Abstract
Jonathan Coe’s The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim (2010) explores how communications technology contributes to the central character’s social disconnectedness and isolation. The novel focuses on Maxwell Sim, a man deeply affected by broken relationships, failed family ties, and a desperate longing for meaningful connection. Through his portrayal of Maxwell’s internal and external struggles, Coe evaluates the paradox of modern communication. Although surrounded by various tools of communication designed to connect people, Maxwell experiences emotional distance and growing loneliness. His relationships lack intimacy, and his only consistent connections are virtual, which lack the depth and authenticity of real relationships. Maxwell’s declining mental health, marked by clinical depression, underscores the emotional cost of a hyper-connected yet emotionally detached society. By examining Maxwell Sim’s experiences, this paper demonstrates how technological tools of communication often intensify, rather than bridge, emotional distance and social disconnectedness between individuals.
Keywords
communications technology social disconnectedness isolation The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim Jonathan Coe
Ethical Statement
The article has been prepared in accordance with research and publication ethics. This study does not require ethics committee approval.
References
- Brooker, J. (2018). Jonathan Coe’s stories of sadness. In P. Tew (Ed.), Jonathan Coe: Contemporary British Satire (pp. 35-50). Bloomsbury Academic.
- Coe, J. (2011). The terrible privacy of Maxwell Sim. Viking.
- Di Bernardo, F. (2018). A terrible precariousness: Financialization of society and the precariat in Jonathan Coe’s The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim. In P. Tew (Ed.), Jonathan Coe: Contemporary British satire (pp. 1-20). Bloomsbury Academic.
- Dreyfus, H. L. (2009). On the internet. Routledge.
- Eaglestone, R. (2025). The crisis of polarisation: The example of Jonathan Coe. In S. Pellicer Ortín, J. Kuznetski, C. Battisti (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Literatures and Crisis (pp. 211-222), Routledge.
- Goodman-Deane, J., Mieczakowski, A., Johnson, D., Goldhaber, T., Clarkson, P. J. (2016). The impact of communication technologies on life and relationship satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, (57), 219-229.
- Heidegger, M. (1977). The question concerning technology and other essays. (Trans: W. Lovitt), Harper & Row. (Original work published 1954)
- Mellet, L. (2020). Jonathan Coe. In R. Bradford, E. H. Jones, M. M. Martínez Alfaro, M. O’Callaghan (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature (Vol. 2, pp. [insert exact page range]), Wiley-Blackwell.
- Tew, P. (2018). A critical introduction: Or, (re-)contextualizing Jonathan Coe’s What a Carve Up!. In P. Tew (Ed.), Jonathan Coe: Contemporary British Satire (pp. 1-20), Bloomsbury Academic.
- Tew, P. (2021). The ‘Teenie’ novels of Jonathan Coe: Intertextuality, satire, parody, farce and irony. In N. Bentley, E. Horton, N. Hubble, P. Tew (Eds.), The 2010s: A Decade of Contemporary British Fiction (pp. 153-182), Bloomsbury Academic.
- Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic Books.
Abstract
Jonathan Coe’nun The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim (2010) adlı romanı, iletişim teknolojilerinin başkahramanın yaşadığı sosyal kopukluk ve yalnızlık üzerindeki etkilerini inceler. Roman, başarısız ilişkiler, bozulmuş aile bağları ve anlamlı bir bağ kurma arzusu tarafından derinden etkilenmiş bir adam olan Maxwell Sim’e odaklanır. Coe, Maxwell’in içsel ve dışsal mücadelesini aktararak modern iletişimin yarattığı paradoksu ele alır. İnsanları birbirine bağlamayı amaçlayan çeşitli iletişim araçlarıyla çevrili olmasına rağmen, Maxwell duygusal mesafe ve artan bir yalnızlık hissi yaşamaktadır. İlişkileri samimiyetten yoksundur ve kurduğu tek sürekli bağlar sanaldır; bu bağlar da gerçek ilişkilerin derinliği ve özgünlüğünden uzaktır. Maxwell’in klinik depresyonla kendini gösteren zihinsel sağlığındaki bozulma, aşırı bağlantılı ama duygusal olarak kopuk bir toplumun yol açtığı duygusal bedeli vurgular. Bu çalışma, Maxwell Sim’in yaşadıkları üzerinden, iletişim teknolojilerinin bireyler arasındaki duygusal mesafeyi kapatmak yerine sıklıkla derinleştirdiğini ve sosyal kopukluğu artırdığını ortaya koymaktadır.
Keywords
iletişim teknolojisi sosyal kopukluk yalnızlık The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim Jonathan Coe
Ethical Statement
Makale, araştırma ve yayın etiği kurallarına uygun olarak hazırlanmıştır. Yapılan bu çalışma, etik kurul izni gerektirmemektedir.
References
- Brooker, J. (2018). Jonathan Coe’s stories of sadness. In P. Tew (Ed.), Jonathan Coe: Contemporary British Satire (pp. 35-50). Bloomsbury Academic.
- Coe, J. (2011). The terrible privacy of Maxwell Sim. Viking.
- Di Bernardo, F. (2018). A terrible precariousness: Financialization of society and the precariat in Jonathan Coe’s The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim. In P. Tew (Ed.), Jonathan Coe: Contemporary British satire (pp. 1-20). Bloomsbury Academic.
- Dreyfus, H. L. (2009). On the internet. Routledge.
- Eaglestone, R. (2025). The crisis of polarisation: The example of Jonathan Coe. In S. Pellicer Ortín, J. Kuznetski, C. Battisti (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Literatures and Crisis (pp. 211-222), Routledge.
- Goodman-Deane, J., Mieczakowski, A., Johnson, D., Goldhaber, T., Clarkson, P. J. (2016). The impact of communication technologies on life and relationship satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, (57), 219-229.
- Heidegger, M. (1977). The question concerning technology and other essays. (Trans: W. Lovitt), Harper & Row. (Original work published 1954)
- Mellet, L. (2020). Jonathan Coe. In R. Bradford, E. H. Jones, M. M. Martínez Alfaro, M. O’Callaghan (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature (Vol. 2, pp. [insert exact page range]), Wiley-Blackwell.
- Tew, P. (2018). A critical introduction: Or, (re-)contextualizing Jonathan Coe’s What a Carve Up!. In P. Tew (Ed.), Jonathan Coe: Contemporary British Satire (pp. 1-20), Bloomsbury Academic.
- Tew, P. (2021). The ‘Teenie’ novels of Jonathan Coe: Intertextuality, satire, parody, farce and irony. In N. Bentley, E. Horton, N. Hubble, P. Tew (Eds.), The 2010s: A Decade of Contemporary British Fiction (pp. 153-182), Bloomsbury Academic.
- Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic Books.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture |
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Submission Date | July 16, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | November 12, 2025 |
| Publication Date | January 31, 2026 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.21550/sosbilder.1743542 |
| IZ | https://izlik.org/JA67GL42KA |
| Published in Issue | Year 2026 Volume: 27 Issue: 50 |