Dancing with the Posthumans: Readerly Choreographies and More-than-Human Figures

IF 0.4 4区文学 0 LITERARY THEORY & CRITICISM

Partial Answers-Journal of Literature and the History of Ideas Pub Date : 2022-06-01 DOI:10.1353/pan.2022.0016

Kaisa Kortekallio

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract:Drawing on feminist, enactivist and posthumanist theories of reading, the essay develops theoretical and methodological tools for bodily and reflective reading of fictional figures. It introduces the notion of “readerly choreography,” which stands for the iterative experiential patterns that fictional narratives suggest. The primary purpose of the notion is to provide a better grasp of readerly dynamics typical to genre-derived works of fiction — including the cases in which generic frames of expectation and experience are estranged and reconfigured. The essay’s contribution to theory is presented on the basis of a reading of Paolo Bacigalupi’s “The People of Sand and Slag” (2004). This short story plays on the conventions of action-adventure, exaggerating the toughness and physical capabilities of technologically enhanced, posthuman action heroes. Owing to this exaggeration, it becomes difficult for readers to continue to perform the habitual experiential patterns of excitement, action-derived pleasure, and identification with the heroic protagonist. In other words, “The People of Sand and Slag” estranges the readerly choreography of action-adventure narratives.

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与后人类共舞:读者编舞和超越人类的人物

摘要:本文借鉴女性主义、行动主义和后人类主义的阅读理论，发展了小说人物身体阅读和反思性阅读的理论和方法工具。它引入了“读者编排”的概念，它代表了虚构叙事所暗示的迭代体验模式。这个概念的主要目的是为了更好地把握体裁衍生小说作品的典型读者动态——包括期望和经验的一般框架被疏远和重新配置的情况。这篇文章对理论的贡献是在阅读保罗·巴西加卢皮的《沙和渣的人》(2004)的基础上提出的。这个短篇故事运用了动作冒险的传统，夸大了技术增强的后人类动作英雄的韧性和身体能力。由于这种夸张，读者很难继续表现出习惯性的体验模式，如兴奋、行动衍生的快乐和对英雄主角的认同。换句话说，《沙渣族》疏远了动作冒险叙事的读者编排。

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来源期刊

Partial Answers-Journal of Literature and the History of Ideas LITERARY THEORY & CRITICISM-

CiteScore

0.30

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Partial Answers is an international, peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journal that focuses on the study of literature and the history of ideas. This interdisciplinary component is responsible for combining analysis of literary works with discussions of historical and theoretical issues. The journal publishes articles on various national literatures including Anglophone, Hebrew, Yiddish, German, Russian, and, predominately, English literature. Partial Answers would appeal to literature scholars, teachers, and students in addition to scholars in philosophy, cultural studies, and intellectual history.