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Exploring Nonhuman Otherness and Human Exceptionalism in Contemporary and Popular Literatures

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Exploring Nonhuman Otherness and Human Exceptionalism in Contemporary and Popular Literatures University of Lethbridge Research Repository OPUS http://opus.uleth.ca Theses Arts and Science, Faculty of 2014 "The trace beyond the human" : exploring nonhuman otherness and human exceptionalism in contemporary and popular literatures Ruzek, Jessica Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of English http://hdl.handle.net/10133/3516 Downloaded from University of Lethbridge Research Repository, OPUS “THE TRACE BEYOND THE HUMAN:” EXPLORING NONHUMAN OTHERNESS AND HUMAN EXCEPTIONALISM IN CONTEMPORARY AND POPULAR LITERATURES JESSICA RUZEK B.A. English, University of Lethbridge, 2010 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Lethbridge in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of English University of Lethbridge LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA © Jessica Ruzek, 2014 “THE TRACE BEYOND THE HUMAN:” EXPLORING NONHUMAN OTHERNESS AND HUMAN EXCEPTIONALISM IN CONTEMPORARY AND POPULAR LITERATURES JESSICA RUZEK Date of Defence: August 25, 2014 Dr. Kiki Benzon Associate Professor Ph.D. Supervisor Dr. Elizabeth Galway Associate Professor Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. Adam Carter Associate Professor Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee Member Dr. Daniel Paul O’Donnell Associate Professor Ph.D. Chair, Thesis Examination Committee Dedicated to my nonhuman feline companion, Mordecai, and to all eco-others with whom I share this planet iii Abstract Central to this examination is the questioning of the “culturally normal fantasy” (Haraway 267) of humanity’s pre-eminence in the current age known as the Anthropocene through the investigation of representations of humanity and non-humanity in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing, and Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man. These works question the alleged centrality of humanity, while offering new configurations with which to represent and understand the human in relation to the planet and its nonhuman inhabitants. Foundational to this interrogation of the human is the theoretical framework of posthumanism and ecocriticism, which see human exceptionalism as the discourse that enables the systemic destruction of the planet’s ecology and the exploitation of--and cruelty towards--nonhuman animals. Contemporary literatures, especially those which employ apocalypticism, are best able to represent and critique the practices which currently threaten the planet and its inhabitants. iv Acknowledgements My heartfelt thanks goes first to my supervisor, Dr. Kiki Benzon, for her continued guidance, encouragement, and support throughout my thesis. I also thank my committee members, Dr. Elizabeth Galway and Dr. Adam Carter, for their participation and assistance throughout this project. Sincere appreciation goes to Dr. Jay Gamble for his inspirational mentorship throughout both my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and for never doubting my ability to teach. I also thank Dr. Maria Ng for her immense generosity during her final years teaching at the University of Lethbridge. Warm thanks goes to Dr. Carmen Derkson for her reassurance, passion, and, most importantly, her friendship. I could not have completed this project without the support of my mother. I am eternally indebted to Božena Kostecki for her love, her undying support, and for never failing to take care of me, especially these past two years. My appreciation extends to Marian Godfrey for her friendship and warmth, and for always providing me with coffee and words. To Karla Carcamo, my oldest friend, and to her daughter, Veronica, I thank for bringing so much light and beauty to my life. I also deeply thank Rylan Spenrath for all his advice and support, but especially for the much- needed laughter and wit throughout our studies together. However, my deepest gratitude goes to Jason Headley, whose ceaseless patience and love has guided me through these past two years. No words exist to express how profoundly thankful I am for everything you have done, and continue to do, for me. I look forward to our future together, embarking on adventures to protect and preserve the environment and nonhuman animals. v Finally, I humbly thank Mordecai, for her never-ending tenderness and companionship. This project started with you, after all. vi Table of Contents Abstract iv Acknowledgements v List of Figures viii Introduction: The Challenges of Posthuman and Ecocritical Theory 1 Chapter One: A History of Posthumanism 22 Chapter Two: Posthuman Cognitive Estrangement in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake 32 Chapter Three: Post-Apocalyptic Commodities and Ecological Exile in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road 64 Chapter Four: Ecological Renewal and the Posthuman Ethos in Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing and Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man 100 Conclusion 142 References 150 vii List of Figures FIGURE 3.1. SWAMP THING QUESTIONS HIS LIMINALITY AS HUMAN AND NONHUMAN (MOORE 21). .................................................................................................................................. 110 FIGURE 3.2. SWAMP THING STRUGGLES TO MAINTAIN HIS HUMANITY (77). ............................. 111 FIGURE 3.3. SWAMP THING COMES TO TERMS WITH HIS POSTHUMAN SUBJECTIVITY (96). ....... 113 FIGURE 3.4. SWAMP THING GRAPPLES WITH THE EXCEPTIONALIST ETHOS THAT ATTEMPTS TO PREVENT HIS SURVIVAL (100). ......................................................................................... 114 FIGURE 3.5. SWAMP THING INFORMS WOODRUE THAT HIS ALLEGED ALIGNMENT WITH THE GREEN IS EXPLOITATIVE (122). ........................................................................................ 114 FIGURE 3.6. WOODRUE’S ACTIONS ARE LABELLED ANTHROPOCENTRIC (123). ........................ 115 FIGURE 3.7. AS SWAMP THING POINTS OUT WOODRUE’S CONSTRUCTED CONNECTION TO THE GREEN, WOODRUE BECOMES DISENGAGED FROM IT (124). .............................................. 117 FIGURE 3.8. SWAMP THING AND HIS LOVER ABBY DISCUSS WHETHER HUMANITY WILL CEASE DESTROYING THE GREEN (126). ....................................................................................... 118 FIGURE 3.9. SWAMP THING AFFIRMS HIS IDENTITY AS AN ELEMENTAL FIGURE OF THE PLANT WORLD (127). .................................................................................................................. 119 FIGURE 3.10. A BELIEVABLE NARRATIVE AND POWERS ARE IMPLANTED IN BUDDY BAKER BY THE TOTEMS OF THE RED (LEMIRE, VOL. 2 ANIMAL VS. MAN, “RED BIRTH”). ................... 121 FIGURE 3.1. AN AVATAR, OR GUARDIAN, OF EACH REALM EXISTS ALWAYS EXISTS AT ANY GIVEN TIME (VOL. 2 ANIMAL VS. MAN, “ENDLESS ROT”). ............................................................ 122 FIGURE 3.12. ANIMAL MAN LEARNS THAT THE INHERITANCE OF HIS POWERS WAS A RUSE DEVISED BY THE TOTEMS TO REACH HIS DAUGHTER, MAXINE (VOL. 1 THE HUNT, “PART THREE: TOTEMS”). ........................................................................................................... 123 FIGURE 3.13. AS ANIMAL MAN AND MAXINE TRAVEL TO THE RED KINGDOM, ANIMAL MAN ACKNOWLEDGES HIS DAUGHTER’S POWERS (VOL. 1 THE HUNT, “PART TWO: MAPS”). .... 127 FIGURE 3.14. THE THREE FORCES OF LIFE ARE SHOWN TO BE INTERCONNECTED AND MUST REMAIN IN BALANCE (VOL. 2 ANIMAL VS. MAN, “ENDLESS ROT”). .................................... 128 FIGURE 3.15. SWAMP THING AND ANIMAL MAN MEET (VOL. 3 ROTWORLD - THE RED KINGDOM, “PROLOGUE: PART ONE”). ............................................................................................... 131 FIGURE 3.16. THE TWO DESCEND INTO ROTWORLD IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEFEAT ARCANE (VOL. 3 ROTWORLD - THE RED KINGDOM, “PROLOGUE: PART ONE”). ........................................... 132 FIGURE 3.17. ARCANE TRICKS THE UNITED PAIR AND TRAPS THEM IN ROTWORLD FOR A YEAR (VOL. 3 ROTWORLD - THE RED KINGDOM, “PROLOGUE: PART ONE”). .............................. 133 FIGURE 3.18. ANIMAL MAN RETURNS TO THE SURFACE OF EARTH, FINDING IT DECIMATED (VOL. 3 ROTWORLD - THE RED KINGDOM, “PROLOGUE: PART ONE”). ........................................ 134 FIGURE 3.19. SWAMP THING, ANIMAL MAN, AND THE REMAINING HEROES FIGHT TOGETHER TO DEFEAT ARCANE (VOL. 3 ROTWORLD - THE RED KINGDOM, “ROTWORLD: WAR OF THE ROT PART ONE”). .................................................................................................................... 136 FIGURE 3.20. DISCOVERING THAT THE ROT IS ALSO THREATENED BY ARCANE’S ACTIONS, SWAMP THING AND ANIMAL MAN AGAIN UNITE TO HELP RESTORE BALANCE AMONG ALL THREE FORCES (VOL. 3 ROTWORLD - THE RED KINGDOM, “ROTWORLD: WAR OF THE ROT PART TWO”). ................................................................................................................... 137 FIGURE 3.21. SWAMP THING AND ANIMAL MAN CHOOSE ECOLOGICAL RENEWAL REGARDLESS OF ANY POSSIBLE DECEPTION THAT MAY FOLLOW (VOL. 3 ROTWORLD - THE RED KINGDOM, “ROTWORLD: WAR OF THE ROT PART TWO”). ................................................................. 138 viii Introduction: The Challenges of Posthuman and Ecocritical Theory Globally, there has been a recent increase in the discussions surrounding human intervention in the climate of the Earth, the environment as a whole, and the uses of animals in industry and entertainment. These discussions are present in a diversity of political and ideological circles, in news reports, in the heated online forums following these reports, in conferences, in animal cruelty treatises, and perhaps most predominantly, in scientific findings. With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) “Fifth Assessment Report” released
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