Islands and the posthuman in literature

Abstract

This thesis concerns itself with an exploration of islands and insularity within the posthuman imaginary. Readings of Shakespeare‘s The Tempest, Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut and the Malta chapters of Thomas Pynchon‘s V will be carried out with the intention of investigating the relevance and importance of the island setting for the narrative as well as interrogating the manner in which islands can function as objects to 'think with.‘ As the field of island studies has already ascertained, islands facilitate discussion on topics as diverse as politics, history, economics and literature. On a much broader level, the various ways in which islands are perceived and documented in literature can often tell us a far greater deal about the nature of the human than they do about the island setting itself. This is because often, islands in literature are the mirrors wherein the human subject can either explore alternate subjectivities or alternatively, assert the status quo and their own identities. In this respect, island literature, with its focus on the human, can be read in new and different ways through the application of various brands of posthuman theory. This allows new perspectives to be brought to old stories. Beyond this rejuvenation, a case can also be made for the island as one of many privileged spaces within the posthuman imaginary. Islands share some interesting overlaps with other settings popular to posthumanist and science fiction narratives. In the same manner that the wide cosmos of outer space suggests a vast emptiness of potential and the underground futuristic metropolis engages with themes of insularity and openness, the island is able to bring both of these qualities to the forefront, constituting a seemingly stable entity located in a vast and changeable sea.