Portrayal of Urban Violence in JG Ballard’s Novels

Abstract

This paper deals with the social and humanistic aspects of life within communities affected by violence, focusing on the concrete manifestations of violence in JG. Ballard’s The Atrocity Exhibition (1970), his urban disaster novel High Rise (1975), and his urban violence novel Cocaine Nights (1996), to explore the evolving typologies of violence within urban settings. Each novel offers a unique exploration of violence within the urban landscape, ranging from psychological and societal violence to the fetishisation of automotive accidents and the darker undercurrents of suburban tranquillity. The paper offers insights into Ballard’s recurring motifs and stylistic approaches to depicting urban violence. The hypothesis posits that Ballard’s depiction of urban violence serves as a reflection of contemporary societal anxieties and the impact of modernity on human behaviour. We suggest that the violence in urban communities portrayed in these novels stems directly from society’s obsession with media sensationalism and technological progress. Additionally, there is a reciprocal relationship between the urban environment and the human psyche, where the protagonists’ internal states are projected outward. By dealing with the specific forms of violence depicted in selected novels, the paper seeks to elucidate the thematic nuances of societal breakdown, the alienation of individuals and its impact on their well-being within the context of contemporary urban life.