Alien Constructions: Science Fiction and Feminist Thought

338 Pages·2006·1.83 MB·English

by  Patricia Melzer

AlienConstructions
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
ALIEN
CONSTRUCTIONS
Science Fiction and Feminist Thought
PATRICIA MELZER
UniversityofTexasPress Austin
Copyright©2006bytheuniversityoftexaspress
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Firstedition,2006
Requestsforpermissiontoreproducematerial
fromthisworkshouldbesentto:
Permissions
universityoftexaspress
P.O.Box7819
Austin,TX78713-7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
(cid:2)Thepaperusedinthisbookmeetstheminimumrequirements
ofansi/nisoz39.48-1992(r1997)(PermanenceofPaper).
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Melzer,Patricia
Alienconstructions:sciencefictionandfeministthought/
PatriciaMelzer.—1sted.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn-13:978-0-292-71306-2((cl.):alk.paper)
isbn-10:0-292-71306-1
isbn-13:978-0-292-71307-9((pbk.):alk.paper)
isbn-10:0-292-71307-x
1.Sciencefiction,American—Historyandcriticism.2.Sciencefiction,
English—Historyandcriticism.3.Feminisminliterature.4.Alienresurrection
(Motionpicture).5.Matrix(Motionpicture).I.Title.
ps374.s35a79 2006
813'.08762099287—dc22
2005033703
Formyparents,AnnaMariaandDr.Klaus-JürgenMelzer
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
contents
acknowledgments ix
Introduction:ScienceFiction’sAlienConstructions 1
PART I
Difference,Identity,andColonialExperienceinFeministScienceFiction 35
1. CulturalChameleons:AnticolonialIdentitiesand
ResistanceinOctaviaE.Butler’sSurvivorandDawn 43
2. TheAlieninUs:MetaphorsofTransgressionin
theWorkofOctaviaE.Butler 67
PART II
TechnologiesandGenderinScienceFictionFilm 103
3. Technoscience’sStepdaughter:TheFeminist
CyborginAlienResurrection 108
4. OurBodiesasOurSelves:Body,Subjectivity,
and(Virtual)RealityinTheMatrix 149
PART III
PosthumanEmbodiment:DeviantBodies,Desire,andFeministPolitics 177
5. TheAnatomyofDystopia:FemaleTechnobodiesand
theDeathofDesireinRichardCalder’sDeadGirls 183
6. BeyondBinaryGender:GenderqueerIdentitiesand
IntersexedBodiesinOctaviaE.Butler’sWildSeed
andImagoandMelissaScott’sShadowMan 219
Conclusion 259
notes 265
bibliography 299
index 317
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
acknowledgments
writingabookonfeministsciencefictioncanbeanouter-worldlyex-
perience.Thankfully,Ihadasupportiveintellectualcommunityanda
tightnetworkoffriendswhokeptmegroundedduringtheprocess.
Fortheirsupportintheearlystagesoftheproject,Iowegratitude
to my advisors at Clark University—Eric Gordy, Maria Acosta-Cruz,
and Dianne Rocheleau—who consistently supported me in my rather
unusual research. I could not have had a more supportive group to
work with. A very special thank you also goes to Claudia Springer,
who, in her gracious generosity with her time and her inspiring con-
versations, has enabled me to feel part of a debate and not isolated
in my writing. I also want to thank those who provided the neces-
sary support in the initial stages of my research at Clark University,
inparticularVijayaJoshi,InsookKwon,JoanneLjungberg,andClaire
Cummings.
Inthecrucialtimeofre-envisioningmyprojectasabook,Iwassur-
roundedbyagroupofseniorfacultyatTempleUniversitywhoshowed
real interest in my progress and who encouraged me in my work:
Rebecca Alpert, Laura Levitt, Rickie Sanders, and Miriam Solomon.
Theymentoredandadvisedmeduringthevariousstagesofthebook
project, and I learned how to navigate the many hoops of academic
publishingwiththeirencouragementandhumor.Thesewomenkept
megoingwiththeirinsistencethattherereallyislightattheendofthe
tunnel.CynthiaEnloe’sunwaveringsupportofmyfeministacademic
careerfromafarhasbeenwonderful,andEricGordy’sconsistenten-
thusiasmformyworkhasbeeninspirational.Awarmthankyoualso
to Carmella Watson, who has supported me with her generous spirit
andunfailingcompetence.
The students in my class ‘‘Gender and Technology in Popular Cul-
ture’’ at Temple University in Spring 2004 creatively influenced this
project.Theircriticalandinsightfulreadingsofthetextsandourspir-
ited class discussions kept reminding me of the relevance of my in-