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Le Posthumain Descend-Il Du Singe?

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Le Posthumain Descend-Il Du Singe? CAVALES Elaine Després est professeure associée au Centre Figura de l’Université du Québec à DESPRÉS Elaine Després Montréal. Après avoir publié une thèse sur les savants fous en littérature (Quartanier en 2016), La collection propose des titres qui défendent À la fois hybride, monstre, cyborg ou mutant, le posthumain est elle s’intéresse notamment aux dystopies, à l’imaginaire post-apocalyptique et aux séries télé. l’idée que la fiction – d’abord littéraire – est une figure pour le moins paradoxale ; annonciatrice bien souvent une forme de connaissance du monde. Balisée Ses recherches portent sur les représentations de la fin de l’Histoire, elle incarne pour l’homme la possibilité de à la fois par la sociocritique et l’épistémocritique, Le posthumain fictionnelles de la science dans une perspective elle cherche à comprendre comment la fiction transcender sa propre mortalité, tout en présentant, à l’instar sociocritique et épistémocritique. s’approprie les savoirs, les récupère et les recycle. des utopies, un état figé, final et abouti. Cependant, en replaçant Elle reste ouverte à un spectre très large de textes, le posthumain dans l’histoire de l’évolution, ne peut-on pas, jus- descend-il allant des plus canoniques aux plus populaires. tement, le faire évoluer ? Il ne serait plus l’idéal à atteindre ou le Sous la direction de Jean-François Chassay pire à éviter, mais la représentation des possibles, les branches du singe ? fantasmées d’un futur arbre évolutif. Les ramifications en sont nombreuses et fertiles, largement irriguées sur le plan du discours Littérature, évolution et cybernétique et de la narration par les différentes théories de l’évolution des espèces et par celle de la cybernétique, science pluridisciplinaire à l’origine même du posthumanisme. Dans cet ouvrage, l’autrice se demande, en relisant des romans et des nouvelles de science-fiction publiés surtout entre 1948 et 2005, de quelle façon le posthumain littéraire s’inscrit dans la logique de ces théories et dans quelle mesure il en mobilise les signes et les savoirs. LE POSTHUMAIN DESCEND-IL DU SINGE ? Couverture : Image inspirée des peintures rupestres de Val Camonica, en Italie (x e millénaire avant notre ère). Bien que des partisans de la théorie pseudo- scientifique des anciens astronautes y voient la preuve que des extraterrestres CAVALES CAVALES humanoïdes ont visité nos ancêtres préhistoriques, il s’agit vraisemblablement isbn 978-2-7606-4255-3 de figures mythologiques. Domaine public. 34,95 $ • 31 e Disponible en version numérique www.pum.umontreal.ca Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal PUM CAVALES Elaine Després est professeure associée au Centre Figura de l’Université du Québec à DESPRÉS Elaine Després Montréal. Après avoir publié une thèse sur les savants fous en littérature (Quartanier en 2016), La collection propose des titres qui défendent À la fois hybride, monstre, cyborg ou mutant, le posthumain est elle s’intéresse notamment aux dystopies, à l’imaginaire post-apocalyptique et aux séries télé. l’idée que la fiction – d’abord littéraire – est une figure pour le moins paradoxale ; annonciatrice bien souvent une forme de connaissance du monde. Balisée Ses recherches portent sur les représentations de la fin de l’Histoire, elle incarne pour l’homme la possibilité de à la fois par la sociocritique et l’épistémocritique, Le posthumain fictionnelles de la science dans une perspective elle cherche à comprendre comment la fiction transcender sa propre mortalité, tout en présentant, à l’instar sociocritique et épistémocritique. s’approprie les savoirs, les récupère et les recycle. des utopies, un état figé, final et abouti. Cependant, en replaçant Elle reste ouverte à un spectre très large de textes, le posthumain dans l’histoire de l’évolution, ne peut-on pas, jus- descend-il allant des plus canoniques aux plus populaires. tement, le faire évoluer ? Il ne serait plus l’idéal à atteindre ou le Sous la direction de Jean-François Chassay pire à éviter, mais la représentation des possibles, les branches du singe ? fantasmées d’un futur arbre évolutif. Les ramifications en sont nombreuses et fertiles, largement irriguées sur le plan du discours Littérature, évolution et cybernétique et de la narration par les différentes théories de l’évolution des espèces et par celle de la cybernétique, science pluridisciplinaire à l’origine même du posthumanisme. Dans cet ouvrage, l’autrice se demande, en relisant des romans et des nouvelles de science-fiction publiés surtout entre 1948 et 2005, de quelle façon le posthumain littéraire s’inscrit dans la logique de ces théories et dans quelle mesure il en mobilise les signes et les savoirs. LE POSTHUMAIN DESCEND-IL DU SINGE ? Couverture : Image inspirée des peintures rupestres de Val Camonica, en Italie (x e millénaire avant notre ère). Bien que des partisans de la théorie pseudo- scientifique des anciens astronautes y voient la preuve que des extraterrestres CAVALES CAVALES humanoïdes ont visité nos ancêtres préhistoriques, il s’agit vraisemblablement isbn 978-2-7606-4255-3 de figures mythologiques. Domaine public. 34,95 $ • 31 e Disponible en version numérique www.pum.umontreal.ca Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal PUM le posthumain descend-il du singe ? Posthumain.indd 3 20-08-31 14:28 Dans la même collection Sous la direction de Claire Barel-Moisan et Jean-François Chassay, Le roman des possibles. L’anticipation dans l’espace médiatique franco- phone (1860-1940) Sous la direction de Isabelle Boof-Vermesse et Jean-François Chassay, L’âge des postmachines Bernabé Wesley, L’oubliothèque mémorable de L.-F. Céline. Essai de sociocritique CAVALES Posthumain.indd 4 20-08-31 14:28 Elaine Després Le posthumain descend-il du singe ? Littérature, évolution et cybernétique Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal Posthumain.indd 5 20-08-31 14:28 Catalogage avant publication de Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec et Bibliothèque et Archives Canada Titre : Le posthumain descend-il du singe ? : littérature, évolution et cybernétique / Elaine Després. Noms : Després, Elaine, 1983- auteur. Collections : Cavales (Presses de l’Université de Montréal) Description : Mention de collection : Cavales | Comprend des références bibliographiques.. Identifiants : Canadiana (livre imprimé) 20200076779 | Canadiana (livre numérique) 20200076787 | ISBN 9782760642553 | ISBN 9782760642560 (PDF) | ISBN 9782760642577 (EPUB) Vedettes-matière : RVM : Transhumanisme dans la littérature. | RVM : Évolution dans la littéra- ture. | RVM : Cybernétique dans la littérature. Classification : LCC PN56.T37 D47 2020 | CDD 809/.93356—dc23 Mise en pages : Folio infographie Dépôt légal : 3e trimestre 2020 Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec © Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2020 Cet ouvrage a été publié grâce à une subvention de la Fédération des sciences humaines de concert avec le Prix d’auteurs pour l’édition savante, dont les fonds proviennent du Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada. Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal remercient de son soutien financier la Société de déve- loppement des entreprises culturelles du Québec (SODEC). imprimé au canada Posthumain.indd 6 20-08-31 14:28 notes sur l’ouvrage Les publications originales et le financement Plusieurs des chapitres de ce livre sont des versions remaniées d’articles (Cahiers du CEIMA, Otrante. Arts et littératures fantastiques) ou de cha- pitres d’abord publiés dans des ouvrages collectifs (Presses universitaires de Rennes, Cahiers Figura, Presses universitaires de Sofia) plus ou moins accessibles selon les cas. Ils ont été d’abord rédigés dans le cadre d’un stage postdoctoral, puis ont été choisis et assemblés parce qu’ils se répon- daient et offraient une réponse cohérente à une problématique. Je crois, pour reprendre la thématique d’un des romans ici à l’étude, que la somme est définitivement différente de (pour ne pas dire supérieure à) la somme des parties. Les travaux de recherche présentés dans ce livre ont été rendus pos- sibles par une bourse postdoctorale du Fond de recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC) (2012-2014) et poursuivis grâce à une bourse postdoctorale du Conseil de recherche en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH) (2014-2016). La traduction des citations Même s’il existe des traductions publiées, la majorité des citations tirées d’œuvres anglaises ont été traduites en français par mes soins, à moins d’une mention contraire. J’ai fait ce choix afin de rester fidèle au texte original et de conserver le plus d’éléments d’analyse possible. Il arrive couramment que les traductions officielles, en particulier dans le cas des romans de science-fiction, omettent des passages entiers, appauvrissent le vocabulaire ou éliminent certaines figures de style. Il m’aurait donc été impossible de mener à partir de celles-ci une analyse aussi près du texte que celle que je propose. Posthumain.indd 7 20-08-31 14:28 liste des abréviations AD : Les animaux dénaturés (Vercors, 1952) AE : Ape and Essence (Aldous Huxley, 1948) DC : Darwin’s Children (Greg Bear, 1999) DR : Darwin’s Radio (Greg Bear, 2003) G : Galápagos (Kurt Vonnegut, 1985) H : Hothouse (Brian Aldiss, 1960) L : Limbo (Bernard Wolfe, 1952) MTH : More Than Human (Theodore Sturgeon, 1953) PS : La planète des singes (Pierre Boulle, 1963) SC : Le silence de la cité (Élisabeth Vonarburg, 1981) SO : 2001 : A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke, 1968) TM : The Time Machine (H. G. Wells, 1895) TW : Twilight World (Poul Anderson, 1961) Posthumain.indd 8 20-08-31 14:28 introduction La science produit depuis toujours questions et hypothèses, savoir et récits, créateurs et créatures, instruments et expériences de pensée, progrès et destruction… Tout comme la littérature (et à travers elle), la science participe d’un riche imaginaire, alimenté par les découvertes, les inventions, les personnages, les alliances qui ponctuent son his- toire. La fiction narrative a toujours représenté la science et le rapport de l’humain à la nature, mais cette représentation, au XIXe siècle, se problématise d’autant plus que la science s’autonomise et se laïcise.
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