Jeanette Winterson, The Powerbook

Nicola Bowring (The Nottingham Trent University); Ryan Ward (The Nottingham Trent University)
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In

The Powerbook

(2000), British novelist Jeanette Winterson applies experimental formal indeterminacy. The novel employs intersubjectivity and shifts in temporality to explore topics such as sexual empowerment and the freedom of exploration, themes which Winterson has visited in previous works such as her debut novel

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

(1985) and

Sexing The Cherry

(1989). In a dissimilar fashion to her other works, this text is centred around technology, as characters can explore their heart's desire through the computer. However, as the novel develops it becomes clear that this unbridled exploration of artificially generated landscapes can have very dangerous consequences as the separation between the emotional and technological becomes increasingly blurred. As Winterson…

1221 words

Citation: Bowring, Nicola, Ryan Ward. "The Powerbook". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 October 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14321, accessed 21 November 2024.]

14321 The Powerbook 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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