The Illusion of Presence and Involvement in J. M. Barrie’s Drama, ” The Admirable Crichton”

The present study attempts to analyze the existence and the contribution of hegemony’s process within the drama, The Admirable Crichton written by Scottish novelist and playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie, according to Antonio Gramsci’s theory entitled, Hegemony. Hegemony, to Gramsci, is the cultural, moral and ideological leadership of a group over allied and subaltern groups. In this sense, we tried to examine how lower class of England, are acutely manipulated via veiled ideologies which are being administered by authorities not by coercion and force but by involving them in some internal affairs of society, which leads to their satisfaction. In this study, we were able to identify three main strategies that lead to hegemony, which are: firstly, the issues of class distinction and its manifestation among characters put in to examination. In the second phase, we went through in to how citizens from different classes were influenced via expansive hegemony in which the illusion of presence and usefulness is imbued in subalterns due to their firm belief in common sense. Finally, using the image of the island, the process of forming a civilized society by an individual from the working class has been presented as well as the process by which the doctrines of a society admitted as common sense and by consent penetrates into the minds have been taken into consideration. Besides, we came to the conclusion that the Crichton’s performance in island could have been revolutionary if he had not implemented the principles of the English aristocracy, since all the distinctions and arrogant views of the upper class towards lower class was rippling among characters, thus not until the working class be capable of surmounting enclosure of inserted doctrines, the proficiency to create a new system of administration would not be achieved.

کلیدواژه ها:

Antonio Gramsci ، Hegemony ، Class Distinction ، Expansive Hegemony ، Common Sense