“YOUR… YOUR DOG IS TALKING?”
Human/Animal Dichotomy in Geoff Ryman’s Air
Keywords:
postdoggie, posthumanism, animal studies, speculative fictionAbstract
Animal characters have been a part of the Western literary tradition since the beginning. They are also a frequent part of speculative fiction where they often perform the roles of metaphors, but also straightforward comments on the current interests. Geoff Ryman’s Air offers its own addition to this tradition with Ling, a technologically modified dog. The character and his role in the novel are discussed using posthumanism and animals studies as frameworks. While the former has been most often connected with discussion on technology’s continuing influence on humanity and the latter to animal right issues, both share an interest in discussing animals in connection with science, Otherness, and subjectivity. While Ling is only a minor character in the novel, his depiction offers interesting topics from these two approaches. The article presents their central roles for Ling. First, he is discussed as an Other, who, for example, disrupts the human/animal dichotomy. Second, Ling works as a metaphor for trepidations caused by technology’s effects on humanity and its current ones towards dogs, for example, through animal testing. Finally, the article discusses how Ling fits into the field of posthumanism. The question remains, whether he transgresses enough boundaries to be considered a postdoggie.
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