Associative Argument Here

 

Tara Wilson
Hans Bertens's Literary Theory: The Basics: "new historicism and cultural materialism reject both the autonomy and individual genius of the author and the autonomy of the literary work and see literary texts as absolutely inseparable from their historical context […] The author’s role is to a large extent determined by historical circumstances” (176).
This site is an associative agrument utilizing the new historicism literary theory and various hand written texts, translated texts, electronic texts, films, Inernet Sites, and Wikipedia Encyclopedia in order to link two people of similar power seperated by over four hundred centuries.

New Historicism

Stephen Greenblatt (1980's)

Power and knowledge as described by Foucault becomes intregal when comparing Elizabeth’s position as a royal monarch and Bill Gates's position as a corporate tycoon. Elizabeth uses her knowledge of religion and nationalism to reinforce her identity as Queen; Bill uses his knowledge of computer technology and capitalism to reinforce his identiy as MicroSoft King.
Michael Foucault (1926- 1984) was a historian of "psychiatry, the orgin and the rise of clinical medicine, the evolution of biology and econmics, [and among other social developements] the emergence of the modern prison system" (Bertens 148). In context of "modern prision systems," Foucault theorizes what it is that makes one regulate him/herself in soiciety.

 

By combining new researching tools like Wikipedia with a new concept like new historicism reinforces Foucault's empowerment becuase the language of this site is a discourse on the knowledge behind two people who are revered as powerful and influencial cross-continental in politc, law, opinion, and gender.

 

Foucault locates such reguations of identity in the contructs of power and from our assumptions of underlying knowledge that create truths in the superior culture [of a given period].

 

This asscociative arguement via the New Hhistoricism Challenge also challeges Wikipedia's "no original research" policy in that I am sythisizing published texts, the Internet, the news, and films in order to present a new concept on how Queen Elizabeth I and Bill Gates may be seen as comparatively similar icons of power and knowledge.
In Practicing New Historicism, Greenblatt and Armstrong discuss the idea of an entire culture being identified as a text and points out how “it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a clear, unambiguous boundary between what is representation and what is event” (15).

 

This site inspired by Literary Theory course via Professor David Toise (Fall 2005) and English Composition course via Professor Cathy Gabor (Spring 2006) at California State Unitversity, Sacramento This site was my English Composition Project incepted via my blog.

Works Cited

Bertens, Hans. Literary Theory: the Basics. Routledge, London and NewYork: 2001.

Gallagher, Catherine Gallagher and Stephen Greenblatt. Excerpt from "Practicing New Historicism." University Of Chicago Press, September 1, 2001. 1-19.

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