etc. Violence takes place on different grounds. From the large-scale genocide to the domestic violence, it is a power struggle. Violence is not always destructive; it is mostly creative. Some times violence is the solution to violence. The process of civilization moves through the modes of violence. Art and violence have existed together. Art has beautified violence and violence has dignified art. In this sense violence has a lot of aesthetic values. Violence of intimate relationship is most profusely used in literature as a source of beauty as well as the redemption from the cruelties of the real world because of its aesthetic value. The present research work studies violence in general, and gradually narrows down its horizon to the encounters in intimate relationship in particular. The dissertation amalgamates the concepts of “rhetoric of violence” or “violence of rhetoric” and the theoretical interpretation of “psycho-social-sexual behavior” on the basis of the theories and discourses of Lauretis, Sigmund Freud, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Levi Strauss, Frederic Nietzsche, Gayatri Spivak, Monique Plaza and others. The discussion of power, violence, ideology, discourse and representation that play roles in literary writings is the basic concept. Violence is mostly founded on power, and power creates an ideology to justify its course of action. For Foucault truth is guided by power. In most of his writings sex is the central topic of discourse and the historical relationship of power. Sex is central to law, liberty and sovereignty, and also one of the most forbidden areas of our lives and bodies. Michel Foucault focuses on the development of human civilization. In his opinion, human civilization is always guided and driven by different forms of madness. Madness has been the most motivating and influential factor of this development. Human relations are generally sentimental: full of emotions, passions, attachments, infatuations, jealousies, grudges, irritations and motivations. The extremes of these emotions may result into madness and madness into violence. The first and easiest use of violence begins in intimate relationship. The thesis presents violence on the dimension of the dialectical and historical materialism too. Finally this dissertation sums up with the idea that intimate encounters occupy a big space in literature. Violence in intimate relationship is most frequently practiced: however its presentation in literature is artistic. The practice of violence is definitely chaotic but its impression is enormously creative. Thus, the course of violence is directed from chaos to creation.