The Justification of Violence: An Analysis of Literary and Cinematic Representations of Extreme Violence, and Attempts to Justify Them

Abstract

This thesis examines the concept of fictional violence in literature and film. This subject has been approached by dividing the research into three main subtopics. The first explores the combination of humour and fictional violence, more specifically the effect humour has on the presentation and reception of violence. The second chapter scrutinises debates around the justification of fictional violence by those who adopt a satirical defence of their work. This is structured by exploring examples of work defended by satirical purposes, and analysing the strengths and weaknesses in such justifications. The final chapter will focus on how violence is perceived differently when fictional depictions are presented with elements of realism. This section will explore how creators of fictional violence strive for a sense of realism in their fiction, and the subsequent effects of this portrayal.
My motivation for choosing this subject matter stemmed from an interest in why writers and directors use extreme violence and other taboo and transgressive topics in their fiction. I aspired to create an investigation that can probe the topic of fictional violence when used in different ways, with a scope that included a selection of authors, directors, as well as forms, including film and texts.