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Gothic Literary Studies
Posthuman Gothic
An edited collection of thirteen chapters, Posthuman Gothic explores the various ways in which posthuman thought intersects with Gothic textuality and mediality. The texts and media under discussion—from I am Legend to In the Flesh; from Star Trek to The Truman Show—transgress the boundaries of genre and move beyond the traditional scope of the Gothic. These texts, the contributors argue, destabilize our conception of what it means to be human. Drawing on key texts of both Gothic and posthumanist theory, the contributors analyze varied themes: posthuman vampire and zombie narratives; genetically modified posthumans; the posthuman in video games, film, and television; the posthuman as a return to nature; the posthuman’s relation to classic monster narratives; and posthuman biohorror and theories of prometheanism and accelerationism. In its entirety, this book is the first attempt to address the complex intersections of the posthuman and the Gothic in contemporary literature and media.
- GenresNonfiction
272 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2017
51 people want to read
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October 10, 2023
My review of this title is available at The Folklore Podcast website.
Posthuman Gothic (2017) is an intriguing entry in the Gothic Literary Studies series. With this series, the University of Wales Press seeks to bring the best scholarship on this oft-neglected genre to the public in an accessible way. The books within the series run the gamut of topics, seeking to cover everything from the nature of the Queer Other to Gothic Metaphysics. It was only a matter of time before they addressed the Posthuman.
Posthumanism, as a theory, seeks to refute the commonly held tradition of Humanism. It seeks to understand how people might relate to the world and one another when both nature and their own species are viewed with the same philosophical importance. What happens, it asks, when the human becomes the Other rather than vice versa?
Posthuman Gothic examines how Gothic media is uniquely well-suited to answer these questions in its thirteen essays. Is human nature itself more terrifying than the Other?
When the Other and human merge and something new is born, might that something be better rather than more terrifying? How might politics and social norms be affected by the Other becoming your next-door neighbour? What if the Other becomes your object of sexual desire - or you become the Other yourself?
Of particular note was the essay that focused upon the videogame Portal and framed it as a Gothic masterpiece wherein the games antagonist, GLaDOS, has not only her human identity but also her femininity stripped away and quashed. The Gothic genre is often viewed as being stuck forever in the past, so seeing modern media analysed through that lens was a refreshing reminder that not only is the present Gothic - but the future might be, too.
Our world is forever changing thanks to the advent of technology and a greater realization of our responsibilities towards one another. As our perspectives change towards the global, the human position begins to diminish and Humanism as a perspective becomes obsolete. This book, and others within the Gothic Literary Studies series, proves that the Gothic has shown us a way forward towards a way of Being that can heal rather than hurt. It is impossible to read a book such as Posthuman Gothic and not come away changed for the better. The future might be impossible to recognize, but it will forever be interesting.
Posthuman Gothic (2017) is an intriguing entry in the Gothic Literary Studies series. With this series, the University of Wales Press seeks to bring the best scholarship on this oft-neglected genre to the public in an accessible way. The books within the series run the gamut of topics, seeking to cover everything from the nature of the Queer Other to Gothic Metaphysics. It was only a matter of time before they addressed the Posthuman.
Posthumanism, as a theory, seeks to refute the commonly held tradition of Humanism. It seeks to understand how people might relate to the world and one another when both nature and their own species are viewed with the same philosophical importance. What happens, it asks, when the human becomes the Other rather than vice versa?
Posthuman Gothic examines how Gothic media is uniquely well-suited to answer these questions in its thirteen essays. Is human nature itself more terrifying than the Other?
When the Other and human merge and something new is born, might that something be better rather than more terrifying? How might politics and social norms be affected by the Other becoming your next-door neighbour? What if the Other becomes your object of sexual desire - or you become the Other yourself?
Of particular note was the essay that focused upon the videogame Portal and framed it as a Gothic masterpiece wherein the games antagonist, GLaDOS, has not only her human identity but also her femininity stripped away and quashed. The Gothic genre is often viewed as being stuck forever in the past, so seeing modern media analysed through that lens was a refreshing reminder that not only is the present Gothic - but the future might be, too.
Our world is forever changing thanks to the advent of technology and a greater realization of our responsibilities towards one another. As our perspectives change towards the global, the human position begins to diminish and Humanism as a perspective becomes obsolete. This book, and others within the Gothic Literary Studies series, proves that the Gothic has shown us a way forward towards a way of Being that can heal rather than hurt. It is impossible to read a book such as Posthuman Gothic and not come away changed for the better. The future might be impossible to recognize, but it will forever be interesting.
Displaying 1 of 1 review