A Study on Identity Illusions in Invitation to a Beheading from the Perspective of Totalitarianism
Abstract
beheading. Nabokov reveals to readers the despair and helplessness human experience when facing the unknown threat of death. The causes
of Cincinnatus's tragic fate are inseparable from the identity illusions created by totalitarians. Drawing on Amartya Sen's theory of the illusion
of singularity and Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism, among other theoretical ideas, this paper analyzes Invitation to a Beheading with a focus on the identity illusions manufactured by totalitarian rulers. It examines the practice in society of using identity illusions to
manipulate individuals and explores new avenues of resistance for "opaque" others like Cincinnatus.
Keywords
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[1] Amartya Sen. Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2013.
[2] Hannah Arendt. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Florida: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1979.
[3] Sheng Yanli. The Critiques of Hannah Arendt on Totalitarianism[D]. Jiangsu Normal University, 2010.
[4] Vladimir Nabokov. Invitation to a Beheading. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
[5] Michael Addison. Violent Politics: Strategies of Internal Conflict. New York: Palgrave, 2002.
[6] Deng Yiting. Inquiry on the Time Theme of Nabokov's Invitation to a Beheading[D]. Harbin Institute of Technology, 2015.
[7] Zhai Yongming. Opening the "Horizon" Obscured by "Illusion"—A Review of Amartya Sen's Identity and Violence: The Illusion of
Destiny. Journal of Renmin University of China, 2015; 29 (06): 152-153.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/rcha.v4i7.10099
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