Following in Frankenstein’s footsteps

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the natural consequences of technological manipulation of the human body in order to show the political, cultural and environmental repercussions, which take place as a result of body creation, modification and amputation. In Western Literature, Frankenstein, the eponymous name of the thesis, epitomises the persistent human urge to intervene technologically on the human body, a procedure which has been normalised in recent decades, to cater for different human needs and whims in the real world. Moreover, the “death of Man” declared by Michel Foucault in 1970, defines the crisis, that became apparent at the time, on the definition and meaning of the human being, who seemed to have lost his pedestal, as the perfect Classical Human. Thereafter, the term posthuman was coined by Katherine Hayles, in her book How We Became Posthuman to describe this epoch of crisis and criticism of the human being and his World. Moreover, Paul Crutzen coined the word Anthropocene in 2000 to describe the present geological era during which, humans have altered the environment on the planet with their dominant invasive processes, and which they could perform through their advanced knowledge and technological power. However, it seems that it is not only the human being that changes Nature through the use of technology but the use of technology in turn changes human subjectivity and how he perceives himself. In fact, the recently accepted picture of the hybrid human put forward by Donna Haraway, shows that the boundaries between the human and others; animals, organisms, machines, and the non-physical, are porous, and for this reason the previous name of human has given way to the posthuman, Haraway1. Moreover, as from the 1990, posthuman theory has become an important critical concept in contemporary literature, and through this literature a critical light can be shed on human activity in all spheres of the human world. Furthermore, this dissertation, inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein or the New Prometheus is explored through posthuman theory as presented by several philosophers, such as, Katherine Hayles, Rosi Braidotti and Donna Haraway, while posthuman theory underpins the research questions: Why does Shelley warn against the acquisition of knowledge on “nature’s secrets” and use of technology? Which repercussions are garnered by technological manipulation of the human body? Furthermore, latching on to the title of Shelley’s novel it seems useful to include Prometheus in this research. This mythical personage, together with his brother Epimetheus are found in Hesiod’s didactic epic Works and Days, 700BC, and this epic may be important to teach that it is necessary to foreground repercussions before actions, so the next question is: Why is it that humans ignore repercussions before they embark on new scientific projects? However, the reason for this lack of foresight may be found in the evolution theory of neoteny championed by Neil Evernden2. It argues that the archaic human or hominin used paedomorphosis and neoteny in its evolution, a strategy which enabled it to retain the juvenile features of the original chimpanzee species, but was also able to accelerate sexual maturation, and thus create a new species. Moreover, one such juvenile characteristic, that has been retained by the human species, may be the characteristic of enthusiasm for discovery, which does not bother about repercussions, and there might lie the problematic lack of foresight. Furthermore, another inspiration for the thesis, was generated by that excerpt from the novel where Frankenstein refuses to make a woman for the monster, for fear of creating a race of monsters which might be harmful to “everlasting generations”3. So, Frankenstein showed concern for future generations and halted his experiment on the female monster. Moreover, Frankenstein’s concern for future generations was palimpsest, by this thesis, on the contemporary concern for the Earth’s well-being, because of Anthropocentric environmental destruction. Furthermore, this thesis uses posthuman theory to explore the points mentioned, through the chosen literature; Frankenstein, Never Let Me Go, My Sister’s Keeper and Brave New World. Moreover, these novels exhibit knowledge and technology in IVF, cloning and transplants, and the repercussions that may ensue from their use. Finally, taking into consideration the nature of this interdisciplinary research, involving biology, evolution, ecology and literature, besides posthuman theory, Giles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s rhizomes theory will also be used to support the validity of the research method, that was used in this thesis.