The sensational novel : man-eating power in postmodern literature

Abstract

The trope of cannibalism in literary fiction has been long associated with negative connotations, but this seems to shift somewhat in postmodern literature, or to at least take on different nuances. This dissertation aims to show how in postmodern fiction cannibalism has occasionally become an act of empowerment against oppressive forces. By analysing the history of the cannibalistic figure in culture, focusing on how the taboos attributed to it were created as discussed by Sigmund Freud and Georges Bataille and eventually deconstructed as exemplified by the work of Maggie Kilgour, we can understand more fully the different ways in which cannibalistic imagery is associated with power. The implications of this are then explored in the works of Chuck Palahniuk ‘Cannibal’ and Haunted, where the motif introduces anthropophagy as a form of victimhood where cannibalism is used as a method of survival when faced with social excess. This then paves the way for the strengthening of identity gained through cannibalistic actions in Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman. Ultimately, this dissertation seeks to make clear the import of cannibalistic imagery in exposing injustice and emphasising the need for rejection of the grand narratives that dictate our cultural norms.