THE VICTORIAN MACHINE AS THE THREATENING OTHER IN SAMUEL BUTLER’S EREWHON (1872)
THE VICTORIAN MACHINE AS THE THREATENING OTHER IN SAMUEL BUTLER’S EREWHON (1872)
Author(s): Michel PrumSubject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature
Published by: Editura Universităţii de Vest din Timişoara / Diacritic Timisoara
Keywords: Butler; dystopia; evolution; machines; otherness;
Summary/Abstract: The emergence of machines in the Victorian society aroused mixed feelings of pride and anxiety. Samuel Butler shared this ambiguity. In his dystopian narrative, Erewhon, machines became full-fledged characters in a non-metaphorical way. Machines embodied absolute Otherness. This upsetting or even nightmarish irruption of Otherness results in the deconstruction of the Self and the dissolution of identity. ‘Who can draw any line?’, the narrator asks as the borders separating Nature’s three kingdoms seem to be definitely blurred. No wonder that this amazingly revolutionary text was hailed by modern critiques as a piece of visionary fiction.
Journal: B.A.S. British and American Studies
- Issue Year: 25/2019
- Issue No: 25
- Page Range: 81-85
- Page Count: 5
- Language: English
