Schismatrix and the Posthuman

Hyper-embodied Representation

Authors

  • Curtis Carbonell Khalifa University of Science, Technology, and Research

Keywords:

Science Fiction, Posthumanism, Transhumanism, Fantasy Studies, Schismatrix, Bruce Sterling

Abstract

This paper argues that the “posthuman” is a dominant trope for SF, providing a justification for trans-and-posthumanist SF as inherently fantastic. To do so, it reads Bruce Sterling's Schismatrix stories as offering trans-and-posthuman representations definitive for twenty-first century SF, ones in which embodiment and materiality are prized over disembodied forms. Ultimately, these foundational stories represent posthumans within the context of the modern fantastic, an impulse in modern studies that foregrounds the increasingly imaginary elements defining contemporary, Western culture.

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Published

2016-07-07

Issue

Section

Peer-Reviewed Articles