TRANSLUCENT. THE POST-COVID UNIVERSE, UNDER THE DARK SIGN OF DYSTOPIA Cover Image

TRANSLUCENT. THE POST-COVID UNIVERSE, UNDER THE DARK SIGN OF DYSTOPIA
TRANSLUCENT. THE POST-COVID UNIVERSE, UNDER THE DARK SIGN OF DYSTOPIA

Author(s): Emanuela Ilie
Subject(s): Novel, Romanian Literature, Philology, Theory of Literature
Published by: Editura Arhipelag XXI
Keywords: Romanian dystopia; post-Covid era; hybridization; totalitarianism; utopia; spirituality;

Summary/Abstract: Given the dark socio-medical background of the last two years, literary discourses have metamorphosed through hybridization or returned to ancient species and forms of literary existence, which before the covid era many considered outdated or even dated. One such literary species suddenly re-vitalized is dystopia, be it scientific, totalitarian, or catastrophic, to which especially the young and ambitious novelists turn; on one hand, they aim to reflect in aesthetically convincing forms of discourse the radical transformations that the current society is experiencing; on the other hand, they intend to draw an alarm signal regarding the long-term consequences of these metamorphoses. In the Romanian space, the most convincing dystopia that has seen the light of print is Ligia Pârvulescu's debut novel entitled Translucent, which won the "First Novel" contest, organized by Litera Publishing House in 2021. Our study consists in a lucid analysis of this successful hybrid dystopia, in which elements specific to the already canonized types of dystopias are mixed by a talented novelist, sure of his means and eager to offer more than just a Romanian version of a possible post-covid dystopia.

  • Issue Year: 2021
  • Issue No: 27
  • Page Range: 74-83
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: Romanian
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