A New Historicist Examination of the Conspiracy Theory in Dan Brown’s Inferno in the Light of Post Covid-19 Pandemic
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Date
2024-06
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UNIVERSITÉ MOHAMED BOUDIAF - M’SILA
Abstract
This study examines the implications of the conspiracy theory portrayed in Dan Brown’s novel Inferno (2013). The study explores how Inferno’s conspiracy narrative resonates with post-truth sentiments and distrust of institutions in the pandemic’s aftermath, potentially perpetuating such attitudes. By contextualizing the text within the COVID-19 crisis, the study sheds light on the power relations and cultural anxieties underpinning conspiracy theories, and their potential implications in a post-pandemic world. Through the
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lens of New Historicism, the analysis investigates how the novel’s sinister plot to release a bioengineered depopulation virus is shaped by the power dynamics and cultural anxieties of its era. Additionally, Michel Foucault’s theories on biopolitics, governmentality, and power-knowledge relations are employed to unpack the portrayal of population control measures and the conspiracy’s motivations. Findings suggest that Inferno’s conspiracy theory validates radical solutions, fueling distrust in institutions and control over populations. This analysis contributes to the understanding of how contemporary fiction can both reflect and reinforce societal anxieties, potentially influencing public discourse and attitudes towards scientific institutions and global health initiatives in an era of increasing skepticism and misinformation.
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Keywords
Inferno, New historicism, Conspiracy Theory, Bioterrorism, COVID-19