Representations of Genetic Manipulation within Contemporary
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Department of English Literature
Abstract
This thesis proposes that the representation of genetic science within contemporary science fiction (SF) is integral to understanding contemporary cultural concerns regarding genetic bio-technology. Critics have established that SF reflects contemporary cultural debates on scientific bio-technology because of its dystopian/utopian trajectory (Freedman, 2000). I will develop this view to argue that, since 1985, the projection of future spaces inherent to SF has inflected cultural debates surrounding genetic bio-technology, its ethical ramifications, and the societal perceptions of genetic science (Kuhn, 1990; Peterson, 2006; Kitzinger, 2009).
In order to address these issues, the thesis will analyse a range of British and North American literary texts published between 1985 and 2015. Iain Banks' Culture series and Kim Robinson's 2312 explore the development of future societies that practice genetic engineering. Margaret Attwood's MaddAddam series, Kevin Joseph's The Champion Maker, and Robert Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax all investigate the resurgence of eugenics that uses genetic science as a tool to control populations. Greg Bear's Blood Music and Darwin series uses the dystopian/utopian trajectory to conflate epidemic models of infection and genetic manipulation as inherited disease.
Analysis of these literary texts will be underpinned by historical and cultural perspectives relating to the public understanding of genetic science. This can be traced back to late 19th-century debates about inherited characteristics, a topic I address in my MA dissertation in discussing the representation of inherited characteristics within H. Rider Haggard's fiction. By taking MA modules on the C19th pathway, I have read several historical scientific publications as literary texts to aid research techniques for this thesis. My grounding in the cultural history of science makes me ideally placed to develop these debates and their public reception in the contemporary period.
In order to address these issues, the thesis will analyse a range of British and North American literary texts published between 1985 and 2015. Iain Banks' Culture series and Kim Robinson's 2312 explore the development of future societies that practice genetic engineering. Margaret Attwood's MaddAddam series, Kevin Joseph's The Champion Maker, and Robert Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax all investigate the resurgence of eugenics that uses genetic science as a tool to control populations. Greg Bear's Blood Music and Darwin series uses the dystopian/utopian trajectory to conflate epidemic models of infection and genetic manipulation as inherited disease.
Analysis of these literary texts will be underpinned by historical and cultural perspectives relating to the public understanding of genetic science. This can be traced back to late 19th-century debates about inherited characteristics, a topic I address in my MA dissertation in discussing the representation of inherited characteristics within H. Rider Haggard's fiction. By taking MA modules on the C19th pathway, I have read several historical scientific publications as literary texts to aid research techniques for this thesis. My grounding in the cultural history of science makes me ideally placed to develop these debates and their public reception in the contemporary period.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| John Holmes (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Jayde Martin (Student) |