| "The MaddAddam Trilogy" is the decade-long masterpiece by Margaret Atwood,the"Queen of Canadian Literature," depicting a future landscape of human extinction and the destruction of civilization caused by the uncontrolled expansion of technological rationality and mankind’s endless exploitation and transformation of nature.In these three works,Atwood attempts to explore the posthuman future,subjectivity,humanity,and civilization from novel perspectives such as language,time,memory,and animality.This paper is divided into three parts.Chapter 1 establishes the theoretical framework for this study.The posthumanism trend has evolved along two academic paths:the first is"philosophical posthumanism," which is dedicated to critiquing humanism and challenging the concept of subjectivity in Western traditional Liberal Humanism;the second is"technological posthumanism,",which is keen to explore the end of anthropocentrism in the technological perspective and reflect on the human species itself.In the process of the long-term entanglement between machines and flesh,and the gradual incorporation of technology into the human body and self-construction,,a series of integrative new subjects emerge that abandon boundaries and categories and becoming.Finally,this chapter discusses the feasibility and necessity of researching subjectivity through science fiction narratives.Chapter 2 explains why and how human subjectivity disintegrates in the technological dystopia constructed by Atwood in MaddAddam Trilogy.The backlash caused by the inappropriate evaluation and use of technology is largely responsible for the crisis of human subjectivity.Individuals are alienated from their real living conditions in the "simulacra"space created by the pervasive intrusion of electronic and media technology into the private sphere.The fully simulated "hyper-reality" with its infinite productivity and flawless product functions murders reality and manipulates people under perfect replication.There is a deep connection between the controlling power of technology over individuals and society,the formation of technological power networks,and the massive capitalist system.The intervention of capital leads to the dis-autonomization of science,and technoscience,while witnessing the power of facts,also places humanity under the potential threat of genetic engineering.Chapter 3 explores new forms of human implementation and the possibility of reproducing human subjectivity from the perspectives of "animality" and "language".The first section"The Return of Animality in Humanity" mainly involves four parts.Firstly,it is the differentiation between"numbers people" and"word people," as a word man,"snowman" establishes a connection between animality and humanistic art,and there is a causal relationship between emotional art and humanity production;Secondly,there is the animalization of "snowman",who saves his humanity to the greatest extent possible through a partial surrender of himself to his animality;then there is the animot state of Zeb,in which Zeb becomes a "man-animal" fully immersed in his own language,completing his communion and integration with the natural world.This section concludes by drawing on Deleuze’s and Guattari’s "becoming-animal" theory to illustrate Toby’s role as a "wizard" in breaking down the boundaries between humans and animals,human society and the natural world,and thus proposing a way for humans to survive in a near-future post-apocalyptic world.The second section "The Production of Humanity by Language" begins with the causal relationship between the extinction of language and the degradation of humanity,this section also covers four main parts.Firstly,it focuses on the relationship between language,memory capacity,continuous time,and individual consciousness,pointing out that "snowman"’s recitation of words is essentially a continuous extraction and succession of memory.He uses this method to repeatedly confirm and maintain the existence of the self.Toby’s narrative art and the language game of“snowman" both establish a continuum of time.At the same time,Toby’s narrative practice is feminist,capable of enlightening the Crakers while realizing Toby’s own subjectivity."Snowman",on the other hand,attempts to maximize the freedom from the violent technical narratives of past worlds while carrying on the legacy of "Crake".This section concludes with the transformation of the Crakers,who have mastered simple writing and text,into human beings.In summary,this article attempts to think about the current situation and future of humanity from a posthuman position of reflective anthropocentrism,explore the meaning and value of human existence,shed light on the current technological reality,and provide warnings and references for people. |
