The machine of power

the dystopian world in Death in the shell by Agop Melkonyan and The squares of the city by John Brunner

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60056/CCL.2024..83-91

Keywords:

dystopia, mechanisms of power, science fiction novel, Agop Melkonyan, John Brunner

Abstract

The current text’s purpose is to compare the two novels mentioned in the article’s title, so it could examine some differences and some similarities in creating a fictional world, while emphasizing on the political dimensions of a dystopian narrative. The machine of power is a metaphor used in both novels, which are also comparable in their intention to show general mechanisms that take place within similar political regimes.

Author Biography

  • Marchela Mironova, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

    Marchela Mironova is a PhD candidate at the Department of Bulgarian literature at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Bulgarian Philology and her Master’s degree in Literary Studies. She is interested in fantasy, the fantastic, and Bulgarian literature. She teaches Bulgarian language and literature to middle- and high school students.

References

Brunner, J. (1996). Grad varhu shahmatna daska. Retrieved February 11, 2023, from https://chitanka.info/text/50401/0

Dilov, L. (2008). Zryalost na izkaza i misalta. In Spomen za sveta na Agop Melkonyan (pp. 89–90).

Melkonyan, A. (2019). Smart v rakovinata. In Pateka za otvad. Iztok-Zapad.

Norledge, J. (2022). The language of dystopia. In Palgrave studies in language, literature and style. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93103-2

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Published

2025-11-06

Issue

Vol. 10 (2024)

Section

I. Dystopia Traditions, Genre Dynamics, Directions of Transformation

License

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How to Cite

The machine of power: the dystopian world in Death in the shell by Agop Melkonyan and The squares of the city by John Brunner. (2025). Colloquia Comparativa Litterarum, 10, 83-91. https://doi.org/10.60056/CCL.2024..83-91