CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2016
| Author | Koryagina, Daryna |
|---|---|
| Title | Orwellian narrative in american media in the aftermath of 9/11 |
| Summary | Dystopian literature has been a major influence on political and social discourses worldwide. This study explores the cultural impact of George Orwell’s 1984 through the theory of political unconscious, which states that texts should not be studied outside of the context of the historical events that accompany them. The concept of figurative framing is applied to establish how the Orwellian narrative is used by the American media to criticize the actions of the US government after 9/11. By combining qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis, I analyze the main themes and patterns that arise when the Orwellian narrative is employed in the media while also inspecting the power dynamics that surround the discourse of 9/11. The study finds that Orwellian metaphors were much more widely used during the Bush administration and they concerned a wider range of topics than during Obama’s presidency. This serves to disprove the original expectation that the most frequent and assorted use of the Orwellian narrative in the media would occur after the NSA scandal. Additionally, the fact that the American authorities recognized the Orwellian narrative and began engaging in it symbolizes the relevance of the discursive practice that this narrative started. It signifies also the importance of dystopias in the political context because of their usage in mass media and generally in political communication. Keywords: dystopia, 1984, Orwell, political unconscious, figurative framing, American media, 9/11 |
| Supervisor | Zsolt Cziganyik |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2016/koryagina_daryna.pdf |
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