Panoptic Power Space in Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster

Abstract

This study analyzes Paul Auster's "Travels in the Scriptorium" as a narrative of objectification and subjugation of the human subject. It examines disciplinary and confessionary techniques used as a tool of power to control and oppress the subject within enclosed space. The study explores the productive nature of space and the human self concerning power/knowledge, drawing on Michel Foucault's concepts of power, the panopticon, and human subjectivity found in "Discipline and Punish" and "The History of Sexuality." Other relevant works by Foucault, such as essays and lectures, are also considered to critically examine how the character Mr Blank is disciplined and objectified through the operation of power. By examining societal physical spaces, such as jails, hospitals, and universities, the research provided insights into the underlying logic behind their construction as institutions that controlled and normalized human subjects. In modern times, methods of discipline, such as normalization and subtle control through surveillance, replaced torture and other forms of physical punishment. As a result, this work demonstrated the impact of these identified societal structures on the development of individual subjects. Thus, human subjectivity was perceived as the "micro-physics" effect of power/knowledge regimes. Keywords Power, Knowledge, Space, Panopticon, Self