Free Speech and Digital Discourse in Nicola Barker's H(A)PPY

Abstract

Nicola Barker's H(A)PPY (2017) depicts a dystopian future in which all speech is monitored and regulated. Politically dubious topics are flagged, metanarratives like religion and history are censored, and even words expressing heightened emotional states are marked as dangerous. Barker uses innovative techniques to visualise the warping of language under conditions of totalitarian surveillance. In analysing Barker's novel, this paper applies the findings of digital discourse studies to the novel's content while arguing that its experimental techniques reflect a distinct break from the digital information stream. Barker's innovations are a formal route to escape the deadlock of our current politics.