Resistance to the Discourse of Death in Nothing to Be Frightened of by Julian Barnes in the Light of Michel Foucault

Abstract

This research traces the Foucauldian notion of resistance in Julian Barnes’ Nothing to Be Frightened of. The paper is an in-depth analysis of resistance to the discourses of death and nothingness and this resistance is shown through three different levels; These levels are the discourse of literature, the title and the narrative. The narrative also shows resistance in three different forms as dismissing a God-ruled universe, bodily experiences and memories. Considering the book as either a fiction or a semi-autobiography, the analysis can manifest some interesting notions concerning the discourse of literature including the narrative and the title as a form of resistance to the discourse of death.
Key words: Discourse of death; Nothing and discourse of nothingness; Discourse of literature; Power/knowledge; Resistance; Docile bodies