Summary Of Surveillance And Visibility In The Harry Potter Novels
Power Games Surveillance and Visibility in the Harry Potter Novels
The narrative of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels talks about the discourse of the origin and distribution of power through an effective use of the strategies of visibility. The Harry Potter narratives use the dynamics of visibility to show how subjects of visibility attain power and the objects of visibility become subjugated by the power induced over them. These narratives divide characters into two categories of power relation: the one who sees and the one who is seen. Foucault’s theory of surveillance and visibility is the one best available theory to analyze how power passes through the very structure of society and how it is maintained and disseminated throughout …show more content…
There is, then a necessary double relation between the two forms that is productive- and this is one of the features of Foucaultian methods. Power is productive, and this is what Foucault means when he says power is positive not negative. (50)
Quoting Deleuze, Kendall and Wickham try to define Foucaultian treatment of power as relation between forces which in turn are never a singular force but exist in relation with other forces. So any force is said to be a relation –therefore power itself. It has no subject or object other than force.
For Foucault resistance to power is part of the exercise of power. Foucault thus establishes power as a series of relations between ‘forces’ and knowledge as a series of relations between ‘forms’ (visible and sayable). Knowledge and power are said to be engaged in a contest with each other. Kendall and Wickham …show more content…
Harry could know what Voldemort is doing or for what he is after when his own mind remains inaccessible to Voldemort. As Dumbledore had rightly observed, it is not in Voldemort’s nature to trust anyone. He hardly ever shares his thoughts and plans with others. So looking into Voldemort’s mind is the only possible way available for Harry to know what he is up to. This connection helps Harry to see not only Voldemort’s perspective but also his perspective on Harry. Even Hermione who always disagrees with Harry for using his connection to look into Voldemort’s mind accepts the necessity of keeping him under Harry’s observation. Towards the end, standing beside the corpse of Fred and many other beloved friends of her, she for the first time asks Harry to look into Voldemort’s
The narrative of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels talks about the discourse of the origin and distribution of power through an effective use of the strategies of visibility. The Harry Potter narratives use the dynamics of visibility to show how subjects of visibility attain power and the objects of visibility become subjugated by the power induced over them. These narratives divide characters into two categories of power relation: the one who sees and the one who is seen. Foucault’s theory of surveillance and visibility is the one best available theory to analyze how power passes through the very structure of society and how it is maintained and disseminated throughout …show more content…
There is, then a necessary double relation between the two forms that is productive- and this is one of the features of Foucaultian methods. Power is productive, and this is what Foucault means when he says power is positive not negative. (50)
Quoting Deleuze, Kendall and Wickham try to define Foucaultian treatment of power as relation between forces which in turn are never a singular force but exist in relation with other forces. So any force is said to be a relation –therefore power itself. It has no subject or object other than force.
For Foucault resistance to power is part of the exercise of power. Foucault thus establishes power as a series of relations between ‘forces’ and knowledge as a series of relations between ‘forms’ (visible and sayable). Knowledge and power are said to be engaged in a contest with each other. Kendall and Wickham …show more content…
Harry could know what Voldemort is doing or for what he is after when his own mind remains inaccessible to Voldemort. As Dumbledore had rightly observed, it is not in Voldemort’s nature to trust anyone. He hardly ever shares his thoughts and plans with others. So looking into Voldemort’s mind is the only possible way available for Harry to know what he is up to. This connection helps Harry to see not only Voldemort’s perspective but also his perspective on Harry. Even Hermione who always disagrees with Harry for using his connection to look into Voldemort’s mind accepts the necessity of keeping him under Harry’s observation. Towards the end, standing beside the corpse of Fred and many other beloved friends of her, she for the first time asks Harry to look into Voldemort’s