JOURNAL ARTICLE

Slow Violence and the California Central Valley Prison in Rachel Kushner's The Mars Room.

  • Published In: Studies in the Novel, 2024, v. 56, n. 1. P. 57 1 of 3

  • Database: Sociology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Jackson, Trevor 3 of 3

Abstract

This essay interrogates the carceral geography of the California Central Valley by examining Rachel Kushner's novel The Mars Room (2018), which unfolds the life and limiting circumstances of a woman serving two life sentences. With capitalism as the driving force and background of this novel, this article examines the problem of representation posed by the prison in American society. Does the novel allow for a sharper perception of the loss wrought by the carceral state? I argue that Kushner uses the novel form to represent the slow violence of incarceration, which is a biopolitical project of the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Studies in the Novel. 2024/03, Vol. 56, Issue 1, p57
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0039-3827
  • DOI:10.1353/sdn.2024.a921059
  • Accession Number:175986131
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Studies in the Novel is the property of Johns Hopkins University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.