Fictions and Theories of the Posthuman: From Creature to Concept

The posthuman is a multidimensionally hybrid figure: it denotes both the post-biological or technological being that mostly inhabits science-fiction stories as well as the ensuing reconceptualisation of what it means to be human (which is often called ‘posthumanism’). Even within these conditions, it remains hybrid: posthuman beings are mixes of organic and non- organic materials while posthuman conceptualisations combine philosophical and technological perspectives. This dissertation claims that the profoundly hybrid nature of the posthuman forces its texts – whether fictional or theoretical – to adopt similarly hybrid statuses. More concretely, on the one hand, its fictional (and fictitious) nature forces the presence of fiction into theoretical texts, which mainly materialises intertextually (i.e. through references to fictional works). On the other hand, the posthuman’s philosophical extent as well as its hybridity as a being make it highly probable for theory and philosophy to manifest in posthuman-featuring fiction. This last phenomenon – which will be the focus of my presentation - may operate through three mechanisms: (1) intertextuality, where theories of the posthuman are referred to in fiction; (2) reflexive discourse, where philosophical reflection or theoretical content are conveyed by various narrative devices (narration, dialogue, and (free) indirect speech, amongst others); and (3) double referentiality, where philosophical reflection emerges out of the science-fictional juxtaposition of a cognitively estranging world with the actual world. The dissertation exemplifies the first aspect with the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell 2 and the Belgian play Cocon!, which both feature characters named Haraway. The second and third aspects are described through the analysis of three novels: LoveStar by Andri Snær Magnason, The Possibility of and Island by Michel Houellebecq and Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood.