| This thesis examines consumer attitudes toward genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in order to interpret their appearance in several works of dystopian literature. Included in this examination are the definition and context of the term GMO, some background of genetic modification, and a brief history of the rise of cities and the increase in the size and efficiency of the food system in the United States. This text merges a basic scientific exploration of genetic modification with a Marxist economic analysis in order to interpret the meaning in several dystopian works of literature.;Most conversations about GMOs tend to focus on arguments of natural versus unnatural, but The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi exposes the focus of this thesis---the economic threat accompanying genetically modified foods which is often-overlooked. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is also analyzed as an earlier glimpse of genetic modification, and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood explores genetic modification and food markets.;The primary focus of this thesis concerns dystopian portrayals of food and GM seed systems, general processes of commodification as outlined by Karl Marx, food systems in capitalist economies with a focus on the US, legal policy concerning GMOs, and potential modifications or solutions to these systems in the interest of liberty and progress. |
