The Literary Poetics of the Authoritarian Face of Power

This paper examines two Modern Greek novels and discusses the imposition of authoritarianism and punitive mechanisms applied in two different political situations. The first of these concerns an authoritarian regime that commits atrocities against dissidents while the second examines the power relations that develop in left-wing organizations in Greece, result in criminal violence and ultimately mirror the authoritarian methods used by those in power. These texts demonstrate authoritarianism may be engendered in any political organization, regardless of ideology. The paper utilizes the theoretical principles of Cultural Criticism together with literary narrative techniques.