A Žižekian Reading of Linguistic and Objective Violence in Ian Russel McEwan’s ‘The Child in Time’ and ‘Black Dogs’

Subject Areas : Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies

Manoochehr Najafi ¹ , Javad Yaghoobi Derabi ^{2 *} , Ali Salami ³

1 - Department of Literature and Foreign Languages, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
2 - گروه زبانهای خارجی-دانشگاه آزاد کرج-البرز-ایران
3 - گروه زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی دانشگاه تهران

Received: 2024-09-16 Accepted : 2025-02-10 Published : 2025-01-28

Keywords: Violence, Subjective and Objective Violence, Interpassivity, Ideology, The Child in Time, Black Dogs ,

Abstract :

This research aims to explore how are the Žižekian concepts of ‘violence’ and ‘interpassivity’ interpreted in Ian Russel McEwan's novels, "The Child in Time" (CIT) and "Black Dogs" (BD). Žižek distinguishes between subjective (physical) and objective (systemic/structural and symbolic) violence, highlighting their disparities. Subjective violence can be attributed to specific individuals. Subjective violence cannot be fully understood without considering the broader context of objective/unseen violence from which it emerges. There are two different forms of objective violence: symbolic violence of language, and systemic (or structural) violence of political and economic systems. For this study, these novels were selected owing to their notable political nature within McEwan's oeuvre. The study found instances of objective and subjective violence in both novels, with objective violence being more prevalent in "The Child in Time" and subjective violence more noticeable in "Black Dogs." Moreover, "The Child in Time" exhibited specific cases of interpassivity, while "Black Dogs" showcased a prominent manifestation of counter-violence. McEwan's purpose is to scrutinize violence as a concept that is subject to its contextual framework for justification. This study contributes to novel perspectives on the presence of violence and the validity of implementing counter-violence in society.