Biofuturity, Disability, and Crip Communities in Anglophone Speculative Fiction
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO The Dis-Topic Future: Biofuturity, Disability, and Crip Communities in Anglophone Speculative Fiction A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Literature by Amanda Martin Sandino Committee in charge: Professor Shelley Streeby, Chair Professor Michael Davidson Professor Brian Goldfarb Professor Ari Heinrich Professor Sarah Nicolazzo 2018 Copyright Amanda Martin Sandino, 2018 All rights reserved. The Dissertation of Amanda Martin Sandino is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ (Chair) University of California, San Diego 2018 iii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my chronic pain support network—nothing about us without us! iv Epigraph “They're looking for this fearsome wizard only to discover that he's nothing but a little tiny fellow. I mean, I don't think the point is that he's tiny. I think the point is, you know, things that we believe we lack are already inside of us just wanting to be found.” – George Crabtree, “Victoria Cross,” Murdoch Mysteries “You don't speak of dreams as unreal. They exist. They leave a mark behind them.” – Ursula K. Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven “Art is not neutral. It either upholds or disrupts the status quo, advancing or regressing justice. We are living now inside the imagination of people who thought economic disparity and environmental destruction were acceptable costs for their power. It is our right and responsibility to write ourselves into the future. All organizing is science fiction. If you are shaping the future, you are a futurist. And visionary fiction is a way to practice the future in our minds, alone and together.” – adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy v Table of Contents Signature Page ………………………………………………………………………....iii Dedication ............................................................................................................ iv Epigraph ............................................................................................................... v Table of Contents................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ..................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. viii Vita ....................................................................................................................... ix Abstract of the Dissertation ................................................................................. xii Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Crip Futurity and Literary Utopias ...................................................... 35 Chapter 2: Finding Criptopia in Baum’s Oz Series .............................................. 91 Chapter 3: “I Am a Brain”: Creating an Everyperson in Fiction ......................... 131 Chapter 4: Speculative Fan Fiction and the Future of the Disabled Body ......... 188 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 221 Appendix ........................................................................................................... 229 Works Cited ...................................................................................................... 234 vi List of Figures Figure 1. The young heroine’s journey through wonderland. .............................. 73 Figure 2. “Map of Narnian world,” David Bedell .................................................. 85 Figure 3. “Map of Neverland created by Walt Disney,” (Hopkins, 187). .............. 85 Figure 4. “Map of the Marvelous Land of Oz,” (Baum, Tik-Tok of Oz). ............... 86 Figure 5. The Wicked Witch of the West (Baum, Annotated Wizard, 204) ........ 112 Figure 6. Tik-Tok (Baum, Ozma of Oz) ............................................................. 120 Figure 7. Popular published adaptations .......................................................... 208 vii Acknowledgements All of the love to my family and friends for supporting me through this arduous and emotional process. Extra gratitude to my fierce mother for keeping me positive, and to my gorgeous husband for keeping me fed. Thanks also to my amazing committee and Professor Winifred Woodhull for helping me collect my thoughts in a way that, more or less, makes sense. And, lastly, infinite treats to my two cats for keeping me company throughout the long writing and editing process. Chapter 2 of this dissertation appears, in part, in the 2018 anthology, Monsters of Film, Fiction, and Fable: The Cultural Links between the Human and Inhuman from Cambridge University Press. This text was edited by professors Lisa Wenger Bro, Crystal O' Leary-Davidson, and Mary Ann Gareis. The dissertation author is the sole writer of this content. viii Vita EDUCATION University of California, San Diego Ph.D. Literature Sept. 2018 Cultural Studies focus. Dissertation Advisor: Prof. Shelley Streeby Committee Members: Profs. Michael Davidson, Brian Goldfarb, Sarah Nicolazzo, Winnie Woodhull, and Ari Heinrich Dissertation Title: “The Dis-Topic Future: Biofuturity, Disability, and Crip Communities in Anglophone Speculative Fiction.” University of California, San Diego MFA Writing June 2013 Poetry focus. Thesis Chair: Prof. Anna Joy Springer Committee Members: Profs. Rae Armantrout, Brian Goldfarb, and Ben Doller Thesis Title: “The Five Hundred Disciples: an apocalypse of the now.” University of Washington Bothell M.A. Cultural June 2011 Thesis Chair: Prof. Bruce Burgett Studies Thesis Title: “the usual head/ache: Building Empathy for Physical Suffering Through the Use of Poetry.” Seattle University B.A. Asian June 2009 Certificate in Diversity, Citizenship, and Social Studies Justice. Summa cum laude. Education abroad. Sophia University (上智 大学). Tokyo, Japan. JASSO Scholar ix ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS “The Body Broken: A Memoir by Lynne Greenberg.” Disability Experiences. Gale: Farmington Hills, Michigan. Editors Eric Bargeron and Hollis Beach. 2019. “Companion Species: From Imaginary to Cyborg Friend in Milne’s Winnie-the- Pooh and Scott’s Blade Runner.” Posthuman Pooh: Edward Bear After 100 Years. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD. Editor Jennifer Harrison. 2018. “Running to a Still: Narratives of Energy and Care in Oz.” Monsters of Fiction, Film, and Fable. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. Editors Lisa W. Bro, Crystal O’Leary-Davidson, and Mary Ann (Mert) Gareis. 2017. Translation from the Spanish of “Los Sonetos de la Muerte” by Gabriela Mistral. Alchemy Journal of Translation 3: 32–34. 2013. “On perfection: Pain and arts-making in Aronofsky’s Black Swan.” Journal of Visual Art Practice 12(3): 291–303. 2013. "The Grad Student and the Vicodin Bottle." Gnovis Journal of Communication, Culture & Technology Blog. Web. 2011. ARTISTIC PUBLICATIONS “Desertification.” 101 Fiction 12. Web. 2016. “Comedy Is...” Northwest Comedy Network. 2012. “Som.” Clamor. We b. 2011. “Gardener of Xibalba.” Clamor. Web. 2011. “The Day the Englishman Stole Don Quixote Away.” Clamor. 116–117. 2010. “moving on.” Clamor. 97–100. 2010. TEACHING EXPERIENCE University of California, San Diego English Instructor Summer TRiO Summer Program 2018 Course Taught: English and Language Arts Critical Gender Studies Program Visiting Lecturer Summer Course Taught: Introduction to 2018 Critical Gender Studies: Key Terms and Concepts x Critical Gender Studies Program Associate Instructor Summer Course Taught: Introduction to (Instructor of Record) 2017 Social Movements Sixth College Culture, Art, and Teaching Assistant 2012– Technology Writing Program (In-person and Online) 2017 UC Online 2014–2015, 2016–2017 Courses Taught: The Book in the Digital Age; Public Rhetoric and Practical Communication; The New (Old) Connectivity; Intro to Sound Studies; Origins; World- Making; Not Just For Laughs: Exploring Rhetoric Around Contemporary Standup Comedy. Literature Department Teaching Assistant 2011– Courses Taught: Writing (In-person) 2012 Nonfiction; Writing Poetry University of Washington Bothell Teaching Assistant 2010 Interdisciplinary Arts and (In-person) Sciences Courses Taught: Human Rights in Theory and Practice, Family in U.S. Society. xi Abstract of the Dissertation The Dis-Topic Future: Biofuturity, Disability, and Crip Communities in Anglophone Speculative Fiction by Amanda Martin Sandino Doctor of Philosophy in Literature University of California San Diego, 2018 Professor Shelley Streeby, Chair In this work, I define and analyze key examples of wonderlands as utopic spaces. I argue that these youth-oriented fantasy worlds are often more diverse than their adult counterparts, particularly in terms of race, sexuality, and, most importantly, disability. By considering who constitutes the citizens of conceptualized utopias, I further contend that persons with disabilities often offer ideal utopian figures. In order to demonstrate this reality in future literatures, I