Voices Against Authoritarianism In Kathy Acker’s Empire Of The Senseless

Abstract

Kathy Acker is the most prominent idiosyncratic writer in the Post Punk movement. Her writings plunder the canon of western literature through her interpretations of some classical works in her novels.  She defies genre conventions and breaks taboos such as violation, family dynamic, authoritarian rule, and sexual revolution. The aim of the paper is to discuss the rough journey of Abhor, her sufferings, her betrayal, and her quest for identity. Empire of the Senseless focuses on the path of transgression taken by Abhor and the struggles of post-revolutionary Paris. It illustrates the interconnections between racism and sexism, which cause double oppression on the woman's character.  She rises out the voices against the issues of sexual abuse and reaffirms the dark journey of Abhor and Thivia. Empire of the Senseless reflects the interweaving of past and present connections, individual and community, personal experiences, and the Algerian revolution, which leads them towards an aesthetic paradigm of wholeness.  Acker’s female protagonist agonises over the traumas of childhood abuse, terror, rebellion, sexuality, and the anxiety of war.  In Acker's fictional world, which is ruled by violations and capitalist patriarchs, new forms of solidarity and resistance are required.