Above Nature and Beneath Technology: A Posthumanist Reading of Octavia Butler’s Parable Duology

Abstract

Since the dawn of time, humans have been involved in an everlasting struggle to assert and secure their place in the universe. This struggle is most evident in humanism and the continental philosophies it has influenced. By positioning the human as the center of the universe, humanism has triggered challenges to this anthropocentric worldview. These debates that often revolve around the quarrel between humans and nature have expanded in recent centuries to include a third element, which is technology. Technological development started to accelerate during the Industrial Revolution and has continued unrelentingly to now wields an overwhelming influence on contemporary life. The limitations of humanism in addressing existential questions, particularly in the light of unprecedented technological advancement, gave rise to the emergence of posthumanism as a philosophical trajectory. This thesis aims to explore the representation of the universal hierarchy and human survival in American speculative fiction. Specifically, the study conducts a textual analysis of Octavia Butler’s duology, Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1998), through a posthumanist lens. Set in an apocalyptic future, these novels portray a world where humanity struggles for survival, evoking, hence, discussions about human, natural, and technological interactions. The study demonstrates the application of the posthumanist theory as a framework for literary analysis, offers insights into humanity’s place within the non-human world, and challenges traditional notions of superiority and inferiority.