Disordered Bodies and Disrupted Borders: Representations of Resistance in Modern British Literature

Disordered Bodies and Disrupted Borders examines the profound effects of warfare and imperialism on twentieth century British Literature, focusing on several twentieth century authors’ representations of the human body as a political text, specifically as a material/theoretical text of resistance to the dominant ideology of warfare and imperialism. The authors discussed often provide a vantage point from which to objectify the present system and to call for a transformation of the cultural codes which reproduce the cycle of violence. The early twentieth century authors experienced warfare through the Boer War and World War I, as well as British imperialism in Ireland, Africa, and India, which continue to influence contemporary British authors. This study depicts the common resistance to domination among British authors who also describe the serious consequences of resistance, particularly the destruction of the body/text by the power that inscribes it.