Coursework Presentation : The Simulacrum in Inception

This presentation was made as part of PhD coursework. - 26/08/2025.

This presentation explored the distinguished reading of how the movie Inception echoes Baudrillard's concept of Simulacrum.

1. The Simulacrum in Inception Presented by : Divya Sheta Research Scholar Department of English M.K.Bhavnagar University 26/08/2024 Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University PhD Coursework Presentation Specific Area

2. Jean Baudrillard argued it was increasingly difficult to separate representation from reality because we live in a culture of consumerism where the electronic mass media maintains the “illusion of an actuality” to keep us shopping and entertained. In “Simulation and Simulacra”, which was first published in 1981, Jean Baudrillard concluded we were now living in a simulation constructed by the media. Definition of Simulacra Studies, Media. “A Guide to Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation.”

3. The successive phases of the image: it is the reflection of a profound reality; it masks and denatures a profound reality; . it masks the absence of a profound reality; it has no relation to any reality whatsoever; it is its own pure simulacrum. In the first case, the image is a good appearance - representation is of the sacramental order. In the second, it is an evil appearance - it is of the order of maleficence. In the third, it plays at being an appearance - it is of the order of sorcery. In the fourth, it is no longer of the order of appearances, but of simulation. Process of Simulacrum Studies, Media. “A Guide to Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation.”

4. Simulation in Inception No relation to the reality - it is of the order of maleficence

5. Simulacrum in Inception The planting of an idea deep within a character’s subconscious (the titular "inception"), can be interpreted as a metaphor for the way media implants ideologies and perceptions within the collective consciousness, further blurring the line between the real and the simulated. ( Ratliff)

6. Work Cited Flowers, Kate. Library.SCOTCH: Inception: Film Elements . https://library.scotch.wa.edu.au/mediaproductionandanalysis/year12/inception/filmelements . Accessed 26 Aug. 2024. Ratliff, Carson. An Asymptote of Reality: An Analysis of Nolan’s “Inception.” 2013. Reality, Hyperreality (1) . http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/realityhyperreality.htm . Accessed 26 Aug. 2024. Sequeira, Gayle. 10 Years Of Christopher Nolan’s Inception: Revisiting 5 Striking Scenes . 16 July 2020, https://www.filmcompanion.in/features/10-years-of-christopher-nolan-inception-5-scenes-we-cant-stop-thinking-about-leonardo-dicaprio-hollywood-movies . Studies, Media. “A Guide to Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation.” Media Studies , 6 Feb. 2022, https://media-studies.com/baudrillard/ . “The Inception Movie Poster: Buy Hollywood & Famous Movie Posters.” Dessine Art , https://dessineart.com/products/the-inception-movie-poster-art . Accessed 26 Aug. 2024. “The Kick - Inception Tribute Poster.” Fully Filmy , https://fullyfilmy.in/products/the-kick-inception-tribute-poster . Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.